Mapping Mies. An open typological comparison from the (in)complete library.

This paper explores for the first time one of the last buildings designed and the first library built by Mies van der Rohe: the Martin Luther King Library in Washington D.C. (1965-1972). It reveals the different layers of complexity concerning the MLK Library, exploring its political purpose and its pre-existing socio-spatial context, tackling both Mies’ monumentality and social emancipation which are both radically manifested. By comparing the MLK Library with other low-rise Mies' buildings, the aim is to discover continuities and variations within the modernist language of the «benign monolith» Mies.