Bauhaus baut. Laubenganghäuser in Dessau-Törten (Bauhaus Taschenbuch 32)

From 1928 to 1930, the Bauhaus Dessau planned a modern ‘urban settlement’ featuring a mix of building types, including 500 bungalows, ten balcony-access houses, and eleven terrace houses. This project was intended to expand the Gropius Settlement in Dessau-Törten (1926–1928). Under the leadership of Hannes Meyer, the Bauhaus successfully completed five balcony-access houses for the Dessau Housing Cooperative, which are now recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Operating as a ‘vertical collective,’ faculty and students from the Bauhaus architecture department were responsible for the design and construction of these 90 ‘People’s Apartments,’ known for their strict functionalism and high utility. While architect Richard Paulick designed the adjacent terrace houses, the innovative timber-frame bungalows remained unbuilt following the dismissal of Bauhaus director Meyer and the onset of the Great Depression.

Philipp Oswalt is an architect and professor of architectural theory and design at the University of Kassel. Jens-Uwe Fischer is a historian and research associate at the University of Kassel.