Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) was a pioneering German-American architect and one of the most influential figures in modern architecture. Known for his minimalist approach, Mies is celebrated for his famous dictum “Less is more” and his commitment to clarity, simplicity, and modern materials like steel and glass. His designs emphasized open space, rational structures, and functionalism, and his work laid the foundation for what is now called the International Style in architecture.

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🧒 Early Life and Background

• Full Name: Maria Ludwig Michael Mies
• Born: March 27, 1886, Aachen, Germany
• Died: August 17, 1969, Chicago, USA

Mies was born into a family of stone masons, which exposed him early on to construction and craftsmanship. Though he had no formal architectural education, he gained experience working in his father’s workshop and later under established architects in Berlin, including Peter Behrens, a major figure in early modernism. At Behrens’ office, Mies worked alongside Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier — all of whom would later define modernist architecture.

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🏛 Architectural Philosophy

🔹 “Less is More”

Mies championed minimalism, where every element has a clear function and unnecessary ornamentation is eliminated. His famous motto, “Less is more,” became a core principle of modernist design.

🔹 Universal Space

He introduced the idea of universal space—open, flexible floor plans made possible by modern structural techniques using steel frames and glass walls.

🔹 Truth to Materials

Mies believed in expressing the true nature of materials—steel should look like steel, glass like glass. He did not try to disguise the materials but celebrated their essence.

🔹 Architecture as Order

He viewed architecture as a disciplined expression of form and order, influenced by classical proportions and a rationalist approach.

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🏗 Key Projects

1. Barcelona Pavilion (1929)

• Location: Barcelona, Spain
• Built for: German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exposition
• Style: Minimalist, open-plan space using glass, steel, and marble
• Features: Floating roof, free-flowing space, elegant materials
• Famous Furniture: The Barcelona Chair, designed with Lilly Reich

This iconic structure is a symbol of modernism and spatial purity. Though demolished after the exhibition, it was reconstructed in 1986 and is widely studied today.

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2. Villa Tugendhat (1930)

• Location: Brno, Czech Republic
• A luxury private home that employed open-plan living and modern materials.
• One of the first residential buildings to use a steel frame structure.
• Famous for its large curved glass windows, onyx wall, and custom furniture.

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3. Seagram Building (1958) (with Philip Johnson)

• Location: New York City, USA
• A landmark skyscraper that defines the International Style: sleek, rectilinear, and monumental.
• Use of bronze-toned I-beams as decorative (but honest) elements on the facade.
• Pioneered the idea of a public plaza in front of the building, influencing urban skyscraper design in America.

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4. Farnsworth House (1951)

• Location: Plano, Illinois, USA
• A weekend retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth, a single-room glass house elevated on stilts.
• Radical for its complete transparency and openness to nature.
• Considered a masterpiece of modernist residential design.

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5. Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Campus (1938–58)

• Mies was the head of the architecture department and designed many of the buildings on the campus.
• The Crown Hall (1956), the architecture building, is especially famous for its steel and glass box design.
• His work at IIT became a model for educational campuses worldwide.

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🏫 Role as Educator

Mies was a passionate teacher and a profound influence on architectural education:

• Director of the Bauhaus (1930–1933), Germany’s most avant-garde design school, until it was closed by the Nazis.
• Fled to the United States in 1937 and became head of the architecture school at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago.
• At IIT, he reformed the curriculum around modernist principles and trained a generation of influential architects.

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✈️ Move to the United States

Mies emigrated to the United States in 1937 due to increasing Nazi hostility toward modernist art and architecture, which they viewed as “degenerate.” In America, he found a new platform to experiment with skyscrapers, free plans, and industrial materials.

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🏆 Awards and Recognition

• AIA Gold Medal (1960)
• Royal Gold Medal by RIBA (1959)
• Numerous buildings listed as historic landmarks
• Widely recognized as one of the “Big Three” of modernism (with Le Corbusier and Gropius)

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📚 Notable Contributions to Furniture Design

Mies also designed iconic modern furniture, often with his collaborator Lilly Reich, such as:

• Barcelona Chair
• Brno Chair
• MR Lounge Chair

These pieces are celebrated for their elegance, simplicity, and use of modern materials like tubular steel and leather.

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🕊 Death and Legacy

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe died on August 17, 1969, in Chicago. His ashes were buried near the graves of his architect students at Graceland Cemetery.

Legacy:

• Mies van der Rohe’s International Style became the global language of corporate and institutional architecture from the 1950s–1970s.
• His designs inspired countless office buildings and skyscrapers around the world.
• His clear, rational architectural grammar continues to influence architects today.
• Museums, design schools, and architecture faculties continue to study his work and philosophy as foundational in modern architecture.

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🧠 Conclusion

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a master of modernism — a man who stripped architecture down to its essence and reshaped how we think about space, materials, and form. Whether through the clean lines of the Seagram Building or the transparent grace of the Farnsworth House, Mies created timeless works that emphasize order, openness, and honesty.

His legacy is immortalized not only in his buildings and furniture but also in his ideas, which remain a cornerstone of architectural thought across the globe. In every minimalist structure, in every glass-and-steel skyscraper, the influence of Mies can still be seen — a testament to his enduring vision of “less is more.”

By Shashikant Nishant Sharma

A literature review is a critical component of any research study. It helps in understanding existing knowledge, identifying research gaps, and building a theoretical foundation for new investigations. Over time, various methods and frameworks have been developed to conduct literature reviews more systematically and transparently. Here are some of the key techniques:

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1. Traditional Literature Survey (Narrative Review)

Overview:

• Also called narrative review, this is the most conventional and flexible approach.
• Involves summarizing and synthesizing existing literature based on the author’s subjective selection.

Key Features:

• Broad overview of a topic.
• Thematic or chronological organization.
• Focuses on theoretical perspectives, concepts, and debates.

Strengths:

• Useful for conceptual exploration or theoretical discussions.
• Allows interpretation and critical thinking.

Limitations:

• No formal methodology, making it prone to bias.
• Less reproducible and transparent compared to systematic reviews.

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2. Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

Overview:

• A rigorous and structured method to review literature.
• Seeks to identify, evaluate, and synthesize all relevant studies on a specific topic or question.

Steps Involved:

1. Define a research question.
2. Develop inclusion/exclusion criteria.
3. Conduct systematic searches in databases.
4. Screen titles, abstracts, and full texts.
5. Extract data and analyze findings.

Strengths:

• Reproducible and transparent.
• Minimizes bias.
• Suitable for evidence-based research.

Limitations:

• Time-consuming and complex.
• May exclude qualitative insights.

Use Cases:

• Medicine, education, social sciences, and policy-making.

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3. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)

Overview:

• PRISMA is a reporting framework, not a review method per se.
• It provides a checklist and flow diagram to enhance the transparency and quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Key Components:

• 27-item checklist covering title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and funding.
• Flowchart showing study selection: Identification → Screening → Eligibility → Included.

Strengths:

• Ensures high-quality reporting.
• Promotes clarity, transparency, and replicability.

Limitations:

• Requires strict adherence to guidelines.
• More suitable for systematic reviews and meta-analyses than general narrative reviews.

Use Cases:

• Frequently used in health sciences, psychology, education, and social policy.

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4. SALSA Framework (Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, Analysis)

Overview:

• A structured model for literature reviews introduced by Booth et al.
• Balances systematic rigor with flexibility.

Components:

1. Search: Identify literature using keywords, databases, and grey literature.
2. Appraisal: Evaluate the quality, relevance, and rigor of each study.
3. Synthesis: Group, compare, and contrast findings.
4. Analysis: Interpret results, identify gaps, and derive implications.

Strengths:

• Allows a structured yet adaptable approach.
• Suitable for both qualitative and quantitative studies.

Limitations:

• Still requires researcher judgment for synthesis and analysis.

Use Cases:

• Useful for interdisciplinary research, education, and social sciences.

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5. Scoping Review

Overview:

• Explores the extent, range, and nature of research on a topic.
• Often used to map evidence and identify gaps.

Key Features:

• Broad focus.
• No detailed quality appraisal (unlike systematic reviews).
• May include grey literature.

Strengths:

• Great for exploratory purposes.
• Helps formulate precise research questions.

Limitations:

• May lack depth in synthesis.
• Does not usually assess study quality.

Use Cases:

• Preliminary stage of large projects or policy development.

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6. Meta-Analysis

Overview:

• A quantitative extension of a systematic review.
• Combines statistical data from multiple studies to calculate a pooled effect size.

Key Features:

• Requires studies with similar designs and measurable outcomes.
• Provides numerical summary of evidence.

Strengths:

• Increases statistical power.
• Helps in confirming patterns.

Limitations:

• Not suitable for qualitative data.
• Requires statistical expertise.

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7. Meta-Synthesis

Overview:

• A technique to integrate and interpret qualitative research findings.
• Focuses on themes and conceptual models.

Strengths:

• Deepens understanding of human experiences and perceptions.
• Useful in social sciences and humanities.

Limitations:

• Subjective interpretation.
• Cannot be generalized statistically.

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8. Rapid Review

Overview:

• A time-efficient alternative to systematic reviews.
• Uses streamlined methods for quick evidence synthesis.

Strengths:

• Faster and less resource-intensive.
• Useful for policy or urgent decision-making.

Limitations:

• May compromise rigor and comprehensiveness.

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9. Integrative Review

Overview:

• Integrates data from both experimental and non-experimental studies.
• Synthesizes past empirical and theoretical literature.

Strengths:

• Offers a comprehensive understanding of complex phenomena.
• Flexible and inclusive.

Limitations:

• Requires careful organization and strong justification.

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🔍 Comparison of Major Review Techniques

Technique	Scope	Rigor	Time Needed	Suitable For
Narrative Review	Broad	Low	Short	General understanding
Systematic Review	Focused	High	Long	Evidence-based studies
PRISMA	Focused	Very High	Long	Medical/social science reviews
SALSA	Moderate	Medium	Moderate	Thematic reviews, education
Scoping Review	Broad	Medium	Moderate	Mapping literature
Meta-Analysis	Narrow	Very High	Long	Quantitative studies
Meta-Synthesis	Narrow	Medium	Long	Qualitative research
Rapid Review	Focused	Medium	Short	Time-sensitive topics
Integrative Review	Moderate	Medium	Moderate	Mixed-methods synthesis

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✍️ Conclusion

Choosing the right literature review technique depends on your research objectives, available time, field of study, and type of data. For a basic understanding, a narrative review may suffice, while a systematic or PRISMA-guided review is essential for evidence-based disciplines. Methods like SALSA, scoping reviews, and meta-syntheses offer flexible and in-depth alternatives for complex or interdisciplinary topics.

Each technique, when used properly, strengthens the foundation of your research and enhances the quality and credibility of your academic work.

References

• Dehalwar, K., & Sharma, S. N. (2023). Fundamentals of research writing and uses of research methodologies. Edupedia Publications Pvt Ltd.
• Sharma, S. N., & Dehalwar, K. (2025). A Systematic Literature Review of Transit-Oriented Development to Assess Its Role in Economic Development of City. Transportation in Developing Economies, 11(2), 23.
• Sharma, S. N., & Dehalwar, K. (2024). Review of Evergreen ILS: Highly-Scalable Open Source Library Management Solution. Available at SSRN 4853757.
• Sharma, S. N., & Dehalwar, K. (2025). Assessing the Transit-Oriented Development and Travel Behavior of the Residents in Developing Countries: A Case of Delhi, India. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 151(3), 05025018.
• Sharma, S. N. (2024). Understanding Scientometric Analysis: Applications and Implications.Track2Training
• Sharma, S. N. (2018). Review of National Urban Policy Framework 2018. Think India Journal, 21(3), 74-81.
• Sharma, S. N., Singh, D., & Dehalwar, K. (2024). Surrogate safety analysis-leveraging advanced technologies for safer roads. Suranaree Journal of Science and Technology, 31(4), 010320.
• Dehalwar, K., & Sharma, S. N. (2024). Social Injustice Inflicted by Spatial Changes in Vernacular Settings: An Analysis of Published Literature.