Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus

Walter Gropius

Walter Gropius was born in Berlin in 1883. His father was an architect and he followed his career and became an architect from the Technische Hochschule in Munich. He became a member of the Deutscher Werkbund around 1907, and then he designed a model factory for it in Cologne, 1914. This was important structure for the materials used, which were glass and steel. These materials made the structure important and showed the expression of Modernism. In 1919, he founded the Bauhaus and started a new era in design.  Later in his life around 1937, he moved to America where he became an architectural lecturer in the Harvard University of the US.  

Walter Gropius.

The Fagus factory

The Fugus factory was built in 1911, it was considered to be one of the first buildings to be a Modernist. The materials used for the building were; glass, steel and bricks. One could notice the amount of glass used as a structure, which was designed as it is to let a good amount of natural daylight to enter which allows the interiors to have fresh air at the same time it offers pleasant working conditions and environment, which both were considered when it was being designed. It was also designed this way to meet interesting aesthetics. Another important approach in the design of the structure was to be functional.

The entrance to the Fagus Factory

The interior of the Fagus Factory.

Model Making Assignment

At the moment, for a model making assignment, I’m making a model of a modern villa. My main idea was to create something modernistic and simple. While doing the research I noticed that my model has a lot of similarities in the design to the Fagus Factory. This is because my model consists of vertical and horizontal lines throughout. Also my main idea was that the structure should have more glass rather than concrete or bricks, and this was one of the main ideas of the Fagus Factory. 

My Model of the model making assignment.

The Bauhaus

The Bauhaus started in Germany as a school of Arts and Design in 1919. Bauhaus means ‘building house’. It was founded by Walter Gropius. He directed and educated in the Bauhaus. The idea behind the Bauhaus was to introduce new ideas into creation of beautiful, functional things, more specifically the idea of modernism. The Bauhaus has made a huge impact in Europe and also in the United States, mostly on technology and society. It was a good influence to architects and designers by the use of different materials and techniques. Its aim was to introduce a mixture of art and design together and that products look aesthetically pleasing. The Bauhaus offered various courses, starting from the preliminary to more advanced courses, which also gave the opportunity to students to work in their preferred workshops to create their designs.

 

The Bauhaus School

A student who studied in the Bauhaus was the famous Marcel Breuer, who is mostly known for his chairs in tubular steel. He took carpentry and textiles as his preferred workshop in Bauhaus. His first chair designs during his studies in the Bauhaus were the African chair and the Slatted chair. Both were made in textiles and wood.

African Chair 1921

Slatted Chair 1924

Later Breuer became the head of the carpentry of the Bauhaus and after few years there he moved to Dessau and designed his first tubular steel chair (B3) in 1925. This chair offers comfortable seating, inexpensive materials which are lightweight and strong, and very clean and simple design. The fabric for the chair is what makes it most comfortable as it is serving as a cushion or a spring. This chair became an icon and is still influencing the industry nowadays. If one observes well this chair might notice that it has some similarities to the African chair. 

B3 Tubular Steel Chair - 1925

References:

NHS Evidence, 2003. National Library of Guidelines. [online] Available at: <http://www.library.nhs.uk/guidelinesFinder> [Accessed 10 October 2009].

Alexandra Griffith Winton, MET Museum, 2007. The Bauhaus, 1919–1933. [online] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm [Accessed May 2016].

Denim Pascucci, 2015. AD Classics: Fagus Factory / Walter Gropius + Adolf Meyer. [online] Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/612249/ad-classics-fagus-factory-walter-gropius-adolf-meyer [Accessed 22 May 2016].

Vitra Design Museum, n.d. B3,Wassily - Marcel Breuer. [online] Available at: http://www.design-museum.de/en/collection/100-masterpieces/detailseiten/b3wassily-marcel-breuer.html  [Accessed 22 May 2016].

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.