1028 quotes by architects for you to enjoy

Surprisingly, the Eisenhower Memorial design contains almost none of the known Gehry-box of tricks. His giant etched chain-link curtain, first applied in 1979 to hide an ungracious parking garage at Santa Monica Place, is resurrected for Eisenhower to screen the equally graceless facade of the Department of Education. Leon Krier

Education Hide First Design Giant Tricks Memorial Facade Parking Almost Contains Known Equally None His Surprisingly Department Screen Curtain Eisenhower Place Santa Santa Monica Garage Monica Applied

A city can only be reconstructed in the form of urban quarters. A large or a small city can only be reorganized as a large or a small number of urban quarters; as a federation of autonomous quarters. Each quarter must have its own center, periphery and limit. Each quarter must be a city within a city. Leon Krier

Own Must City Only Small Federation Periphery Within Limit Quarter Quarters Form Center Autonomous Urban Large Each Number

Every building must have... its own soul. Louis Kahn

Soul Building Own Every Must

In a small room one does not say what one would in a large room. Louis Kahn

Say Would Small Does Room Large

The building's identity resided in the ornament. Louis Sullivan

Architecture Building Identity Ornament

Implicit in true freedom of spirit lies a proud and virile will. Such glorious power of free will to choose, envisages beneficent social responsibility as manifest and welcome. Louis Sullivan

The problem of the tall office building is one of the most stupendous, one of the most magnificent opportunities that the Lord of Nature in His beneficence has ever offered to the proud spirit of man. Louis Sullivan

Nature Man Problem Opportunities Building Spirit Magnificent Most Tall Proud Lord His Offered Office Ever

I hope you will understand that architecture has nothing to do with the inventions of forms. It is not a playground for children, young or old. Architecture is the real battleground of the spirit. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Hope You Architecture Old Will Young Nothing Battleground Spirit Inventions Understand Real Children Forms Playground

Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space. Living, Changing, New. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only such architecture is creative. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Today Creative Architecture Space Tomorrow Will Yesterday Living Changing Given Only New Form Translated Epoch

Architecture depends on its time. It is the crystallization of its inner structure, the slow unfolding of its form. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Time Architecture Slow Structure Depends Unfolding Form Inner

The building art is, in reality, always the spatial execution of spiritual decisions. It is bound to its times and manifests itself only in addressing vital tasks with the means of its times. A knowledge of the times, its tasks, and its means is the necessary precondition of work in the building art. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Work Art Spiritual Knowledge Reality Building Addressing Vital Only Bound Execution Always Itself Times Tasks Decisions Means Spatial Necessary

Create form out of the nature of the task with the means of our time. This is our work. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Work Time Nature Our Our Time Out Task Form Create Means

Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, it transcends into architecture. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Technology Architecture Real Transcends Wherever Fulfillment

You cannot save wonderful towns. You can only save wonderful towns by building new ones. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

You Wonderful Building Only New Towns New Ones Cannot Save

It must be possible to solve the task of controlling nature and yet simultaneously create a new freedom. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Freedom Nature Controlling Possible Must Solve Simultaneously New Task Create

Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to buy a medium-sized castle in Tuscany. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Buy Alone Money Three Saved Enough Medium-Sized Enough Money Castle Castles Simply Insurance Years Owning Forty Forty Years Last

Generally, I think my work has so much influence because of its reasonableness. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Work Think Generally Because Influence Much

It is no use working with other architects. What can they do? Who does what? Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Other Architects Does Working Use Who

Cheese was the staple. Bread you brought from home. The Schnaps came later. At the end of the week when people got paid, that's when you got your Schnaps, lots of it, five Pfennige a shot. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Home You People Cheese Later Brought Week Got Came Lots End Five Bread Shot Paid Your Staple

I discovered by working with actual glass models that the important thing is the play of reflections and not the effect of light and shadow, as in ordinary buildings. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Light Important Shadow Glass Buildings Important Thing Discovered Effect Reflections Models Ordinary Working Actual Play Thing

I thought a lot and I controlled my thoughts in my work - and I controlled my work through my thoughts. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Work Thoughts Thought Through Lot Controlled

1926 was the most significant year. Looking back, it seems that it was not just a year in the sense of time. It was a year of great realisation or awareness. It seems to me that at certain times of the history of man, the understanding of certain situations ripens. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Quotes by Architects