Architects: Walter Gropius
Year: 1926
Photographs: Thomas Lewandovski, Gili Merin
City: Dessau-Roßlau
Country: Germany
The Dessau Bauhaus, designed by Walter Gropius and completed in 1926, embodies modernist ideals through its integration of architecture, art, and design. Relocated from Weimar, the school features a pinwheel configuration with teaching spaces, housing, offices, and an auditorium connected by bridges. Advanced techniques like reinforced concrete and curtain walls reflect Gropius’ innovative approach. Spanning 113,400 sq ft, the Bauhaus became a global hub for experimental design. Its interior was crafted by student workshops, while the iconic curtain façade emphasized openness, with recessed columns maintaining its seamless look. This cohesive design reflects the Bauhaus movement’s ethos and lasting influence.
Driven by a vision to pioneer a new form of design that merged architecture, art, industrial design, typography, graphic design, and interior design, Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Dessau. This institution introduced a groundbreaking Bauhaus style that would leave a lasting impact on the field of architecture.
Originally established as a school in Weimar, the Bauhaus relocated to Dessau due to increasing political opposition. Walter Gropius saw this move as an opportunity to design a school that embodied his vision for the education it would provide. The architecture of the Dessau facilities reflects Gropius’ earlier futuristic style from 1914 while aligning more closely with the emerging International Style than with traditional Neo-classicism.
The Bauhaus at Dessau featured extensive facilities, including teaching spaces, student and faculty housing, an auditorium, and offices, all arranged in a pinwheel configuration. When viewed from above, this layout resembles airplane propellers, a subtle reference to the aviation manufacturing prominent in the Dessau region.
The building consists of three wings interconnected by bridges. The school and workshop areas are linked by a large two-story bridge, which doubles as a roof for the administrative offices located beneath it.
The housing units and school building are linked by a wing designed to provide convenient access to the assembly hall and dining areas. The educational wing houses administration offices, classrooms, a staff room, a library, a physics laboratory, model rooms, a fully finished basement, a raised ground floor, and two upper levels.
As an experienced architect, Gropius prioritized incorporating structural and technological innovations in the design of this groundbreaking school for architecture and design students.
The Dessau Bauhaus incorporated several innovative features, including window glazing, reinforced concrete and brickwork skeleton, mushroom-like ceilings on the lower level, and asphalt-tiled roofs designed for pedestrian use. The total construction area spanned 113,400 sq ft, with the building itself encompassing approximately 250,600 sq ft. The project cost was about 902,500 marks, equivalent to 27.8 marks per cubic meter of space.
Its size “belied the immense symbolic significance it would achieve, as its national and international reputation grew after 1927, establishing it as an experimental and commercial hub for design and a center for architectural and urban innovation.”
To engage Bauhaus students in the project, the interior decoration was carried out by the wall painting workshop, the lighting fixtures were crafted by the metal workshop, and the lettering was designed by the print shop. Through the Bauhaus building, Gropius articulated his vision of the structure as a ‘total work’ of integrated architectural composition.
The expansive curtain window façade of the workshop building became a defining feature of its design. Aimed at achieving transparency, the façade highlighted the ‘mechanical’ aesthetic and the open spatial concept of the new architectural style.
The large windows allowed sunlight to flood the interiors throughout the day, though they posed challenges during warmer summer months. To maintain the curtain wall as a continuous surface, the load-bearing columns were set back from the main walls.
“Similar to De Stijl painting, the Bauhaus was composed of interrelated functional elements that together formed a cohesive yet asymmetrical whole.”
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Gropiusallee 38, 06846 Dessau-Roßlau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
