WALTER GROPIUS 1

FOUNDING FATHER OF

AASHAL JOSHI
MODERNISM
1883 - 1969

ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES

WALTER GROPIUS, IN FULL WALTER ADOLPH GEORGE GROPIUS( BORN MAY 18,1883, BERLIN
– DIED JULY 5,1969, BOSTON ) WAS A GERMAN AMERICAN ARCHITECT AND EDUCATOR
WHO, PARTICULARLY AS DIRECTOR OF THE BAUHAUS( 1919 – 28). 2
EXERTED A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE.

AASHAL JOSHI
KNOWN AS ONE OF THE FATHERS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE.

YOUTH & EARLY TRAINING

 GROPIUS, THE SON OF GEORGE GROPIUS(
AN ARCHITECT & GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL 
) AND MANON AUGUST PAULINE WAS
THEIR THIRD CHILD.
 WALTER’S UNCLE MARTIN GROPIUS( 1824 - 
1880 ) WAS THE ARCHITECT OF
KUNSTGEWERBEMUSUEM( BERLIN 1868 )
DECORATIVE ARTS”.
GROPIUS OFTEN VISIT TO DECORATIVE ARTS
MUSUEM AND SO FROM THERE HIS
INTEREST IN ARCHITECTURE ENCOURAGED.
STUDIED ARCHITECTURE AT THE TECHNICAL
INSTITUTES IN MUNICH( 1903 – 04) & IN
BERLIN- CHARLOTTENBURG( 1905- 07).

ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES

ALSO KNOWN AS “MUSUEM OF

TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, MUNICH

MUSUEM OF DECORATIVE ARTS,

BERLIN
 HE WORKED IN AN OFFICE IN BERLIN IN 1904 &
BEFORE COMPLETING SCHOOL HE DESIGNED
HIS FIRST BUILDING FARM LABOURERS’
COTTAGE IN POMERANIA.
 FOR A YEAR, HE TRAVELLED TO ITALY, SPAIN
AND ENGLAND TO EXPLORE ARCHITECTURE.
 IN 1908, HE JOINED THE STUDIO OF
RENOWNED GERMAN ARCHITECT &
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER PETER BEHRENS(
1868 – 1940 ), WHERE HE WORKED ALONGSIDE
TWO PEOPLE WHO LATER BECOME THE
NOTABLE MODERNIST: LE CORBUSIER & MIES
VAN DER ROHE.
 OF 3 YOUNG ARCHITECTS AT BEHREN’S
PRACTICE, GROPIUS WAS THE FIRST TO PUT HIS
FAGUS FACTORY, GERMANY IS A SHOE LAST
FACTORY OF THE FAGUS COMPANY( 1911 ).
ITS CORNERS ARE COVERED BY HEAVY ELEMENTS
THAT SLANT INSIDE.
MODERNIST IDEAS TO WORK. 3
 IN 1911, HE AND ADOLF MEYER(
PSYCHIATRIST 1866 – 1950) DESIGNED THE
AASHAL JOSHI
FAGUS FACTORY, A GLASS & STEEL CUBIC
BUILDING WHICH PIONEERED MODERN
ARCHITECTURAL DEVICES SUCH AS GLASS
CURTAIN WALLS AND WAS DESIGNED AFTER
THE PRELIMINARY PLANNING OF EDUARD
WERNER( GERMAN ARCHITECT 1847 – 1923).
ARCHITECT PETER BEHRENS
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
ADOLF MEYER, SWITZERLAND BASED
PSYCHIATRIST
GROPIUS & CORBUSIER
 GROPIUS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HIS DESIGNERS WITH MACHINE 4
WORK WITH BEHRENS AND THE DESIGN PRODUCTION.
HE UNDERTOOK FOR A GERMAN  GROPIUS ARGUED FOR BUILDING

ELECTRICITY COMPANY DID MUCH TO
SHAPE HIS INTEREST IN PROGRESS OF
ARCHITECTURE.
 HE & ADOLF MEYER LEFT BEHRENS
STUDIO IN 1911, DEVELPOED A CLEAR
COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO
PROMOTE HIS IDEAS ON THE ARTS.
 IN THE SAME YEAR, HE BECAME A
MEMBER OF THE GERMAN LABOUR
LEAGUE FOUNDED IN 1907-33 BY
GERMAN ASSOCIATION OF
AASHAL JOSHI
PREFABRICATION PARTS AND
ASSEMBLING ON SITE.
 HE MUCH ACCEPTED THE RESTRICTIONS
& INEVITABILITY ON MECHANISM AS
THEY WERE TRAINING ARTISTS TO
IMMITATION.
 HIS IDEA WAS THAT THE FUNCTION OF
A PRODUCT SHOULD SPEAOF ITS
APPEARANCE.
 IN 1914, HE DESIGNED FACTORY GROPIUS MODEL FACTORY,
BUILDINGS IN COLOGNE, GERMANY WERKBUND EXHIBITION, COLOGNE
THE

ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES

CRAFTSMEN, DEUTSCHER WERKBUND FOR WERKBUND. COLOGNE
TO PROMOTE CREATIVE ARTS & FACTORY
WORLD WAR I(1914-1918) 1. GROPIUS WITH
MANON 2. GUTAV WAS MORE
 DURING WORLD WAR, GROPIUS  THEY GOT MARRIED IN 1915 IN MAHLER WITH
FORMAL,
ALMA 3. FRANK
SERVED AS A CAVALRY OFFICER BERLIN.
ON THE WESTERN FRONT, WAS  IN 1916, THEY HAD A
WERFEL INFLUENCED
WOUNDED & RECEIVED THE DAUGHTER MANON( DIED IN FROM THE
IRON CROSS FOR BRAVERY. 1935 ) WORKS BY
 IN 1915, MARRIED A WIDOW,  THEY GOT DIVORCED IN 1920
ALMA MAHLER, WHOM HE HAD WHEN GROPIUS DISCOVERED
FRANK
MET IN 1910 WHEN SHE WAS ALMA HAD BEGUN A LLYOD
STILL MARRIED TO AUSTRIAN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WRIGHT
COMPOSER GUSTAV MAHLER( GERMAN NOVELIST FRANK
1860 – 1911 ). WERFEL( 1890 – 1945 ).
BAUHAUS PERIOD CONCEPTS AT BAUHAUS
 BEFORE THE END OF WAR, THE CITY OF WEIMAR(  BAUHAUS TEACHING WAS THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE 5
GERMANY ) APPROACHED GROPIUS FOR HIS IDEAS ON ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER UNDERGO PRACTICAL
ART EDUCATION. CRAFTS TRAINING TO ACKNOWLEDGED HIMSELF WITH

AASHAL JOSHI
 IN 1919, HE BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF THE GRAND MATERIALS & PROCESSES.
DUCAL SAXON SCHOOL OF ARTS & CRAFTS.  ACTIVITIES CENTERED LIKE HANDICRAFTS, CERAMICS,
 GRAND DUCAL SAXON SCHOOL OF ACADEMY OF ARTS & WEAVING AND STAINED GLASS DESIGN.
SCHOOL OF ARTS & CRAFTS UNITED AS STAATLICHES  PAINTERS LIKE PAUL KLEE, WASSILY KANDISKY, ETC.
BAUHAUS WEIMAR, TERM BAUHAUS MEANS “SCHOOL JOINED THE CENTER.
OF BUILDING”, IN THE CITY OF WEIMAR.  AS AN INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN PRINCIPLES,
 GROPIUS SUCCEEDED IN ESTABLISHING A NEW “VORKUR” WAS DEVELOPED BY THE SWISS PAINTER &
APPROACH TO DESIGN EDUCATION, ONE THAT BECAME SCULPTOR JOHANNES ITTEN.
AN INTERNATIONAL PROTOTYPE AND SUPPLANTED THE  STUDENTS EXPLORED 2D & 3D DESIGN USING A
200 YR OLD SUPREMACY OF FRENCH ECOLE DES VARIETY OF SIMPLE MATERIALS SUCH AS WIRE, WOOD
BEAUX ARTS. & PAPER.

ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES

 PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF COLOUR, FORM &
TEXTURE WERE STUDIED.
BEAUX ARTS “SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS”
FRANCE

BAUHAUS BUILDING
WEIMAR, GERMANY( 1925 – 26 )
 6

AASHAL JOSHI
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
BAUHAUS WEIMAR IN WEIMAR,
GERMANY ESTABLISHED IN 1860 AS
THE GREAT DUCAL SAXON ART
SCHOOL.

BAUHAUS DESSAU’S MOST STRIKING

FEATURE WAS ITS GLASS CURTAIN
WALLS WHICH WRAP AROUND
CORNERS AND PROVIDE VIEWS OF
THE BUILDING’S INTERIOR &
SUPPORTING STRUCTURE
 THE SCHOOL WAS ONE OF EUROPE’S
MOST PROGRESSIVE SCHOOLS OF
DESIGN GREATLY INFLUENCING THE
CURRENT OF MODERN ART &
ARCHITECTURE.
 GROPIUS CONTRIBUTED TO PUBLISHED 
WRITINGS, DISCUSSING BAUHAUS’S
CONCEPTS & PRINCIPLES, THE ROLE OF
ARTIST’S RELATION TO HIS/HER WORK.
 IN 1919 -22, STUDENTS WERE ALLOWED
TO EXPRESS SUBJECTIVE FEELINGS IN
THEIR ART AS EXPRESSIONISM WAS NOT 
COMMON.
 IN 1922, ITTEN LEFT SUDDENLY,
1. CERAMIC WORKSHOP
2. METAL WORKSHOP
POTTERY WORKSHOP
INDIVIDUALLY MADE PRODUCTS WERE
INTENDED AS PROTOTYPES FOR 7
MACHINE PRODUCTION AND SOME
DESIGNS WERE PRODUCED
AASHAL JOSHI
COMMERCIALLY.
AT LAST, THE OUTPUT OF BAUHAUS WAS
PUBLICALLY ACCEPTED AS “BAUHAUS
STYLE”.
GROPIUS SAW ARCHITECTURE AND
DESIGN AS EVER CHANGING RELATED TO
THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD.
HE EMPHASIZED HOUSING & CITY
CARPENTER WORKSHOP
PLANNING.
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
GROPIUS HOUSE
MASSACHUSETTS(1937 – 38 )
 IN 1925, BAUHAUS MOVED TO DESSAU
WITH A PROMISE OF BETTER FINANCIAL
SUPPORT AND AS AN ESCAPE FROM
WEIMAR’S CONSERVATIVE &
ORTHODOX COMMUNITY.
 IN DESSAU, GROPIUS DESIGNED THE
HARWARD YEARD
 GROPIUS WITH SECOND WIFE ISE
FRANK, MARRIED IN 1923, LEFT
GERMANY & ARRIVED CAMBRIDGE.
 HITLER’S GOVERNMENT CLOSED
BAUHAUS IN 1933.
 BAUHAUS EMERGED AS A NEW
PERSONALITY IN ARCHITECTURE IN 1933
IN WESTERN WORLD WITH AN
EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY GROPIUS AT 
THE MUSUEM OF MODERN ART, NEW
YORK.
 IN 1937, BECOME PROFESSOR OF
SCHOOL BUILDING & FACULTY
HOUSING, BEING ITSELF A KEY 8
MONUMENT OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
AND BECAME GROPIUS’S BEST KNOWING
AASHAL JOSHI
BUILDING.
ARCHITECTURE AT HARWARD UNIVERSITY
UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1952.
 HIS INNOVATIONS AT HARWARD SOON
ENCOURAGED SIMILAR ARCHITECTURAL
SCHOOLS IN U.S. AND MARKED THE DYNAMIC COMPOSITION,
BEGINNING OF END OF A HISTORICALLY
ASYMMETRICAL PLAN, SMOOTH
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
IMITATIVE ARCHITECTURE IN THAT
COUNTRY. WHITE WALLS WITH HORIZONTAL
BY THE TIME, HE DIED IN 1969. WINDOWS AND FLAT ROOFS MADE
THE STRUCTURE A KEY MONUMENT
OF 1925s
GROPIUS TEACHING AT HARWARD
UNIVERSITY
 GROPIUS HOUSE, U.S.
1938
9

ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES AASHAL JOSHI

 A RESIDENCE OF GROPIUS AND HIS
FAMILY DURING HIS PERIOD AT
HARWARD UNIVERSITY DURING MID
1900s.
 COMPLETED IN 1938, GROPIUS HOUSE
WAS FIRST COMMISSIONED PROJECT IN
THE U.S. FOR FAMED ARCHITECT.
 LOCATED OUTSIDE OF BOSTON, GROPIUS
SELECTED THE SITE TO ACCOMMODATE
THE INTEREST OF HIS DAUGHTER’S
GROPIUS DESIGN
 THE HOUSE MAINTAINS THE SCALE AND
MATERIALLY IDENTITY WITH
SURROUNDING AREA.
 FAÇADE OF THE HOUSE COMBINES
COMMON BRICK & LOCAL CLAPBOARD
WITH MANUFACTURED RIBBON
WINDOWS AND GLASS BLOCK EVOKING
A SENSE OF BALANCE BETWEEN OLD &
EDUCATION.
 SITE SITS AMONG FIELDS, FORESTS AND
FARMHOUSES. 10
 KEEPING IN MIND THE VERNACULAR
SURROUNDING OF NEW ENGLAND,
AASHAL JOSHI
INTRODUCED MODERN, MASS-
PRODUCED, PRE-FABRICATED ELEMENTS
INTO THE DESIGN.
NEW, TRADITIONAL & MODERN,
ENGLAND & EUROPEAN.
 INTERIOR IS A MIX OF FABRICATED PIECES
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
FROM THE BAUHAUS.
 EMPLOYS AN OPEN SPATIAL
ORGANIZATION THAT FILTERS LIGHT
THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE THROUGH
LARGE WINDOWS.
 GROPIUS USES A MINIMALIST COLOUR
PALETTE THROUGHOUT THE INTERIOR
 TWO LEVELS WITH STONE STRUCTURE IN 
THE BASEMENT, WOOD AND BRICK.
 ON GROUND FLOOR, ACCESS UNDERS
PORCH USED A GLASS BLOCK TO GIVE
PRIVACY TO THE LOBBY.
 ANOTHER PORCH IS LOCATED AT THE
BACKYARD WITH STONE FLOORING.
 SPACES SUCH AS DINING & LIVING ARE 
AT THE CENTER AND FROM THAT LEVEL,
STARTS A SPIRAL STAIRCASE REACHES TO
SECOND LEVEL TERRACE.
CONSISTING OF BLACK, WHITE, PALE
GREY AND EARTH TONES WITH ONLY
FAINT SPLASHES OF RED FOUND 11
THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE.
AASHAL JOSHI
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
BATHROOMS WERE POSITIONED IN THE
NORTHWEST CORNER SO THAT ALL USED
THE SAME PLUMBING STACK FOR MAX.
EFFICIENCY.
 APPLE ORCHARD CONSISTED OF 90
PLANTED TREES, WHICH WERE ALLOWED
TO GROW NATURALLY.
FEATURED A FLAT ROOF, PERMITING EASY
DRAINAGE.
 IN THE BACK, A PERGOLA COVERED TERACE WHICH 12
PERFORMS THE FUNCTION ALLOWS LIGHT IN THE
OF DOUBLE HEIGHT DINING ROOM

AASHAL JOSHI
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
INTERIOR
WHAT MAKES THE GROPIUS HOUSE SO IMPORTANT
 GROPIUS USED HIS HOUSE TO
SHOWCASE FOR HIS HARWARD
STUDENTS AND TO INTRODUCE HIS
IDEAS OF WHAT CONSTITUTED
MODERNIST LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE TO AMERICA.
 KEEPING BAUHAUS PHILOSOPHY, HE
STAGED HOW MODERN
TECHNOLOGIES COULD BE
MODIFIED TO INDIVIDUAL
CUSTOMER NEEDS.
 IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL
MATERIALS USED IN NEW YORK LIKE
WOOD, BRICK, GROPIUS COMBINED
THEM WITH INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS
SUCH AS GLASS BLOCK, ACOUSTIC
PLASTER, WELDED STEEL &
CHROME.
 IT WAS A LABORATORY FOR 14
HARWARD STUDENTS TO
GROPIUS’S IDEAS AS WELL AS AN
AASHAL JOSHI
EFFECTIVE LEARNING.
 THE STRUCTURE IS A NEW
TRADITIONAL NEW ENGLAND POST
& BEAM WOODEN FRAME,
INTEGRATED WITH FEATURES SUCH
AS LONG WINDOWS AND GLASS
BLOCK, WHICH WERE NEWER
DURING THAT PERIOD.
 GROPIUS AIMED TO CREATE A NEW
WNGLAND LANDSCAPE COMPLETE
WITH MATURE TREES, RAMBLING
ALPHA INSTITUTE OF AR HITECTURE STUDIES
STONE WALLS AND BOULDERS
USED AS A FOCAL POINTS FOR
GARDENS.
 REFERENCES

ARCHDAILY.COM
BRITANNICA.COM
DEZEEN.COM
GROPIUS & ASSOCIATES