debauhaus1-6, Exercise 1: The Dessau building

Model answer:

The Dessau school building was designed by Gropius's office and opened in December 1926 (check). It was a group of linked wings: a workshop block with a glass curtain wall (an outer wall made almost entirely of glass), a block of studios with balconies, and a connecting bridge that housed offices (check the layout). Each part was arranged according to its function, which was meant to show that a building could be designed from what happens inside it. Near it stood the masters' houses, plain white houses for Gropius and the teachers, and later the Törten housing estate.

Why it became the image of "Bauhaus architecture": it is a purpose-built, well-documented and photographed building by the founder, with a clear, plain, modern look, and it has survived (restored after the Second World War) and is now a World Heritage site (check the dates). The school's first six years in Weimar, with their craft-based and expressive character, did not leave a comparable building, so the Dessau building stands in for the whole school even though it represents only its middle period (Chapters 3, 4 and 6).