Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, ‘Honeycomb’, entry for the ‘High-Rise Tower at Friedrichstrasse Station’ Ideas competition, 1922 / Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, photo: Markus Hawlik  / © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, ‘Honeycomb’, entry for the ‘High-Rise Tower at Friedrichstrasse Station’ Ideas competition, 1922 Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, photo: Markus Hawlik © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, entry ‘Honeycomb’ for the High-Rise Tower at Friedrichstrasse Station, Ideas competition, 1922

Mies van der Rohe submitted this design in 1922, under the title ‘Honeycomb’, to a competition for the development of a plot on Friedrichstrasse in Berlin. The design disregards the competition’s technical and other requirements. The ideal image of a high-rise tower, consisting completely of glass, stands out brightly and transparently from the existing buildings, which Mies used overpainting to give a black, heavy appearance to – increasing the impression made by the completely new element. The sketch illustrates the high and also abstract design standards that Mies aimed for.