Employment Office, Dessau (Dessau, Germany) : Exhibit on site, presenting color scheme used by Walter Gropius

Creator:

Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969

Published/Created:

August-Bebel-Platz, Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
1927-1929

Date Depicted:

2009
1900 AD - 1949 AD

Materials:

glass
steel
yellow glazed ceramic tile

Notes:

The first years in Dessau, when the Bauhaus reached its peak of international fame, were also a productive period for Gropius. His employment office (1927-1929), also for the Dessau city council, was a model of functional planning. He planned two parts defined by their functions and designed a long, two-storey administration block and a protruding one-storey circular building with a glazed shed roof for the public. A traditional cubicle-based office structure would not cope with the large number of visitors. This meant choosing a ground plan that would permit the public to be channelled, thereby allowing the job-seeking process to proceed smoothly. Separated according to sex and profession, there were five entrances for the job-seeking men and women, behind each of which lay sectors organised along similar lines. Although the façade of the circular building was without windows, its interior gave cause for wonder thanks to the shed roof, which allowed light to flood into the building from above. Faced with yellow tiles, the steel skeleton is, due to its unusual ground plan, a highly interesting example of functional architecture. Since its restoration in 2002-2003, the building has been home to the city of Dessau’s Trading Standards and Traffic Office.

Topics:

Architecture -- Germany -- 20th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Bauhaus
Modern
Modernist
Twentieth century

Culture:

German

Accession Number:

1A1-GW-EM-C1

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
office buildings (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

architecture; business, commerce and trade; Restoration and conservation; city government; unemployment; functionalism buildings; public buildings; government office buildings

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Six

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
2009

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4125

OID:

10073891

PID:

digcoll:1812523