Villa Tugendhat
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe + Lilly Reich · Brno, Czechia · 1930
Villa Tugendhat is one of the defining houses of European modernism. Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich organized the main living level as a flowing open interior structured by slender chrome columns, onyx and curved ebony partitions, with full-height glazing opening toward the garden and city view. Advanced mechanical systems allowed portions of the façade glazing to retract completely. Completed in 1930 for Greta and Fritz Tugendhat, the house combines luxurious materials with radical spatial openness and became a key precedent for the International Style. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage property.