Weimar Architecture and Design

WEIMAR ARCHITECTURE                                     AND DESIGN

The Bauhaus School at Weimar Germany

Bauhaus was an influential art and design movement that began in 1919 in Weimar, Germany. The movement encouraged teachers and students to create their crafts together in design studios and workshops.These workshops included: painting, typography, architecture, textile design, furniture-making, theater design, stained glass, woodworking... The Bauhaus school was founded in 1919 in the city of Weimar by German architect Walter Gropius. Its core objective was to create the unity of all the arts, and manufacture functional everyday products with clear design that is affordable for everyone. In 1925, the school moved to Dessau (governed by the Social Democratic Party). And then it moved to Berlin in 1932, after which Bauhaus—under constant harassment by the Nazis—finally closed.

The prewar Gropius believe that art must express the economic character and order of modern society, but it seemed to be submerged in a new belief that the greatness of art stood above utilitarian considerations.

Walter Gropius

Ernst May

German architect City plannerMay successfully applied urban design techniques to the city of Frankfurt  during Germany's Weimar period. In 1930 he exported those ideas to Soviet Union cities. He had to leave the Soviet Union when Stalin's regime grew more hostile to foreign white collar workers.

In the context of a housing shortage and of political instability, May assembled a team of progressive architects and initiated a large-scale housing development program. May's developments were remarkable for the time for being compact, but not missing any community elements like playgrounds, schools, theatres, and common areas.

Bruno Taut

The chief architect of the “Horseshoe Estate”Bruno Taut served as chief architect of a Berlin residential property company, where he set global standards for large-scale public housing. He designed three more Berlin housing estates that today enjoy World Heritage status.

The Bauhaus movement includes a geometric, abstract style featuring , and its aesthetic continues to influence architects, designers and artists.