The Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe 1919

The Barcelona chair by was designed by Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 World Exposition in Barcelona. Leather straps were used to suspend leather-covered cushions from chrome plated steel frame.

The Barcelona chair was a custom design created for the King and Queen of Spain. This was used as an artistic statement to illustrate how negative space could be used to transform a functional item to a sculptural object.

"A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous." --Mies van der Rohe quoted in Time magazine, February 18, 1957.

Le Corbusier design show opens in Liverpool

Exhibition will celebrate architect's multidisciplinary approach to design



An exhibition of le Corbusier's work will open on Tuesday in Liverpool as part of the city's European Capital of Culture events.



The show includes models of the architect's most influential buildings, from the arts-and-crafts houses in his native Switzerland to the Ronchamp chapel and his designs for Chandigarh in India.

It will also explore Le Corbusier's multidisciplinary approach to design, combining art and film with urban planning and architecture.



The exhibition will be the first ever staged in the crypt of Liverpool's Roman Catholic cathedral. It will remain there until 18 January, then move to another UK location – the Barbican Arts Centre in London, where it will be on view from 19 February to 24 May.

6th Le Corbusier Research Center to be Built in India

The world is soon to have a new Le Corbusier research center/museum. It's been announced that the sixth such building will be constructed in Chandigarh, India, a city for which Corbusier laid out the master plan for in the 1950s. It's the second building in India, and it will feature a museum, like in all the other locations, but also plans to be a destination for architects and designers to work in their respective fields (though much more like a research library and most of it will have to do with the famous designer/architect himself). What's more, it will also be built to resemble and function in the way Le Corbusier would have likely wanted it designed, the planers hoping that it will resemble how things operated when the man was there working lo those many years ago.

Here's a bit:

The centre will be divided into six sections portraying the archival records, original plans, elevations, sketches and studies, maps and models, documents, photographs and furniture. Three rooms will serve as reception, reference and digital library with internet facility.

"We will establish a 'Chandigarh heritage conservation cell' for monitoring the conservation activity within the city. The materials that will be displayed in the centre will be collected on a permanent loan basis from various public, private and international institutions," he said.

The open courtyard would be used for the temporary exhibitions to promote ancient, medieval and Contemporary art and architecture in the region.

The spectacular BMW World

Whatever BMW does, it does in style!

The iconic carmaker's exhibition centre, called the BMW Welt or BMW World, provides an awe-inspiring experience for customers and helps the company display its offerings in a dreamlike, almost other worldly, setting.

It sits cheek by jowl to the BMW headquarters in Munich, Germany.

The magnificent building was designed by architects Coop Himmelb(l)au for the BMW Group.

As many as 275 architecture firms submitted tenders for the BMW Welt, but in a unanimous decision the winning design was by Professor Wolf D Prix and the Viennese architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au.

After 800,000 hours of planning, and 120 architects and engineers collaborating to prepare 15,000 plans, the Munich Olympic Car Park was demolished on August 1, 2003 to make space for the construction of BMW (Welt) World.

On July 16, 2004 the first stone was set, and the final interior touches were given in June 2007. BMW Welt was open to the public in October.

The BMW Welt is located at the exact site where the company has had its base for 90 years: on the Oberwiesenfeld in Milbertshofen, right beside the BMW Group headquarters, which is a 4-cylinder building, and the BMW Museum.

In early 20th century, Oberwiesenfeld was used as an airstrip and two aviation pioneers founded their companies here. Gustav Otto founded Flugmaschinenfabrik (Flight Machine Factory) and Karl Rapp founded Motorenwerk (Motor Works).

In 1917, the two companies merged to form the Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works, or BMW).

The building has a huge solar power plant on its roof, lending it a futuristic, green look.

In addition to the various presentations, multi-media displays and exhibits about BMW cars and motorcycles, the main function of BMW World is to serve as a highly personalised delivery point of new cars to their owners.

The Plaza within the BMW Welt is the ideal starting point for touring all parts of the building and provides an overview of the very unusual architecture and the various areas within this unique achievement in modern design and engineering.

Directly next to the Northern Entrance the presentation of BMW cars starts at the right, with cars from all current model series being presented in the BMW Welt.

The Bistro is to the left, the Junior Campus a few steps further on to the right. The latter is a special encounter and event area for children and young people between 7 and 13.

BMW Welt Technology and Design Studio is where the enthusiast wishing to experience BMW's art of engineering and design will receive a comprehensive insight into new developments, enjoying interesting exhibitions and interactive exhibits.

The BMW Lifestyle & Original Accessories Shop within the BMW Welt is just a few metres behind the Junior Campus.

Here, aficionados of the brand, sophisticated accessories or Formula 1 will find a unique range of equally unique products.

And this is also where the customer picking up a new car is able to buy accessories on the spur of the moment, such as a roof rack for bicycles or child seats fitted into the car right on the spot.

The Double Cone structure of the BMW World serves as the ideal venue for exclusive cultural events.

The Premiere Level, the very heart of the Car Delivery Centre, is right in the middle of the BMW Welt, directly above the Technology and Design Studio.

BMW Munich Plant builds more than 800 BMW 3 Series (Touring and Saloon models) as well as more than 1,250 power units (straight-six, eight-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, high-performance M-engines for the M3, M5, and M6, as well as twelve-cylinder gasoline and hydrogen engines) a day.

The BMW Welt is open to public from 9.00 in the morning to 8.00 in the evening.

Car buyers can collect their new automobiles at the BMW Welt from Mondays through Saturdays, as early as at 7.00 in the morning. However, customers cannot take delivery of new automobiles on Sundays or public holidays.