MA L3 - Werkbund

German Werkbund Definition and Main Focus

Founded in 1907 in Munich, it is an association of craftsmanship that helped pay the way for modernism.

The 24 members (12 artists, architects and designers / 12 manufacturers - symbolic number) focused on blending economical, technical and cultural approaches in design.

Main Objective and Key Values (Quirky Emma Makes Friends Smiling)

Main objective: Enhance German culture by fostering better labor conditions leading to higher quality products of mass production.

Key Values: quality, ethics, material appropriateness, functionality and sustainability.

Key Figures

• Muthesius

• Behrens

• Gropius

Hermann Muthesius

Hermann Muthesius (1861-1927)

• Architect and key promoter of the German Werkbund

• Cultural advocate for German architecture and design

• Not one of the 12 founders, but played a key role behind the scenes

Muthesius Design Strategy (with example)

• Inspired by English suburban homes and functional design.

• In his publication “English Houses” he promoted a German architectural model based on the English house typology.

• He emphasized interior-exterior integration and simpler, nature-oriented living.

• Example: In his own house, he combined English design (aggregation of individual rooms) with traditional German farmhouse elements. He highlights the connection between function and lifestyle.

  • Focus on connection with nature.

  • Each room should reflect its purpose.

  • Reconnect the house’s form to the way people live.

Peter Behrens

Peter Behrens (1868-1940)

Artist and head of the Düsseldorf School of Design, he embodied Werkbund ideas and connected industry with culture.

A strong advocate of industry and culture integration.

Exhibition poster for the Darmstadt artists colony

Behrens - Exhibition poster for the Darmstadt artists colony (1901)

His journey included various phases, beginning with a close association with the Art Nouveau style, this may be seen through some of his designs.

The poster features a figure resembling a female divine being holding a light source. This imagery symbolizes enlightenment and aligns with German ideologies of spirituality, suggesting a higher, more elevated state of being.

Behrens House

• An architectural language that is primarily rooted in Art Nouveau, yet includes elements that recall English country houses and suburban German villas.

• Ornamentation of the main facade entrance evokes a crystalline or symbolic form (associated with spirituality and deeper meaning)

• Rays and crystalline ornaments symbolize the divine (inspiration of the artist, can also be seen indoors)

• Harmony between the physical space and higher ideals

Behrens and AEG - Ideologies

AEG (one of the biggest German general electricity companies)

He worked with AEG, focusing on corporate identity and aesthetic representation. He worked on integrating design elements in electric products (which were in German households)

They shared similar ideologies: Believed industrial tasks should be seen as cultural tasks - improving German industrial production would benefit German culture.

Importance of corporate image.

AEG Factory, Berlin-Wedding

Behrens - AEG Factory, Berlin-Wedding (1910-13)

Factory design reflects corporate identity, aligning with Werkbund ideals “from logos to buildings”.

Blends classical monumentality with industrial functionality.

• Monumental: Colonnade, deep shadows, and recessed windows evoke grandeur.

• Industrial: Large windows, red brick, and minimal ornamentation suit factory needs.

Combines industry with culture, enhancing national power and prestige.

Comparison with German Embassy: Both share monumentality; the embassy is grander with added decorative features. Industry and politics are linked in design, reflecting their roles in national strength.

AEG Turbine Factory

Behrens - AEG Turbine Factory, Berlin-Moabit (1908-09)

A “temple” of modern industry- certain elements resemble those of a temple

Combining elements of monumental and industrial architecture.

Serving as a shrine to the industry

The form was designed by functional requirements (vast uninterrupted space + high ceilings = spacious open interior for turbine displacement)

Moving gantry crane (included in the design) - highlighting the monumentality of pure engineering new line form and size according to production needs

Factory as a temple dedicated to an industrial cult

Harmony between form and function new line ambiguity between the monumental aspects and the modern construction (glass windows holding the pediment VS pillars on lateral facades stabilized by steel elements that rotate around central point, locking into a right angle)

Gropius VS Behrens (Eg)

Walter Gropius: more rigorous, modern engineering with a focus on glass and steel.

He viewed architecture as a total piece of art. No reference to temple.

Eg. Model Factory and Office Building (1914)

• Strong classical air: sharp edges, modularity and proportions.

• Sharp corners out of glass (innovative)

• Complete glass enveloping with visible steel structure

• “Glass monumentality” - glass possesses equal strength of stone walls (looks like it is carrying the roof)

• glass is a crystalline material which embodies a sense of divine power

• modern building materials and techniques

• functional, bright and spacious interiors

• refined artistic treatment of matter - sharp cut crystalline forms

Bauhaus Movement

An influential art and design school that emerged after the German Werkbund, focusing on functionality and simplicity.

Spirituality in Architecture

A theme explored by Behrens and Gropius in their designs, integrating aesthetic beauty with functional requirements.

Exhibition of the German Werkbund 1914

A temporary exhibition showcasing the state of the movement, emphasizing modern innovative architecture and design before WWI.

4 Implications of the Werkbund

(1) The role of the architect: Architects are the creators of spiritual, and cultural forms, transcending purely functional roles.

(2) Integration of art and industry: Connection between industry and culture- where industrial production serves as a cultural act.

(3) German quality production: Spiritual dimensions of German industrial design were highlighted, with modern techniques giving rise to a more spiritual, artistic form.

(4) Material innovation: Promoted the use of modern materials (steel and glass) to embody spirituality in industrial buildings