Is Less More?
Yes, more or less.
Famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s succinct three-word dictum “less is more” has continually influenced design for 70 years.
Architect Robert Venturi challenged the notion with “less is a bore” and ushered in decades of debate in art and architecture circles.
“Less is more” in its simplest interpretation, means providing the best design without adding anything superfluous. At its finest, it results in works of austere beauty. At its worst it is lifelessly sterile.
Alternatively, “Less is a bore”, promotes a people-centered viscerality, it prizes emotion and physicality over intellectualism. Its implementation has spawned works of grand symbolism at their best and cartoonish farce at their worst.
But architecture is for people. It must satisfy us intellectually as well as emotionally and physically.
Our society craves more and more and MORE, to our great detriment. Less but Better would cure a host of ills.
Instead: Less more, more Better.