Mies + Stirling

The exhibition at the RIBA in London offers a renewed examination of two iconic architectural schemes proposed for the same site in the City of London.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) unveils a major new exhibition, Mies van der Rohe + James Stirling: Circling the Square offering a renewed examination of two iconic architectural schemes proposed for the same site in the City of London.

Top: Mies van der Rohe, Mansion House Square scheme. © John Donat, RIBA Collections. Above: Mies + Stirling: Circling The Square, installation view at RIBA, London, 2017

Presented together for the first time, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity to draw comparisons between the design methods of two of the most highly recognised architects of the 20th century, and to trace the continuity in purpose and approach that unites two seemingly dissimilar architectural creations.

James Stirling, Number One Poultry, London. Photo Janet Hall, RIBA Collections

The design history of the two schemes spans three decades of the mid-20th century, a highly transitional period in the history of architecture where the movements and influences of pop art, high modernism and postmodernism co-existed and collided. Intended to replace an eclectic block of listed buildings, both schemes became subjects of passionate debate, and high-profile inquiries. This debate distracted attention from the architectural ideas and ambitions of both architects and patron.

Mies + Stirling: Circling The Square, installation view at RIBA, London, 2017


until 25 June 2017
Mies + Stirling: Circling The Square
curated by Marie Bak Mortensen and Vicky Wilson
RIBA
66 Portland Place, London