The Weissenhof Siedlung, Stuttgart 1927

The Weissenhof Siedlung, or exhibition estate, was built near Stuttgart in Germany in 1927 as a solid manifesto of modern movement architects, a demonstration of their abilities in the field of housing. The white stuccoed, flat-roofed buildings were designed by men who would later become well-known: Peter Behrens, Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Oud and Le Corbusier. Weissenhof soon achieved fame - some would say, notoriety - and was generally taken to be the first public exhibition of what was later called `International Style.' Examining a number of houses at Weissenhof, we ask how far the architecture matches up to the architects' ideas of the logical use of modern materials, and how far it fulfils their uninhibited and uncompromising search through their building for `new ways to live.'

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.