Structural Steel

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Construction of S. R. Crown Hall

In 1952-1953 Mies van der Rohe built the Crown Hall in Chicago: it was to house the College of Architecture on Illinois' Institute of Technology campus. A spectacular building constructed out of steel and glass, it has no interior supports and the roof is suspended from four steel girders. In the Hall free-standing partitions subdivide the space, creating drawing rooms, a library and an exhibition room. The basement is used for offices and workshops. In Crown Hall, Mies van der Rohe's continual search for a clear expression of structure reached its pinnacle.

Image Credits: Chicago Historical Society