As a building, the Bauhaus (by Walter Gropiusand Adolf Meyer, 1925-26) in Dessau enjoys international reputation as one of the outstanding achievements of 20th C architecture. It is equally famous as the home, until 1932, of a school of design covering all artistic disciplines. Since 1977 the Bauhaus has been an important cultural center, with international exhibitions of architecture, graphic art and design; it is also the home of the Dessau Landestheater, the "Theater im Bauhaus". The building was restored in 1976-79. Its most striking external features are the large suspended glass curtain wall (area 1,400 sq.
m/15,000 sq. ft), the Bauhaus Bridge and the entrance. Features of the interior are the Aula (Great Hall, with stage), the Mensa (Refectory), the vestibule and the exhibition and lecture room.
The Bauhaus is one of many "pilgrimage destinations" for students of architecture.
It is a manifestation of an energetic and concentrated period of modernist development in Germany prior to World War II. The building, owing to the influence of Dutch De Stijl, is a pinwheeling dance of steel sash window construction centered on a multi-storied entrance hall. The classroom wing to the north and the workshop wing to the south is counterbalanced by the taller dormitory block to the east. The taut technical skin of the building is contrasted by the famous super-cantilevered balconies of the dormitories. The entire main body of the building rests on a half-basement level whose outside structural wall elements are painted in dark tones to contrast with the white stucco of the building above. The result is a floating effect made more dramatic by the expanse of windows. Elements of contemporary industry are used throughout from heating systems and light fixtures to flooring materials helping to demonstrate to the students of the day the spirit of the curriculum.
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