A Study on Spatial Characteristics of the Living Room in Mies van der Rohe′s Resor House

Abstract

Resor House can be considered significant since it provides a meaningful clue to understanding the changes in Mies′ conception of architectural space, particularly the relationship between the interior and the exterior spaces. In this light, this paper focuses on the following characteristics of the living room of Resor House. Firstly, in terms of spatial characteristics, the paper discusses the idea that there is an enhanced relationship between the interior and the exterior spaces of Resor House. This is achieved by minimizing the use of fixed elements other than the ceiling and floor in the living room space, and through the emphasis of its objet-like characteristic, resulting in a homogeneous, continuous, and hierarchical composition for the overall living room space. Secondly, the paper examines the idea that a building can act as a visual frame that forms a single integrated visual whole between the inside and the outside, while maintaining the inherent properties of the interior and exterior spaces. This aspect can explain the fact that after Resor House, the role of architecture as a device to create the relationship between spaces, especially of those between the interior and exterior, becomes more emphasized in Mies′ architecture. In addition, Resor House is also significant in that concrete solutions to the country house idea, which appeared conceptually during Mies′ German era, particularly as a precise study on its interior space, are actively suggested through this project. In so doing, Resor House exemplifies Mies′ concrete experiments on the possibility of integrating the interior space into the exterior environment on a site that has abundant natural features.