Friedrichstrasse Office Building

work by Mies van der Rohe

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

The Friedrichstrasse Office Building was a theoretical project by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, conceived in 1919. It was one of the earliest proposals for a building constructed entirely of steel and glass, embodying Mies's principle of "skin and bones construction." This design foreshadowed his later work and established a new direction for modern architecture, emphasizing transparency and the exposed structural framework. While never built, this concept significantly influenced the development of the International Style of architecture.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Work after World War I
The Friedrichstrasse Office Building (1919) was one of the first proposals for an all steel-and-glass building and established the Miesian principle of “skin and bones construction.” The “Glass Skyscraper” (1921) applied this idea to a glass skyscraper whose transparent facade reveals the building’s underlying steel structure.…
Read More
The Friedrichstrasse Office Building (1919) was one of the first proposals for an all steel-and-glass building and established the Miesian principle of “skin and bones construction.” The “Glass Skyscraper” (1921) applied this idea to a glass skyscraper whose transparent facade reveals the building’s underlying steel structure.…
Read More