Seagram Building
The Seagram Building is a skyscraper in New York City, 375 Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Street. It was designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1958. Mies worked because he was not licensed in New York as an architect, Philip Johnson together. The Seagram Building is 156.9 meters high and a prime example of modern architecture. It was built as the headquarters of the Spirits Group Joseph E. Seagram 's & Sons and houses among others the famous Four Seasons restaurant, which was designed and decorated by Mies together with Philip Johnson and other famous designers.
Mies van der Rohe to commission, was a proposal from the architect Phyllis Lambert, the daughter of the then CEO of Seagram, Samuel Bronfman. Mies at that time had no significant building in New York City built.
Architecture
Together with the opposite Lever House 390 Park Avenue particular the Seagram Building for several decades the style of skyscrapers in New York. It presents itself as a bronze-colored cube of understated elegance that is from Park Avenue reset and thus leaves a spacious open granite space free. This " plaza " was developed, although not designed by Mies, a popular meeting place and prompted New York City, in the reorganization of its planning law in 1961 incentives for " privately owned public spaces" ( public spaces in private ownership) modeled after the Seagram Building Plaza provide; however, was made of it in the following decades rarely use.
The building itself and his so-called international style had a huge influence on American architecture. One characteristic of the International Style is to make the construction of a building conspicuous and not to hide the supporting elements. The Seagram Building, like virtually all of the major buildings of this period, a steel skeleton on which the non-structural glass facade is attached. This skeleton would have ideas to remain visible after Mies '. The building code, however, wrote before, the supporting steel elements with refractory material, such as concrete encase. Therefore, Mies had to install on the facade of non- load-bearing, bronze I-beams that run vertically like mullions between the large glass windows. This method, an internal skeleton made of concrete steel surround with a non-load bearing shell, has since been established as standard procedure in the construction of high-rise buildings.
Upon completion, had luxurious materials and the lush, largely designed by Philip Johnson interior, including bronze, travertine and marble, made the building the most expensive skyscraper of its time.
An interesting feature of the Seagram Building are his blinds. Following the principles of the International Style, Mies wanted to give the building a completely uniform appearance. Blinds that would be taken in all possible positions individually and thus made for a non-uniform impression, so were not compatible. The blinds were therefore equipped so that they can be adjusted only in three stages - very open, half open or fully closed.