“It
was a truly experimental structure: a living experiment with individual rooms,
minimised like ship’s cabins to make more room for a central living room; a
technological experiment with light, pre-cast concrete blocks made of
industrial waste products; an ecological experiment with thermal zoning of the
rooms and minimised exterior surfaces and window openings to the south-west as
well as insulation materials made of peat to provide for better heat insulation;
finally, a social experiment intended to lighten the load of the occupier by
using easy-care materials for floors, windows, doors and wet areas as well as
the most modern household technology.”
Siebenbrodt,
Michael, and Schöbe, Lutz. Temptis : Bauhaus. New York, NY, USA:
Parkstone International, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 5 March 2015.
Regarding
Gropius’ design style, the use of reclaimed materials, efficient insulation and
manipulating internal design to suit the needs of the user, i.e. easy
maintenance materials to adapt to their living styles, is especially relevant
in today’s society. We live within a consumerist society, using and wasting, often
not utilising the most from materials and not recycling as much as we use.
Applying these key factors into his Architectural design helps reduce the
negative environmental impact, whilst simultaneously creating a design to meet
the exact needs of the modern day user, easy maintenance for a fast paced
lifestyle and minimal waste in return lowering costs as well. Gropius’ design
conscious is extremely relevant and a consideration I especially want to
consider within my design developments.
A more modern day Architect who yields the same passion for efficient design
is Gary Chang. Gary Chang developed a 24-room home within 32sq meters. Applying
large interventions and manoeuvrable walls within the living space to create a
comfortably inhabitable and adaptable space.
In regards to modern day production, the considerations
of Gropius around the 1920’s is even more so applicable to today’s demand for
new structures with our growing society, Gropius realised the need for mass
production, therefore he focused on the unity of form and function. He
developed designs, which were simplistic in design but in a way to be manufactured
utilising the most of the materials used, minimising waste or excessive material
use. This is exceedingly prevalent in today’s design world as the growing
demand needs to be addressed more efficiently as time progresses to
prevent an overwhelming reduction in available resources.
