the intent
During the early 20th century, the people leading Staatliches Bauhaus shunned tradition, and combined art, craft and technology to create a pragmatic approach to architecture that served the masses. The Bauhaus philosophy heralded the beginnings of the democratization of architecture in the modern times.
Our intent is to continue this legacy and take it a step forward through Participatory Architecture, where both the architects and the users are not merely givers and receivers, but active participants in the creation of their desired spaces who collaborate and take inputs from each throughout the process.
the concept
To create this culture, our proposal for the new Bauhaus campus in Dessau is centered on a space that allows students to build on their own. The built ‘prototypes’ – made with modular materials that can be easily set up and dismantled – allow the architect and client to experience and feel their designs in a way no hand-drawing or computer-generated model would allow.
the design
The site is occupied by a large Exhibition Space at the center, where students can construct their prototypes. The ground is covered with a space-frame structure that limits, shelters and provides reference to the prototypes. To the south, it is flanked by academic spaces; six Classrooms of 10×10 m² each looking down towards the exhibition space, along with administrative offices and an auditorium. To the north, is the Workshop, the beating heart of the campus where students work to create their prototypes. The Dormitory is placed right to the north of the workshop.
The entire site is connected by a circulation corridor on its western edge, which connects the north and south sides of the site. The Cafeteria located on this corridor allows users to view the trains passing by in the west.
