The Farnsworth House, designed and built in the International Style by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for Dr. Edith Farnsworth from 1949-1951, is one of the world’s most widely recognised and studied structures constructed in the 20th century.
As one of the pinnacle works of Mies van der Rohe’s style and philosophy, it remains an international pilgrimage site for thousands of architecture students and professionals annually.
The Farnsworth house is perhaps the fullest expression of modernist ideals that had begun in Europe and it marks a change in lifestyle and in architecture. Farnsworth house is the breakdown of architectural elements and is a meeting point between architectural drawings, technology and the creation of space. It is also an introduction to modern domestic life in its simplest form which led to a long series of houses embracing the modernist aesthetic style.
Your first task is to follow the tutorial included in the download ‘Farnsworth House SketchUp Tutorial’. This tutorial will allow you to follow the steps towards building a 3D model of Farnsworth House.
This tutorial will give you those initial SketchUp skills which will help you when you come to model your House for a Celebrity in task 2. If you are completely new to SketchUp, we recommend you first work through the tutorial videos included in our resources section located on the main page.
Before beginning work on any building, it is important to do some basic research to understand the design and feel of the building and the surrounding areas. We suggest doing some research into why The Farnsworth Housewas a great example of modern architecture.
Please note that the SketchUp base file (FARNSWORTH HOUSE CAD.skp) has the first step of loading the CAD file of the tutorial already complete for you.