Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper: Transfiguration Through Glass, or Vertical and Horizontal Transparencies: Mies van der Rohe

Mies van der Rohe’s entry for the Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper Competition of 1921, a project he named the “Wabe” (Honeycomb) construction, not only epitomized the polemics then current about the renovation of Berlin as a modern metropolis, but also represented a radical shift in the architect’s own viewpoint – his views of modern life, modern construction, and modern materials, particularly glass