2 - Farnsworth House - Barbara Franco

      This is a very famous house, at least among architects and whoever is related to our field of study. Mies Van der Rohe is an inspiration and the Farnsworth House is one of his most significant works. I started to fall in love for this house in the first year of college, in a Drawing class. In this class we had to find sketches, studies and projects in books at the library and choose at least 5, to analyze, understand the project and learn about the architect. The Farnsworth House was my first choice. It was fascinating to know how Mies van der Rohe was able to create in a simplified shape, a complex house for the time.  The choice for glass walls, for instance, that combined with the volumes gives you the idea of floating and blends with nature. Other important achievement in this house was the solution of using the I-beams for structural purposes that also become an important part of the design. I had a wonderful opportunity to visit the Farnsworth House this summer, and it was amazing to feel and understand what Mies wanted to transmit. This house is an icon of modernist domestic architecture and The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been doing a great job to maintain it.