In the first half of the twentieth century, changes in technology and society led to the birth of a vision of an urban utopian that could be achieved through modernist design

The Barcelona Chair is one of the most recognisable and iconic designs of the last century. Still frequently used in interiors, the chair epitomises elegance, and embodies its creator Mies van der Rohe's famous maxim 'less is more.'

It was in Berlin that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe began and ended his career.

Barcelona may be best known for the distinctive modernismo of Antoni Gaudí, but it abounds with architectural marvels from Catalan gothic churches to high-tech towers.

The Barcelona Pavilion was a hugely significant temporary structure that forms part of the early modernist canon of architecture

German-American architect Mies van der Rohe is considered to be one of the pioneers of the modernist movement, devising in a paper sketch the world’s first glass skyscraper and practically inventing open-plan spaces. 

It is the only chair that can truly claim to have changed the world. Elizabeth Guffey asks why it's rarely included in the design canon

The latest addition to Houston's Menil campus has the horizon-hugging horizontality of a Mies. How does it fit within the city's Alphaville streetscapes?

Peter Smisek on why this much-maligned group matters, and should continue to

Architectural giants, developers and heritage bodies were left bloodied and battered by the battle of Mansion House Square. The RIBA does well to stay above the fray and let its fascinating exhibits tell the story, writes John Jervis

Curator Marie Bak Mortensen discusses the two proposals for the Mansion House site in the City of London, and what the designs revealed about the architectural climate of their times

RIBA, London
8 March — 25 June

Featured on the cover of Icon's current issue, the Spanish architect's concert hall in Poland has won the Mies van der Rohe award for European contemporary architecture. John Jervis visited the building last month

The winnner of €60,000 award for European architecture will be announced tomorrow at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona. Here are the five practices and projects in the running – including the Szezecin Philharmonic, which is featured on the cover of our current issue, Poland

Le Corbusier, Zaha Hadid and Norman Foster are among the architects featured as silhouettes in the graphic designer's latest illustrations

The Dutch architect’s latest building in Switzerland, a headquarters for an insurance firm, pays homage to Mies van der Rohe, says Douglas Murphy

The recipient of this year’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale tells Christopher Turner about her influential career and why she thinks architecture is at an extraordinary moment

Patrik Schumacher tells Icon what he covets: from the Barcelona Pavilion to a model by Frei Otto …

Amid the showiness of contemporary high-profile architecture, this Ghent-based practice stands out for its thoughtful, sensitive and reticent approach to existing buildings and its original designs