The new architecture and the Bauhaus

by Walter Adolph Gropius

One of the most important books on the modernist movement in architecture, written by a founder of the Bauhaus school. One of the most important books on the modern movement in architecture, The New Architecture and The Bauhaus poses some of the fundamental problems presented by the relations of art and industry and considers their possible, practical solution. Gropius traces the rise of the New Architecture and the work of the now famous Bauhaus and, with splendid clarity, calls for a new artist and architect educated to new materials and techniques and directly confronting the requirements of the age.

Genres: Architecture, Design, Nonfiction, Classics, Art

112 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1965

About the author

Walter Adolph Gropius, a German-American, founded the Bauhaus school of design and exerted tremendous influence on modern architecture.

Walter Gropius founded an early 20th-century modernist Bauhaus school of architecture and design, noted for its use of rectilinear forms, plain unadorned surfaces, and techniques and materials, associated with industrial production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years I have heard so many definitions of Bauhaus that I decided to find a book that would help me. This is a very good book that will provide you with a foundational understanding of a very complex concept - often 'borrowed' by others. Happy to have finally read this book!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By some strange convergence Bauhaus overtook me. On a whim I bought this short book a few months back, with only a vague notion of the school and its style. Then several weeks ago I attended a small but remarkable concert and one of the performers (Dominic Johnson of Chicago) played beautiful electric violin (and beats) over several Bauhaus era silent films. And just two days ago I toured the large retrospective exhibit on Laszlo Moholy-Nagy at the Art Institute of Chicago. You might say it was meant to be.

This short book from 1965 is the author's reflection on the many facets of Bauhaus, including the style, the school, the players, the philosophy, some misconceptions, and his ideas about "the future". It has the feel of a time capsule and, regardless of the "failings" of this school, there is a captured energy and optimism that is refreshing. Life is about possibilities. And new ideas. Inspiration. Collaboration. Trial and error. Change. And at some point, reflection. This is a nice starting point on Bauhaus for the uninitiated. It will leave you wanting more. And that is quite the point.

[Mark Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 97 pages on the education of students in the Bauhaus is brilliant. The last 13 pages on Modernist town planning is, in hindsight, an unmitigated disaster.

[Ayn Doe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The worst parts of this book were any time Gropius touched on non-Bauhaus architectural forms. Every existing style that used ornaments in their design were joined together into one easily attackable strawman of being the product of architects divorced from the real world. He never even said why ornaments themselves were bad anywhere in the entire book. Only that he desired the "liberation of architecture from a welter of ornament" and the like. It's especially a shame since he talks about the Bauhaus school unlocking their students' latent creativity... but never really gives any examples of that, only examples on how the designs are made so that they can be as cheap and efficient as can be. Comparing the "beauty" in forms with and without ornaments would've been a great oppurtunity to prove his point.

The best parts of this book were when he excitedly described how the Industrial Revolution finally allowed architects to replace brick by brick walls as the thing holding houses together with skeleton frames, how they can finally use glass for windows, etc. It's nice realizing just how new things steel and glass are and how revolutionary the idea of glass walls were for the 20th century.

It was also almost depressing reading how insistent he was that sacrificing diversity of houses for standardization was necessary for "The New Architecture" because it would lead to future generations being freer and not chained to the price of housing compared to his time.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't tend to like manifestos; I'm not sure why I keep picking them out. I'm interested in the Bauhaus, and I guess I wanted to hear it described by Mr. Bauhaus himself. And there are certainly thought-provoking ideas in here, like creating architecture to embody the possibilities of new materials and the fusing artistic vision with technology and practical economic concerns.

But Gropius is a total hedgehog – he's got his big idea figured out, and he's sure that anyone who considers things correctly will reach the same conclusions he does. When you're this convinced of your own brilliance, there's not a lot of room for different ideas. At its most harmless, it's the fairly uniform output of the school:

"The practical objectivity of the Bauhaus teaching explains why, in spite of the diversity of its collaborators, its productions were characterized by a basic uniformity."

The more dangerous manifestation is encouraging urban destruction from a paternalistic standpoint:

"The most propitious environment for propagating the New Architecture is obviously where a new way of thinking corresponding with it has already penetrated. It is only among intelligent professional and public-spirited circles that we can hope to arouse a determination to have done with the noxious anarchy of our towns."

Really interesting to read this right after Lewis Mumford's Sticks & Stones. Like Mumford, Gropius argues that the modern world needs a greater degree of integration between urban and rural environments, but Gropius's answer to this problem is much more Plan Voisin than medieval village. Neither seems like an ideal solution, but Mumford feels closer to the mark, because he's approaching the problem with the human scale in mind.

I heard Jan Gehl on a podcast recently; when he met his future wife, a psychologist, she asked him why, if architects care about people, his architecture professors would go photograph buildings at 4 am to make sure no people were around to get in the frame. I got that same vibe from this book – it felt like Gropius had a gleaming vision of the modern world he wanted to create, and he didn't want something as untidy as humanity to ruin his image.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick, stimulating read and a tremendous document of a mentality that shaped the world we live in today. Gropius comes across as an ideologue with rigid ideas, many that have survived the test of time, and some that, while they have admirable qualities, don't necessarily strike me as inarguable.

[Peter]

“We aimed at realizing standards of excellence, not creating transcient novelties”

It’s kind of like when you’re watching a dystopian horror movie and there’s a pamphlet about what the society was supposed to look like, but this is your life in August of 2019 and you’re living out the Bad Future

[Reinhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short book on the ideals of the bauhaus movement was written by the master himself, Gropius.

It purports to set architecture on a foundation of rationalism, standardization, mechanization. Seems hopelessly utopian today. The book lays out not only the very basic philosophy, but also how the new generation of architects should be trained in the Bauhaus manner. The manner of training as well as the whole rationalistic hubris has a strong Germanic flavor. One can almost visualize the thesis, antitheses and synthesis forming and reforming in the polemic frame of 1920s Germany.

There is a strong political overtone to the philosophy, especially near then end when town planning and mass housing is discussed. Very clearly, the basis for the mass tenements of the 1950s and 1960s in America–a new better way to house the masses.

Hearkening back to an optimistic age where technology would solve humanities problems, it read very dated today. The technological hubris is strong in this one. One gets the sense that Bauhaus was the Silicon Valley of the 1920s.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If the spread of machinery has, in fact, destroyed the old basic unity of a nation’s production the cause lies neither in the machine nor in its logical consequence of functionally differentiated processes of fabrication, but in the predominantly materialistic mentality of our age and the defective and unreal articulation of the individual to the community.” (p. 76)

A book that is approachable and comprehensible to those architecturally untrained like me. It’s clear how Gropius’ work transcends the domain of design and is relevant to urbanism, sociology and economics. The project, it’s objective, the execution and the impact of the Bauhaus is remarkable.

“The standardization of the practical machinery of life implies no robotization of the individual, but, on the contrary, the unburdening of his existence from much unnecessary dead-weight so as to leave him freer to develop on a higher plane.” (p. 90)

[Medhat ullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New Architecture and the Bauhaus is about how to create a standardized yet aesthetically and functionally superior architecture that meets the needs of modern society. Gropius saw mass production and industrialization not as threats but as tools that architects and designers could use to create efficient, affordable, and beautiful buildings.
Standardization – Using modular, prefabricated components to make buildings more efficient and widely available.
Functionality – Architecture should be driven by its purpose, avoiding unnecessary decoration.
Technology & Industry – Machines should be embraced as tools for creativity and productivity.
Collaboration – Architects, engineers, and designers should work together to create better living spaces.
Democratic Design – Good architecture should be accessible to all, not just the wealth

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

A short and at times, slightly bizarre read from Walter Gropius.

Whilst he makes a good case for Bauhaus architecture and good, solid housing for the masses without being brutal or base, there is this:

You know when you go to an art gallery and some pretentious arse has written a synopsis of how their art represents the daily struggle, and uses words like juxtaposition, collocation, delineation and neo-representational, and you just think eugh, shut up!! Yeah, there are times Gropius makes me think shut up man!

I'm a fan of the Bauhaus design and my dream house would be a Bauhaus masterpiece, but Gropius, while his visual results are spectacular, his written work leaves a lot to be desired!

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of wish I had read this earlier, but better late than never. Greatly interesting to learn more about the Bauhaus as well as Gropius' view on what Modernism ought to be all about. The Bauhaus was less of a 'style' and more of a school of thought. A 'style' was merely a byproduct of its particular methodologies. I'm quite taken to its artistic and spiritual approach compared to some of the other contemporary Modernist rhetoric floating around at the time.

P.S. wondered how accurate the translation is.

[Portia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying to read some nonfiction among all the fun stuff 😁 Love him or hate him, you can’t help but respect what Gropius did for the future of design, art education, and city planning. I want to dream this big.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic, with some good pictures and illustrations.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, basically a historical document at this point, but gives good insight into the way in which architecture and design was considered at time of writing.

[Valen · Rating 4 out of 5]

historia 2b tiene tanto sentido después de leer este libro, tqm gropius

[Davide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto interessante, in poche pagine Gropius in persona racconta la scuola del Bauhaus e la sua idea di Architettura che ha cercato di realizzare. Dopo una breve ma profonda citazione dei temi che hanno dato terreno fertile a una scuola così singolare, offre uno spaccato profondo dei valori cercati, delle tecniche insegnate e del percorso formativo svolto da uno studente Tipo. Scritto nel '34 durante il suo esilio in Inghilterra, un anno dopo la chiusura dell'ultimo Bauhaus forzata dal governo tedesco.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crikey!