--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architecture is the will of an epoch…" description: "\"Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.\" — Ludwig Mies van der Rohe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_architecture-is-the-will-of-an-epoch-tra_2136784.jpg" --- # Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space. ![“Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.” quote by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_architecture-is-the-will-of-an-epoch-tra_2136784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_architecture-is-the-will-of-an-epoch-tra_2136784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe-7536_architecture_architecture-is-the-will-of-an-epoch-tra_2136784.jpg) > “Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.” [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Architecture reflects the spirit of its era, shaping space to embody cultural values. **In simple terms:** Buildings express the time’s ideas in physical form. Key Takeaway Design with cultural context in mind. Themes architecture culture history Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical aesthetic When to use this quote - urban planning - heritage preservation - educational spaces Key Concepts modernism spatial theory Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment reflect its era? - Can you blend past and future in design? A Different Perspective Historical styles may clash with contemporary needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Epoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epoch/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space. Living, Changing, New. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today can be given form. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/architecture-is-the-will-of-an-epoch-translated-into-space-living/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, it transcends into architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/wherever-technology-reaches-its-real-fulfillment-it-transcends-into/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Reinforced concrete buildings are by nature skeletal buildings. No noodles nor armoured turrets. A construction of girders that carry the weight, and walls that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/reinforced-concrete-buildings-are-by-nature-skeletal-buildings-no/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Architecture begins when you place two bricks carefully together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/architecture-begins-when-you-place-two-bricks-carefully-together/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The problem of architecture has always been the same throughout time. Its authentic quality is reached through its proportions, and the proportions cost nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-problem-of-architecture-has-always-been-the-same-throughout-time/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Architecture is the art of how to waste space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/architecture-is-the-art-of-how-to-waste-space/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [When most people looked at Josie Tyrell, they only saw a certain collection of bones, a selection of forms filling space. But Michael saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/when-most-people-looked-at-josie-tyrell-they-only-saw-a-certain/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [As a designer, the mission with which we have been charged is simple: providing space at the right cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-von-zell/as-a-designer-the-mission-with-which-we-have-been-charged-is-simple/) Harry von Zell > [Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-in-the-past-have-tended-to-concentrate-their-attention-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The body moves through space every day, and in architecture in cities that can be orchestrated. Not in a dictatorial fashion, but in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/the-body-moves-through-space-every-day-and-in-architecture-in-cities/) [Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/) > [The epoch of Customary Law, and of its custody by a privileged order, is a very remarkable one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james-sumner-maine/the-epoch-of-customary-law-and-of-its-custody-by-a-privileged-order/) [Henry James Sumner Maine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james-sumner-maine/) > [The intensive use of photographs by mass media lays ever fresh responsibilities upon the photographer. We have to acknowledge the existence of a chasm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/the-intensive-use-of-photographs-by-mass-media-lays-ever-fresh/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [When you think about what Homo sapiens are about, you almost feel that we are replacing ourselves. We won't be able to breathe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-think-about-what-homo-sapiens-are-about-you-almost-feel-that/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Buddhism, I think, is probably facing the single most difficult transition from one historical epoch to another, which is really the transition to modernity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/buddhism-i-think-is-probably-facing-the-single-most-difficult/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) ## More by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe > [Wherever technology reaches its real fulfillment, it transcends into architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/wherever-technology-reaches-its-real-fulfillment-it-transcends-into/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Nature, too, shall live its own life. We must beware not to disrupt it with the color of our houses and interior fittings. yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/nature-too-shall-live-its-own-life-we-must-beware-not-to-disrupt-it/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Let us guide our students over the road of discipline from materials, through function, to creative work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/let-us-guide-our-students-over-the-road-of-discipline-from-materials/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Just as we acquaint ourselves with materials, and just as we must understand functions, we must become familiar with the psychological and spiritual factors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/just-as-we-acquaint-ourselves-with-materials-and-just-as-we-must/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/simply-by-not-owning-three-medium-sized-castles-in-tuscany-i-have/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The problem of architecture has always been the same throughout time. Its authentic quality is reached through its proportions, and the proportions cost nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-problem-of-architecture-has-always-been-the-same-throughout-time/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The long path from material through function to creative work has only one goal: to create order out of the desperate confusion of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-long-path-from-material-through-function-to-creative-work-has/) [Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Architecture begins when you place two bricks carefully together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/architecture-begins-when-you-place-two-bricks-carefully-together/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Reinforced concrete buildings are by nature skeletal buildings. No noodles nor armoured turrets. A construction of girders that carry the weight, and walls that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/reinforced-concrete-buildings-are-by-nature-skeletal-buildings-no/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [Generally, I think my work has so much influence because of its reasonableness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/generally-i-think-my-work-has-so-much-influence-because-of-its/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [ \[In art\], less is more. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/in-art-less-is-more/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [You can use up all the slums for new development. In all the cities of the world, there are large areas of these. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/you-can-use-up-all-the-slums-for-new-development-in-all-the-cities-of/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The individual is losing significance; his destiny is no longer what interests us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-individual-is-losing-significance-his-destiny-is-no-longer-what/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [The building art is man's spatial dialogue with his environment and demonstrates how he asserts himself therein and how he masters it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/the-building-art-is-man-s-spatial-dialogue-with-his-environment-and/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [You can teach students how to work; you can teach them technique - how to use reason; you can even give them a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/you-can-teach-students-how-to-work-you-can-teach-them-technique-how/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) [Explore all 89 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/) [Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. 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