WHAT IS MINIMALISM?… Minimalism is used to describe a trend within art, design and architecture.Minimalistic design was very strongly influenced by a lot of people/ eras but it has been highly influenced by Japanese traditional design and architecture. Minimalistic interiors have become popular through out the years as it gives a great atmosphere to the space, however I personally find it becomes a lot colder when you reduce the amount of elements within a room.
Many architects are known for their Minimalistic thinking and designing, even though their work is all inspired by similar aspects, their work is most definitely very different. Below are a few examples of architects who are inspired by Minimalism…
Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who was an German-American architect, lived by “less is more” and this is how he would describe his aesthetic approach of arranging components within a building to create an extremely simple design. He wanted every detail to have its own visual or functional purpose, his work was very much more involved with the technology and engineering side of development rather than the aesthetics of the space.
Luis Barragán is another minimalistic designer, his work is more modern and he focuses on the connection between two planes, elegant lighting and also the void spaces which are left after removing three-dimensional shapes within the architecture.
One architect who focuses on the Japanese traditional spirit and gives his own take on nature within his work is Tadao Ando. His design concepts focus mainly on materials, geometry and nature, his work consists of a lot of natural wood and concrete, with a basic structure which he designs to allow for natural light to flood his spaces. His work is highly influenced by the Japanese architecture which is what influenced Minimalism to begin with.
“I do not believe architecture should speak too much, it should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind ” T.A.
Peta-Louise Krog 