The Spatial Composition of the Farnsworth House and "Less is more"

The aim of this study is to elucidate the meaning of "less is more" by examining the design process of the Farnsworth House and its spatial composition. In order to find out what constitutes "less" and "more", Mies' sketches and drawings were reviewed, and the vision of the architect and the owner, and the responses from the critics were studied. As a matter of fact, these seemingly contradictory concepts the "less" and the "more" are relative terms that complement each other. The concept of "less" describes an enclosure of space, fixed, inflexible and invariable space that leaves no room for change. On the other hand, the term "more" represents an openness of space, free, flexible, and variable space. Mies tried to minimize "less" element when designing the interior of the Farnsworth House, and he did so by eliminating columns and walls. On the contrary, by using only fixed core, he created a "more" space, where the effects of flexible and open qualities are maximized. However, duality and contradiction rising from glass external wall and portico in the Farnsworth House raise a critical issue in this "less is more" discourse. The role of these parts of the house is rather contradictory, and the glass wall and the portico hold both "less" and "more" elements. Unlike its relatively simple composition of space, the Farnsworth House encompasses many complex and contradictory ideas that leave room for wide scope of exploration and various interpretations.

판즈워스 주택의 공간구성과 "Less is more"