WHO IS “LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE?” Written by Ian Callahan
In the summer of 2013, EHS alum and Syracuse University graduate Brooks Hausser’09 arrived on campus with a box truck. The contents? A desk he custom built for Assistant Headmaster for Academic Affairs Michael Riendeau. The desk, which weighs hundreds of pounds, is forged from polished concrete slabs and beautifully designed wood shaped into what Brooks called "Miesian lines." I admit that I had to ask what the heck he was talking about! Brooks kindly replied that "Miesian" simply referred to the work of famed German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Known for structures such as the Barcelona Pavilion, the Farnsworth House, and the Seagram Building, Mies (as he was commonly called) lived from 1886 to 1969. Mies pursued a lifelong mission to create an architecture expressive of and in harmony with his age, much as Gothic Architecture was for an era of spiritualism. Using a highly disciplined design process, Mies favored rational thought over inherited traditions in his efforts at creating an architectural language that could capture his philosophical ideas. More than any other pioneer of modernism, Mies sifted carefully through the works of thinkers and philosophers for concepts that he could incorporate into his architectural mission. The fact that Brooks found inspiration in the work of such an open-minded thinker is, we hope, characteristic of Eagle Hill's commitment to learning diversity. By encouraging our students to consider the many ways of thinking and learning and to discover their own passions, we equip students such as Brooks to go out into the world and find their own niche. Nice work, Brooks!
4 Eagle Hill School 2012–2013