Mies van der Rohe was a badass. He made buildings with crisp continuous lines and geometric perfection. His constructions make my insides ripple in pattern w/o even knowing it. He was highly interested in lines being extended from exterior walls through interior floors and plazas. For instance, the lines of the post office on south Dearborn Street in Chicago match the lines of the courthouse across the street.
That’s why I was somewhat dismayed to see the outdoor plaza reconstruction at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue. For some reason, the design of the blocks that make up the plaza completely ignore the pattern that is established on the exterior of the building. They had to cut these lines like they were doing a rehab in somebody’s bathroom, snipping tiles to fit.
I do not know why they did this.
Detail of goofball tile work at 111 E. Wacker.