Analyzing the Arts Club Stairs - Case Study Example

Name of student Name of instructor Course title Date Аnаlyzing the Аrts Сlub Stаirs Introduction Arts Club Chicago staircase is one of the great architectural representations of Mies van der Rohe. Mies van der Rohe was born in Germany in 1886 and has described as one of those architects who have “refused to go away” due to the influence that his architectural work has had over the years (Marshall, 24). Mies van der Rohe spent his early years in Europe where he contributed greatly in the development of architectural industry. However, in late 1930s, he migrated to America where he became the director of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In the U.S.A, Mies van der Rohe started promoting the modernist style of architecture. The rigorous efforts resulted into construction of modern buildings such as the Seagram Building and the Farnsworth House that he designed with Philip Johnson. The following section seeks two discuss the Arts Club Chicago staircase which was designed by Mies van der Rohe. In this connection, a critical look at the design and other elements applied in the Arts Club Chicago staircase will be analyzed. Design Elements in the Elements As stated above Arts Club Chicago staircase is the reconstructed design that was initially done by Mies van der Rohe. The staircase was designed by John Vinci in 1997, bringing back to life the architectural role and importance of Mies van der Rohe (Habermnan, 21). The staircase is in two-story art center in Chicago. The building was originally the arts club, which was formerly located at 109 East Ontario but demolished in 1995. The modern staircase acts as one of the centerpieces of the new interior designs, which attracts a closer look from the artists. It is crucial to note that there are different types of staircases that are designed for various purposes. However, it should be understood that two of the most important reasons is the staircase’s appeal and the availability of space (Grady, 83). Therefore, it is recommended that when space is at premium, an architect should come up with a staircase design that will substantially reduce the footprint in a building. Straight Stairs are one of the common types of stairs since they are practical while at the same time being inexpensive compared to the rest (Mies & Moisés, 38). The name of the staircases is mostly given based on some factors such as the shape and the materials used or direction of the staircases. For example, a straight stair is the type of staircase that travels in one direction. In the above Mies van der Rohe‘s work, the type of staircase is L Shaped, which involves two stairs connecting at a landing with a 900 turn. In some cases, the L-Shaped stairs are connected by winder treads. L-Shaped stairs are mostly used in places where the space is limited and the straight flight may not fit. The intermediate winder tread area or landing can be centered nearer to the top of the bottom or between the two straight flights. The application of winder treads, which are pie-shaped treads, is recommended when space available is even more limited in order to increase the number of treads at the landing area. Arts Club Chicago staircase by Mies van der Rohe shows one of the core elements applied in the construction of staircases (Habermnan, 53). As noted earlier, Arts Club Chicago staircase is located in a public place and thus the first thing that visitors would like to see at the entry is the staircase that would lead those upstairs. Mies van der Rohe understood this aspect and that is why the stairs are located at the entrance of the building. This creates a welcoming atmosphere and minimizes the incidences of one being lost or confused as a new visitor. Further, as mentioned above, L-Shaped stairs are most convenient when space is limited. As a creative designer, Mies van der Rohe was a live to this reality (Habermnan, 53). The building only consists of two stories thus limiting the space for spiral or other types of stairs. In addition, using a complicated style of staircase design for two-story building was not feasible. This is a critical factor since any visitor who enters the building is not expecting to spend much time before getting to the top. Therefore, to avoid boredom for the visitors, Mies van der Rohe’s style was very appropriate. Mies van der Rohe uses concrete as the support base of the staircase. The Arts Club Chicago is a place that is expected to have large number of visitors on daily basis. Therefore, the fact that Mies van der Rohe used concrete makes it appropriate in ensuring the durability of the staircase. The heavy traffic in the building would damage the stairs if they were weak, which makes Mies van der Rohe employ concrete to support the tread and other parts of the staircase. Additionally, the technology of using steel in the designing of staircases has been there for many years. Steel is also instrumental in ensuring that the space available is used wisely. In his design, Mies van der Rohe used steel in many parts of the staircase (Habermnan, 64). For example, the handrail, newel posts, and balusters are all made of steel. Although wood has been traditionally used in such parts of staircases, it occupies mush space compared to steel. At the same time wood is prone to damages and therefore it may last for long, as is the case with steel. The thickness of steel used in all parts of the stairs is thin enough to provide enough space for several people to be on the same tread of the stairs. Therefore, the use of steel by Mies van der Rohe in this staircase was deliberate. On the other hand, Mies van der Rohe seem to consider the uniformity of materials used both in the other parts of the building and the staircase (Marshall, 29). He uses metal frame at the entrance of the building, which coincides with the steel materials uses in the staircase design. This creates sense of how the building is strong not only form the outside but also inside the structure. At the same time, compared to using wood, steel is much cheaper which could be a factor that Mies van der Rohe also considered. The use of simple technology by Mies van der Rohe has ensured that he is able to take care of safety of the people using the stair. As a public place, the building is expected to be used by various kinds of people included the aged or disabled (Marshall, 65). Therefore, Mies van der Rohe has not used extreme falls and slips on the staircase. It is crucial to know the measurement that one will employ in order to determine the stair rise or the step’s vertical plane. This is critical as stepping may become difficult due to tall risers or climbing becoming challenging of the low risers is used. The efficient measurement of the risers in the Mies van der Rohe’s stairs helped him to apply good number of treads, which also determine the width of the steps on the staircase. The choice of color in painting staircases is important as it communicates a lot to the visitors. Mies van der Rohe painting of the arts club staircase avoids bold color (Marshall, 54). The use of neutral color is meant to ensure that the appearance of the staircase matches that of the rest of the building. Mies van der Rohe deliberately avoids bold color to also consider the durability of the surfaces. Bright or bold colors tend to create attention and are prone to spoiling especially in public places and thus difficult to maintain. Further, neutral colors also create a cohesive and open space in a building. In order to ensure safety and security of the users of staircases, it is recommended that they should be appropriately lit. Arts Club Staircase by Mies van der Rohe in Chicago is well lit making them secure to use (Lange et al., 43). Since Mies van der Rohe’s is an indoor staircase, he makes use of the combination color, as well as materials used to bring out the aesthetic feeling, which coincides with the role of the arts club building in Chicago. Conclusion Conclusively, Arts Club Staircase by Mies van der Rohe brings out the modernist as well as the traditional style of designing stairs. The design takes into consideration the basic elements required when creating staircases. Work Cited Habermann, Karl J. Staircases: Design and Construction. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2013. Print. Grady, James H. Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe: A Bibliography. Charlottesville, Va.: American Association of Architectural Bibliographers, 2009. Print. Lange, Christiane, Rebecca . Dyck, and van R. L. Mies. Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe & Lilly Reich - Furniture and Interiors: [in Conjunction with the Exhibition "mies Van Der Rohe & Lilly Reich: Furniture and Interiors" ; Exhibition: Lange House, Krefeld, March 4 – Mai 13, 2007]. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2006. Print. Marshall, Jennifer J. Machine Art, 1934. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2012. Print. Mies, van R. L, and Moisés Puente. Conversations with Mies Van Der Rohe. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008. Print. Read More