The 100 Years of Bauhaus - The Neufert Building in Weisswasser, Germany

The 1919 marks a 100 years since Walter Gropius founded Bauhaus, one of the most influential design schools of all times. Numerous buildings (and artefacts) still exist today and some of them are considered heritage, submitted to architectural and urban conservation. Within Bauhaus concept, which seem to be initiated already with Fagus factory (designed between 1911 and 1913), there was, inter alia, an emphasis on industrial building design and standardization. In this article, we revised industrial building complex designed by architect Ernst Neufert in Weisswasser (North Saxony - 140 km south of Berlin) regarding challenges of structural conservation. It consists of six-story warehouse and a single-story loading bay. The warehouse and dispatch center (which were originally used by glass manufacturer), have both a load-bearing steel frame and a brick infill. The visible steel frame gives a rudiment rhythm and order to the facade. The interior is shaped by pattern defined by steel columns, resting on the beams with intervening strained system ceilings out of stone iron. We discussed the state of this industrial complex, a project of renovation and the form in the context of its relevance for the legacy of its author who is widely known for his book Architects' Data and for legacy of Bauhaus, in general.