Weimar: Van de Velde Building

 

1905 – 1906

Architect: Henry van de Velde

Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 7, Weimar, Germany

The listed building, designed by Henry van de Velde, was completed between 1905 and 1906 for the School of Applied Arts in Weimar.

The Arts and Crafts school building consists of two wings arranged at an angle.

Background

The east wing was built in 1905 for the Weimar Sculpture School and housed the studio of sculptor Adolf Brütt.

In 1906, the south wing was added to the existing east wing for the School of Applied Arts and Henry van de Velde‘s studio.

From 1919 to 1925, the Weimar Bauhaus was located here. Today, it houses the Design Faculty of the Bauhaus University in Weimar.

Building

The angular building’s wall pillars and visible steel profiles correspond with the facade of the art school.

Henry van de Velde’s studio rooms were housed on the first floor of the south wing, which is enclosed by a stone horseshoe arch on the facade.

Oskar Schlemmer

Inside is the central semicircular staircase adorned with murals and wall reliefs by Oskar Schlemmer. These were created for the 1923 Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar.

The artworks were removed in 1930, but have since been reconstructed.

After the Bauhaus moved to Dessau, the State College of Crafts and Architecture opened in April 1926 in the buildings of the School of Art and the School of Applied Arts under the direction of Otto Bartning.

Ernst Neufert, one of the first students to come to the Bauhaus in 1919, took over as head of the building department.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Today, the Van de Velde Bau is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it an important architectural and historical monument.

The building has undergone alterations, room divisions, and changes to windows and doors due to conversion and overuse.

Renovation and Restoration

From 2008 to 2010, the building underwent thorough renovations.

Based on historical findings and intensive research, architectural offices Pitz & Hoh GmbH in Berlin and Junk & Reich GmbH in Weimar restored the Van de Velde building to its original condition. The building had been reshaped by multiple alterations and was partially infested with dry rot.

The western exit to Amalienstraße, which had been obstructed, was reopened and renovated according to Van de Velde’s plans, restoring the original lighting to the entrance area.

Removing walls and false ceilings installed later restored the floor plans, room volumes, and original door situations.

The basic renovation requirements included securing the foundation, repairing and deconstructing the framework and ceiling beams, preparing the structure, ensuring barrier-free access to all rooms, and reorganizing the building to serve as a modern university building for the Design Faculty of the Bauhaus University Weimar.

In February 2010, the rooms of the former School of Arts and Crafts were handed over to Bauhaus University Weimar after their renovation.