Walter Gropius: The New Architecture and the Bauhaus [Summary]
Introduction:
There is a desperate need of understanding architecture in the new era; an era in which our tools have become machines and a requirement of learning new materials. “It asks that what the past did for wood and brick and stone, the present shall do for steel and concrete and glass. (Frank Pick pg. 7).” It is a period in which architecture and art are no longer something apart but rather vital to our daily lives. The passage goes on to describe that Dr. Gropius has created a collective and that architecture should be intertwined with other disciplines to progress further rather than as a solitary profession.
New Architecture and Bauhaus:
Architecture is changing and now developing into a profession of honesty, thought, and feeling, and the public is now valuing architecture more as well. The challenges that face architecture now are conflicting theories of architects, economic decline, war, and the snobbery of the people who associate themselves to “modern architecture”. Words such as “functionalism” distract from the goal of finding truth in architecture. Rationalization, in which we get rid of distracting ornamentation and focus on structure, is only the material side of architecture. The “aesthetic satisfaction of the human soul” is it’s counterpart and just as important. While a building is just a product of methods and materials, architecture is a mastery of space.
We have developed new machines that speed up the process of building but we haven't used that technology to make architecture better.
One good development is that walls that previously were used for the function of supporting the building are now changed to the function as screens with columns supporting the weight.
So the development of building materials are as follows, walls become walls (screens) and columns and bricks become thinner and hollow and concrete becomes stronger, this allows for more open spaces and for more light in which allows for more windows to bring in natural light.
Benefits of this new form of building:
usable top floor rooms rather than bad attics with angular not usable spaces
Not using timber rafters since they burn easily
The top floors can become new programs such as a playroom
Allows for easier expansion of the building
Less surfaces means less repairs
Allows the hanging of external pipes and gutters
The Vision Gropius had for this was cities of houses with hanging gardens.
Standardization:
Economies are drawn towards mechanization due to the need of lowering cost and effort while meeting the needs of the people. Mechanization is argued here that it “robs life of half its fullness and variety (Gropius pg. 33)”. But it has a redeeming feature as it can also free us to do work that matters. Mechanization that will occur in architecture is standardization, At its best it is a simplification of the world to its best parts, in which it becomes a “norm”, at its worst it destroys individuality. But, this destruction is a myth. Instead standardization is something that we already have throughout civilization, it brings order to the world. A cell is part of an organism as a house is part of a street which is part of a city. Repetition of a unit conveys a sense of order and “superior urban culture”, its how we have distinct cultures of our cities that rise out of these uniformity.
Rationalization:
Building is a manual trade and more of it is being done offsite in factories in which the seasons no longer impact when you can build. So we will be able to mass produce buildings like boxes of toy bricks. To get to this stage everything much be uniform and standardized. This is however will not restrict an architect’s freedom of design. For example moisture is difficult to deal with in construction and by prefabricating, this problem can be eliminated. This will also allow buildings to be more stable and consistent. With this is the goal of bringing in the New Architecture, where “instead of anchoring buildings ponderously into the ground with massive foundations, it poises then lightly, yet firmly, upon the face of the earth; and bodies itself forth, not in stylistic imitation or ornamental frippery, but in those simple and sharply modeled designs in which every part merges naturally into the comprehensive volume of the whole. Thus its aesthetic meets our material and psychological requirements alike (Gropius pg. 44).” Gropius credits this ideology to be influenced by Peter Behrens and the members of Deutscher Werkbund, who introduced him to logical and systematic coordination of architectural problems. Gropius then is commisioned to design the Faguswerke in which begins to “manifest the essential characteristics of my (Gropius) later work (Gropius pg.48).” After the War Gropius realized to bring this New Architecture to reality he needed collaborators to create a new school of design.
The Bauhaus:
“This Idea of the fundamental unity underlying all branches of design was my guiding inspiration in founding the original Bauhaus (Gropius pg. 51).”
Grand Duke of Sachsen Weimar Eisenach suggested Gropius take over the Weimar School of Arts and Crafts. Gropius accepts in 1919, this becomes the Das Staatliche Bauhaus Weimar.
Gropius goal was to combine imaginative design and technical proficiency in students.
Gropius required that all students do an apprenticeship in the local trades council and to unify the differences between handicraft and factory produced designs. To “evolve goods specifically designed for mass-production (Gropius pg. 54)”.
Four years later Gropius published an article “Idee und Aubau des Staatlichen Bauhauses” (The Conception and Realization of the Bauhaus) in 1923.
There is a lie that art is just useless luxury, and “Fine arts” is just a facade
The current teaching of artists isolates them from the community and teaches them the illusion that artists can survive of pure “genius” alone; ultimately not giving them the tools to walk on their own feet. As a result all that remained was a “Salon Art” remote from everyday life.
Ruskin and Morris tried to fix these errors by uniting the world of art with the world of work followed by Van de Velde, Olbrich, Behrens…etc.
The state at this point is that manufacturers, businessmen, technicians, didn’t know art or design, yet vitally needed them.
Thus Bauhaus developed a curriculum
Bauhaus Curriculum
Practical Instructions in the handling of materials, tools, bookkeeping, costing…etc.
Formal instruction in:
Aspect: study of nature, materials,
Representation: study of Plane Geometry, Construction, Draughtsmanship, Model Making
Design: study of Volumes, Colours, Composition
Supplements: Art history, Sciences
The full course:
Preparatory instruction: 6 months of elementary training and design in a workshop
Technical instruction: apprenticeship in a Training Workshop for 3 years and certified with a journeyman at the end.
Structural Instruction: time varies, working both on building sites and in research labs and obtains a Master Builder’s Diploma
Preparatory Instruction
Students are selected based on their abilities after looking at a portfolio
There can be errors in this selection as there’s not a true way to gauge a person’ development
They initially start off with a 6 month prep course over the whole range of Bauhaus with both practical and formal subjects; this is so that the student can understand the physical nature of materials and the basic laws of design.
The first step in this period is to “liberate the pupil’s individuality from the dead weight of conventions and allow him to acquire that personal experience and self taught knowledge which are the only means of realizing the natural limitations of our creative powers. (Gropius pg. 71).
Collective work was not encouraged at this stage as reason is to bring out self expression
Subjective and objective observation, and the laws of representational and abstract design were taught at this stage
The result was to show a pupil’s power of expression at this stage and then progress to a possible Training Workshop, if deemed ready.
Practical and Formal Education
The belief is that apprenticeship to a master craftsman is the best kind of practical teaching. but this is no longer possible so instead combining this education with artist of merit will result in a better dual education system.
A rule is established that every pupil is to taught by two masters working in collaboration.
The purpose is that the students are not swallowed by the modern factory and instead will be able to master the reins of artistic and industry.
The Bauhaus is not meant to revert to a time of craftsmanship but rather to grow and evolve with the industry.
Structural Instruction
From the practical and formal education, a hand selected few were allowed to work on a full building and admitted into the Research Station and the Designing Studio
From her the students were allowed full rein of the different workshops and could begin to learn the coordination of everything that goes in the scope of building process
The students are encouraged to go work in a factory as well as to familiarize themselves with the industrial machinery and business practices.
Any pupil that is capable of proving that he had thoroughly absorbed the whole of it received their Master Builder’s Diploma
The goal of this is to foster a new generation of “elite”s that will push architecture, art, and artisans to new heights
The Bauhaus felt that there were two moral responsibilities
To make it’s pupils understand the age they were living in
To train them to take their intelligence and consciously express it
Opposition towards “art for art’s sake” as well as “ business is an end in itself”
“The object of the Bauhaus was not to propagate any style, system, dogma, formula, or vogue, but simply to exert a revitalization influence on design. (Gropius pg 92).”
Building cities:
…. Many questions should be considered in city building…etc.
The application of “New Architecture” is not only applied to buildings itself but also scales towards communities and cities
“The ethical necessity of the New Architecture can no longer be called in doubt. And the proof of this- if proof were still needed - is that in all countries Youth has been fired with its inspiration (Gropius 112)”.
