What Is Bauhaus Architecture? History and Legacy of the Modern Style

german bauhaus design

Bauhaus buildings often have a cubic or rectangular form, with flat roofs and smooth facades. Secondly, Bauhaus architects emphasize the functionality and efficiency of their buildings. They design their buildings according to the needs and purposes of the users and use materials and techniques suitable for mass production and standardization. Bauhaus buildings often have open floor plans, large windows, and modular components that allow flexibility and adaptability. Thirdly, Bauhaus architects integrate different art forms and disciplines into their buildings. They combine architecture, design, painting, sculpture, and technology to create a holistic and harmonious expression of the modern era.

of the Best Bauhaus Buildings in Germany

The New European Bauhaus - The New European

The New European Bauhaus.

Posted: Wed, 11 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Gropius and Breuer went on to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and worked together before their professional split. Their collaboration produced, among other projects, the Aluminum City Terrace in New Kensington, Pennsylvania and the Alan I W Frank House in Pittsburgh. The Harvard School was enormously influential in America in the late 1920s and early 1930s, producing such students as Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei, Lawrence Halprin and Paul Rudolph, among many others. The changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors, and politics. A collection of films, television series, and video media pertaining to arts and culture, all collected by our team.

What Are the Principles of Bauhaus Design?

Fagus Factory, Walter Gropius1911Alfeld-Hannover, GermanyBefore founding Bauhaus, Gropius had already begun foreshadowing his design principles throughout his early designs. He designed the Fagus Factory as an open space for shoe craftsmanship, with plenty of sunlight and refined geometric structures. The factory’s structures have been listed as historic monuments since the mid-20th century, and are still functioning to this day. “Of course, you cannot mention Bauhaus interiors without mentioning some of the most amazing chairs still in production today,” says Jensen, highlighting Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair and the Barcelona Chair by Mies Van De Rohe.

Walter Gropius

Under the leadership of Gropius, the Bauhaus movement made no special distinction between the applied and fine arts. Painting, typography, architecture, textile design, furniture-making, theater design, stained glass, woodworking, metalworking—these all found a place there. The Weimar school founded by architect Walter Gropius in 1919 was inspired by Expressionist art and the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and designer William Morris.

Residential Projects, Arieh Sharon1930’sTel Aviv, IsraelWhen the Jews began streaming to Palestine from all over the world, they brought along with them European teachings to reshape the city they were settling in. Sharon, who was a Bauhaus graduate, moved to Tel Aviv in 1931, implementing the school’s architecture and design teachings in almost all of his residential projects. The city is now considered one of the most Bauhaus-influenced cities globally, nicknamed as the White City. Bauhaus Museum, Prof. Heike Hanada2019Weimar, GermanyThe newly-opened concrete structure is located at the founding place of the Weimar State Bauhaus. Hanada followed the school’s minimalist approach, and developed a 5-story cubic building, with a clearly defined geometric form and horizontal grooves all around the facade.

LGBTQIA+ Activism in the Arts

You can also visit some famous examples of Bauhaus architecture in the United States, including Walter Gropius's own home, Gropius House, in Lincoln, Massachusetts. It's a far cry from the glitz and glam of Art Deco, the design style that emerged simultaneously. Read on to learn more about the architectural style, where it came from, and how you can bring it home.

Bauhaus-style furniture and design objects have a streamlined appearance and a timeless elegance that is easy to incorporate into today's minimalist interiors or in more eclectic spaces that mix periods and styles including vintage, antique, and contemporary for a timeless look. In the decades following its closure, the influence of the Bauhaus would travel as far as its former faculty members, many of whom were forced to flee Europe as the stultifying effects of Fascism took hold. After his relocation to the United States in 1937, Gropius taught at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, and was seen as vital in introducing International Style architecture to America and the Anglophone world. So too was Mies van der Rohe, who arrived in the U.S.A in the same year as Gropius, becoming Director of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

german bauhaus design

There are only a few examples of Bauhaus architecture in Germany, as the school was closed in 1933 when the Nazi party took increasing control of the country. The movers and shakers from the Bauhaus emigrated mostly to the United States, where they would greatly influence the International Movement in the decades to follow. Here are some of the few buildings in Germany that grew out of the early days of Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus. The school was a lot more than modernist designs and primary colors, it was a movement with a political, social, and cultural impact, led by some of the most notable figures in the field. Since its inauguration in 1919, the school has defined its own style through the intersection of architecture, art, industrial design, typography, graphic design, and interior design.

The Budapest Museum of Applied Arts (1893-

Bauhaus architecture was a universal and visionary style that transcended national and cultural boundaries. Firstly, Bauhaus architecture emphasizes using geometric shapes, such as cubes, cylinders, and spheres, to create simple and elegant forms. Bauhaus buildings often have flat roofs, smooth facades, and large windows that create a sense of openness and lightness. Bauhaus architects also experimented with new materials, such as steel, glass, and concrete, to create innovative structures that expressed the modern spirit of the time. An example of a Bauhaus building that uses geometric shapes and new materials is the Bauhaus Dessau, designed by Walter Gropius in 1925.

ON APRIL 11, 1933, the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe stepped off the tram in the Steglitz neighborhood in southwest Berlin, crossed a bridge and found that his place of work had been surrounded by the police. The Bauhaus, where he taught and served as the director, had occupied an old telephone factory building there since 1932. The school first opened in Weimar in 1919, as a place for uniting craftsmanship with the arts in the service of architecture; over time, it changed, becoming more about uniting art with industrial techniques. Once Mies took over the directorship in 1930, it became almost purely a school for architecture. Notable Bauhaus classics include the Barcelona Chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich in 1929; the metal iconic Cesca chair designed by architect and furniture designer Marcel Breuer (1928), and his Wassily Chair, inspired by the tubular metal frame of a bicycle.

The Bauhaus Is One of the Most Influential Design Movements in History - Gear Patrol

The Bauhaus Is One of the Most Influential Design Movements in History.

Posted: Tue, 30 Jun 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Lastly, Bauhaus architecture influenced the Brutalist movement, which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as a reaction to the perceived blandness and conformity of the International Style. Brutalist architects used raw concrete, exposed services, and massive forms to create buildings that expressed their social and political ideals, such as the Unité d’Habitation by Le Corbusier in France and the Barbican Estate by Chamberlin, Powell, and Bon in London. Bauhaus architecture is a modern design style that emerged from a German school of art and design in the early 20th century. It was founded by architect Walter Gropius, who wanted to create a new form of architecture that combined art, craft, and technology. Bauhaus architecture is characterized by its functional, rational, and minimalist approach, using geometric shapes, flat roofs, smooth surfaces, and modern materials. Bauhaus architecture influenced many other movements, such as mid-century modern and Scandinavian minimalism, and can be seen in buildings worldwide.

The school moved from Weimar to Dessau and finally to Berlin before it was shut down by the Nazis in 1933 under its final director, the celebrated architect Mies van der Rohe. Bauhaus Archive, Alex Cvijanovic and Hans Bandel (Original plans by Walter Gropius)1979Berlin, GermanyGropius was originally asked to design Bauhaus’ archive museum during the 1960s but was delayed for political and financial reasons. Aftera few years, construction began but with modified plans by architects Cvijanovic and Bandel. Perhaps the only remaining elements from the architect’s original design are the unique silhouettes of the shed roof.

To honor his work, Klee’s grandson compiled his archives of notes, paintings, and artworks, and exhibited them in a museum designed by architect Renzo Piano. Ulm School of Design (HfG), Max Bill1953Ulm, GermanyThe design college’s influence matched that of Bauhaus due to its multidisciplinary context of combining arts, crafts, humanities, and technology. The structure remains intact today under the protection of Foundation Ulm, as a historically significant building for design and the region. The Alan I.W. Frank House, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer1940Pittsburg, USA When the duo began teaching at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, they were commissioned by Frank’s father to build him a family house. Their designs were not just limited to the architecture itself, but to the fittings and furniture as well, making the residence a truly unique property. Gropius House, Walter Gropius1938Lincoln, Massachusetts After fleeing Europe, Gropius and his wife settled in Massachusetts when he began teaching at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Some examples of International Style buildings are the Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier in France and the Seagram Building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in New York. Thirdly, Bauhaus architecture was influenced by the Constructivist movement in Russia, which experimented with new materials and technologies in art and design. In their projects, Bauhaus architects incorporated elements of Constructivism, such as using metal frames, glass walls, and cantilevered structures, such as the Fagus Factory by Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer in Germany.

For example, the Shillito Design School in Sydney stands as a unique link between Australia and the Bauhaus. The colour and design syllabus of the Shillito Design School was firmly underpinned by the theories and ideologies of the Bauhaus. Its first year foundational course mimicked the Vorkurs and focused on the elements and principles of design plus colour theory and application. For anyone interested in evocative modern interiors, the notion of Bauhaus interior design probably comes up a lot.

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