Educational Approaches of the Bauhaus from Weimar to Berlin and their Reflections on the Design Practices of Graduate Architects

Abstract

        The mechanization of the world after the Industrial Revolution created different social needs. Although the Industrial Revolution brought significant changes to production techniques and societal needs, the persistence of art in maintaining its traditional trajectory has given rise to various debates. One of the solutions developed in response to these debates was the Bauhaus School, which aimed to integrate art and craft by establishing a model of education where artists actively participated in the production process through workshops within the institution. By means of the workshops established within the school, students were able to experience both theoretical and practical education simultaneously, thereby ensuring the direct involvement of the artist in the production process. Throughout its 14 years of operation, the Bauhaus School, which functioned in three different locations (Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin) due to various pressures, maintained its mission unchanged; however, significant differences emerged in its educational planning during this period. Due to changes in educational planning resulting from the school’s relocations, this study examines the Bauhaus School across three distinct periods: Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin. Accordingly, this study argues that the distinctive educational approaches implemented by the Bauhaus during its Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin periods had a significant and traceable impact on the architectural design practices of its graduates. In this context, this study aims to examine the impact of the education provided during the three distinct periods of the Bauhaus School on the design approaches and building practices of its graduate architects. Within the scope of the study, the link between the educational experience and professional practice is examined in order to evaluate the concrete impacts of Bauhaus education on architecture. The study was conducted not merely through a descriptive approach but within an interpretative framework aimed at identifying the relationships between the educational content of specific periods and the design outcomes. Accordingly, data regarding the education provided at the Bauhaus School were examined across three distinct periods—Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin—and the relationship between the educational approaches of these periods and the professional works of their graduate architects was analyzed comparatively. In this context, graduates of the Bauhaus School whose data were accessed in written sources were assessed using a document analysis method. Following the listing process, five architects each from the Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin periods were selected. The architects were selected based on criteria including having received their education during the respective period, continuing their professional career as architects, demonstrating professional productivity, and having publicly accessible information available about their works. The impact of the Bauhaus educational approach on the design approaches of its graduate architects is discussed through analyses of the buildings designed and produced by the selected architects. In addition to employing a descriptive approach, the study adopts an interpretative framework aimed at establishing a relationship between the period-specific educational content and the design outcomes. The analysis suggests that the education applied at Bauhaus left distinct stylistic imprints on the architectural works of its graduate architects.