Mies van der Rohe

Mies van der Rohe's "less is more" ethos gave rise to the modern glass skyscraper, a legacy that surpasses even #6 Renzo Piano in architectural reach. His Seagram Building (1958) in New York, with its bronze-and-glass curtain wall and 30-foot plaza, set a 50-year standard for corporate towers worldwide. The Barcelona Pavilion (1929) introduced a radical open plan that eliminated load-bearing walls, using marble, travertine, and steel to achieve an ethereal lightness. His minimalist vocabulary—expressed through exposed steel frames and vast transparent surfaces—became the default language for high-rise architecture, making his influence more pervasive than that of any other 20th-century architect.