Villa Stenersen Oslo

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's early functionalism seems to have inspired the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo, who designed Villa Stenersen on commission for the noted art collector Rolf Stenersen. There are several similarities between the two houses, such as their floor plans and construction and material choices. The most eye-catching resemblance is the large glass room on the main floor of each house. Arne Korsmo also opted for unconventional materials such as Belgian marbrite glass, Italian terrazzo, glass bricks, and large glass panes both in the interior and in the façade. Korsmo wanted to fulfil Stenersen's request for creating space and lighting suitable for a large art collection. Mies van der Rohe for his part believed that the architecture and the materials were art in themselves, so that only a single work of art was commissioned for Villa Tugendhat – a female torso made by the German sculptor Wilhelm Lehmbruck.