Fagus Factory: Walter Gropius & Adolf Meyer’s Modernist Design
Fagus Factory and Adolf Meyer: Walter Gropius’s Masterpiece
Classification of the Work
The Fagus Factory is a complex of industrial architectural modules of several different volumes bound together as a single unit. It combines traditional materials, such as brick, with new building materials, such as glass. Using these new materials allowed for free architectural work. Principles that hitherto prevailed in building construction changed, and the balance shifted. The walls no longer had a load-bearing function. Building height, floor area, and the range of volumes did not pose a complex problem for resolution. Smooth walls did not imply different dynamic cores, but light in its combination became of great importance.
The use of the curtain wall, the new language, represents the predominant feature of the Fagus Factory. The straight-line relationship between art and technology, and modern beauty unadorned by crystal, iron, and baked brick, attached to the structural clarity of design, make this work a symbol of the Modern movement.
Stylistic Language Ascribed to the Work
Processes of adaptation refer to forms adapted to the new realities of the modern world. It is a rational work characterized by simplicity of form. Functionality is born with the idea that any architectural form must reflect its function through constructive elements like beams and pillars. This style is based on the statement attributed to Sullivan: “The fundamental task of the architect is to know the technical reality of the building to meet its purpose.” The application of these criteria will necessarily result in beautiful architecture. Rationalism is not intended to be limited to constructing buildings, but it is a whole new conception of the city as an urban center.
Role and Significance
The Fagus Factory is more than just a shoe factory; it is a truly modern building. Fagus is the expression of the synthesis of art and industry. It was restored and is open to visitors.
Antecedents and Consequences
Rationalism is born with the decisive influence of the Bauhaus school, making it accessible to all on equal terms. Rationalism is at the base of the entire new trend in architecture, characterized by decorative *desornamentacion* (lack of ornamentation).
Location and Context
The circumstances and needs in the movement that occurred are:
- The profound social changes caused by the advance of industrialization.
- Socio-economic restructuring imposed by large buildings for mass concentrations.
After the First World War, a defeated Germany was seeking a solution to the crisis. Intellectuals considered that irrationalism had led to violence; now, rationalism should be imposed.
Classification of the Book
The critic and author of the book is the Fagus Factory, and its author, Walter Gropius, in collaboration with the architect Adolf Meyer, was the founder of the school of architecture. Its most important change is teaching based on the use of crafts as a learning environment, based on remarkable permeability to all influences. We can consider the Bauhaus as a learning center for everything that had to do with art in the broadest sense of the word: architecture, design, sculpture.
Gropius’s personality is inextricably linked to his teaching work. Unlike Le Corbusier, Gropius presents his volumes simultaneously. He stepped down as director of the Bauhaus, and his opposition to the Nazi party forced him to leave Germany in 1934 and emigrate to the U.S.