RAR 607

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

WALTER GROPIUS
 Walter Gropius (From 1883 to 1969 C.E)
1. EARLY LIFE
• Walter Adoll Georg Gropites was born in 1883 in Berlin, Germany.
• He belongs to the generation of Mis von der Robe and Le Corbusier and they were the
fellow employees at that time Gropius father and geal-uncle Man Grop were also
architects.
• Grops absorbed the knowledge of arts and industrial materials and created architecture
cond of the day Gropis was architect, educator and founder of Bauhaus school.
• He studied at the Univenity Charlottenburg, Berlin and Munich and worked in the office of
Professor Peter Behrens in 1908, where he designed and built the semimal AEG Turbine
Hall of concrete, steel and glass.
• In 1910, Gropius established his in Berlin with his partner Adolf Meyer Gropius was the
member of the Doutscher Werkbund from 1910, where joined with Henry van de Velde to
make standardization of design and promote individual creativity procist
• Gropius published an Article in 1913, about The Development of Industrial
Buildings, which contain the photographs of factories and grain elevators of
North America. The article has a strong effect on contempo European
Modernists Gropius career was interrupted by the World war I in 1914, as he
was called as a reservist and he served
• Sergeant Major and was severely wounded during this period.
• In 1919, he designed Expressionist Monument the March dead at Weimer.
• In 1923, Gropius designed his famous door handles considered as 20th century
icons.
• Gropius became the Duc of Bauhaus School in 1925 and greatly influenced
Modernism.
• He designed Housing projects in Berlin, Kalsna and Dessau from 1926 to 1932
and contributed to "New Objectivity (architecture) movement that emerged in
Europe. especially in Germany.
2. ARCHITECTURAL PHILOSOPHY
• Gropius absorbed the knowledge of arts and industrial materials and created architecture
to the need of the day.
• He was a pioneer architect in introducing steel frame, sheet glass, curtain walls and flat
roofs in buildings.
• He brought a revolution in using industrial materials in buildings bringing a glazed and
clean new look in the facades of building Later other contemporary architects like Mies
van der Rohe and others continued the movement still further und brought new designs in
buildings.
• Gropius article Development of Industrial buildings influenced other Europian modernists
like Le Corbusier and Erich Mendelsohn.
• In 1923, Gropius designed his famous door handles, which are considered as icon design
of 20th century.
• Gropius was consistent in his theories and wanted architecture with the strength of
materials like steel, concrete and glass adapted to the present world of Machines, Radios
and fast running cars.
• He often worked in team and designed buildings on collaborative basis. He insists that an
idea originates with an individual, but by working in a team, the individual attains greater
achievement through stimulation and challenging critique of teammates.
• He insisted architects to develop new components by prefabrication for buildings and learn
to compose them to make beautiful buildings.
• He stated that cooperation, organization and relationship among architects, builders and
industry are required to make use of modern technology effectively. Gropius' goal was to
raise the level of product by combining art and industry, which Gropius was able to
implement.
• Gropius borrowed materials and methods of construction from modern technology and
created suitable innovative designs.
• He brought the idea of making standardized and prefabricated industrial building materials.
• He sincerely worked for solutions of larger and socially important issues. He believed that
all design whether a chair, a building, or a city should be approached in the same way
through a systematic study of the particular needs and problems involved, taking into
consideration modern construction materials and technology without reference to previous
forms or styles.
• His architecture does not show the aesthetic fascination, but reflects a sober and
 IMPORTANT EXAMPLES
•The following few important works are selected for description.
•1. Fagus Factory, Alfeld an der Leine, 1911: Fagus factory established the reputation of Gropius as an
important architect. Gropius commissioned the design with his partner Adolf Meyer.
• In 1911, Gropius began the building of Fagus shoe factory buildings in Alfeld Leine, Germany. In his plan, he
preserved the essence of the original scheme.
•It is a ten building complex and is a landmark in the development of modern architecture and industrial design.
•It is notable for vast glass panels combined with load bearing walls and presents functional industrial aesthetic.
• Use of masonry and glass: The office block of Fagus factory has a combination of masonry with steel beams
and columns in front and load-bearing walls at the back.
•The novelty lies in the conception of form of the facades. The freestanding external wall between the columns
was a thin sheath hung from a steel framework.
•A new and enduring form for an industrial building was successfully created here. The curtain wall later became
one of the most important elements in multi-storey blocks here after.
•No rigid corner: Typical traditional buildings show mass of masonry at the corners. Gropius dispensed the
rigid comer supports by the use of glass in the corner in right angle. The glass curtain walls demonstrated the
principle of Form reflects Function.
•The complex is now UNESCO's World Heritage site.
 2. Werkbund Exhibition, Cologne, 1914
• An important subject for Gropius is Exhibition.
• Gropius was called to build a factory with offices at Werkbund Exhibition at
Cologne.
• He commissioned this work with Adolf Meyer.
• The factory building is a single-storeyed glass enclosure embracing on three
sides and merging to the front into projecting semi-circular staircase towers at
either corner in the front.
• The glass-walled staircase tower is first of its kind appeared here. Gropius made
the staircase with great imagination, which is suspended from an internal core so
that there is no load on the outer wall.
• The external enclosing screens of these staircases are completely in glass fitted in
frame.
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