Abstract
This study analyzed the tectonic development of minimalist architecture according to material and immaterial characteristics and the ontological versus representational aspects of tectonic form. Among the early minimalist architects, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Louis I. Kahn represent two different architectural fields of thought regarding simplicity: Mies employed immaterial constructions made of steel and glass to present ontological and representational tectonic features, whereas Kahn used material constructions composed of brick, stone, and concrete to present ontological tectonic features. Following the immaterial and material characteristics of structural elements derived from Mies and Kahn, contemporary minimalist architects have transferred the tectonic form from the ontological to the representational aspect by combining the two architects. In addition, they extended the expression of form from space to skin with multiple layers, which exhibits the tectonic complexity of minimalist architecture hidden behind the simplicity of its form.
