Conversation so far:
What occured on Lake Shore Drive with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe?
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed a series of four apartment buildings for developer Herbert Greenwald: the 860–880 and 900–910 Lake Shore Drive towers on Chicago's Lakefront.
Did Ludwig Mies van der Rohe play a part in the building of these apartments on Lake Shore Drive?
The 26-floor, 254-ft tall towers were designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and dubbed the Glass House apartments.
What material were the Lake Shore Drive apartment buildings built from?
These towers, with façades of steel and glass, were radical departures from the typical residential brick apartment buildings of the time.
What else did you find interesting about the Lake Shore Drive Buildings other than the materials used for it?
The towers were not entirely admired at the time they were built, yet they went on to be the prototype for steel and glass skyscrapers worldwide.
Did Ludwig Mies van der Rohe receive any formal recognition for the apartment buildings on Lake Shore Drive?
The buildings were finished in 1951 and were featured in a 1957 article in Life Magazine on Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Any other interesting information about Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and the Lake Shore Drive buildings?
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created free flowing spaces and flat surfaces that represented the idea of an oasis of uncluttered clarity and calm within the chaos of the city.

Question: Where did he learn that technique?
Self-contained rewrite: Where did Ludwig Mies van der Rohe learn the technique of creating free flowing spaces and flat surfaces?