Nowe trendy kolorystyczne wzorcowych osiedli Werkbundu i architektury mieszkaniowej nurtu Neues Bauen w okresie Republiki Weimarskiej w Niemczech

The purpose of the article is to present the color trends of the Werkbund model housing estates (1927-1932) in the background of Neues Bauen residential architecture built under the urban construction program during the Weimar Republic in interwar Germany (1918-1932). After the World War I, despite the exhaustion of the country due to war, effort was made to build new housing estates, which later became a model for modern housing solutions. The task of the architects of that time was to show that industrialization was not synonymous with the loss of individuality. An excellent weapon in the fight for individuality of housing estates was color, which was used to distinguish new buildings from the surrounding grays of the old ones. The Weimar Republic period in Germany, displayed two distinct color trends "white architecture" and the "colorful city" ("Die farbige Stadt"). The most spectacular changes, aimed at giving German cities a new face, were initiated by Bruno Taut in Magdeburg and Berlin, Ernst May in Wrocław (former Breslau) and Frankfurt am Main, and Otto Haesler in Celle. The exhibition housing estates of the Werkbund, constructed from 1927 to 1932, were a review of the tendencies entering the housing construction of the interwar period. Today, the only way to discover the architect’s original concept following years of use and reconstruction of the houses (even those under conservation protection) is through stratigraphic studies of the paint coatings. These types of studies have been conducted in many model housing estates. This article is based on personal experience of the author who participated in the revalorization of Wrocław’s model housing estate Werkbund, where both color trends are clearly visible.Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie trendów kolorystycznych propagowanych we wzorcowych osiedlach mieszkaniowych Werkbundu (1927-1932) na tle kolorystyki architektury mieszkaniowej nurtu Neues Bauen powstającej w ramach programów budownictwa miejskiego w okresie Republiki Weimarskiej w międzywojennych Niemczech (1918-1932). Po I wojnie światowej, mimo wyniszczenia kraju, podjęto trud budowy nowych osiedli, które później stały się wzorem dla nowoczesnych rozwiązań mieszkaniowych. Zadaniem ówczesnych architektów było pokazanie, że industrializacja nie jest równoznaczna z utratą indywidualności. Doskonałą bronią w walce o zróżnicowany charakter osiedli był kolor, którym odróżniano nowe budynki od otaczającej je szarości starych. Okres Republiki Weimarskiej w Niemczech charakteryzował się dwoma wyraźnymi trendami kolorystycznymi nazwanymi: „białą architekturą” i „kolorowym miastem” („Die farbige Stadt”). Najbardziej spektakularne zmiany, mające nadać niemieckim miastom nowe oblicze, zapoczątkowali Bruno Taut w Magdeburgu i Berlinie, Ernst May we Wrocławiu i Frankfurcie nad Menem oraz Otto Haesler w Celle. Wystawowe osiedla Werkbundu, budowane w latach 1927-1932, były przeglądem tendencji dotyczących budownictwa mieszkaniowego okresu międzywojennego. Dziś jedynym sposobem poznania oryginalnej koncepcji architekta po latach użytkowania i przebudowy domów (nawet tych objętych ochroną konserwatorską) są badania stratygraficzne powłok malarskich. Tego typu prace zostały przeprowadzone w wielu wzorcowych osiedlach mieszkaniowych. Artykuł opiera się na osobistych doświadczeniach autorki, która uczestniczyła w rewaloryzacji wrocławskiego wzorcowego osiedla Werkbundu, gdzie oba trendy kolorystyczne są wyraźnie widoczne

New Form, New Material and Color Scheme, the Exposed Concrete Phenomenon—The Centennial Hall in Wrocław

The aim of the article is to present the remarkable changes in architecture that took place in the 20th century. They can easily be called a revolution regarding the architectural form and the color scheme. Progress was being made through the development of reinforced concrete production methods. In the German Empire (Deutsches Kaiserreich), this material quickly found applications in more and more interesting solutions in architectural structures. In Wrocław (formerly Breslau), then located in the eastern German Empire, exceptional architectural works were realized before and after the First World War using new technology. In 1913, an unusual building was erected—the Centennial Hall, designed by Max Berg (inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006). Berg’s work was inspired by the works of both Hans Poelzig and Bruno Taut. On the one hand, it was a delight with the new material (the Upper Silesian Tower at the exhibition in Poznań, designed by H. Poelzig) and, on the other hand, with the colorful architecture of light and glass by B. Taut (a glass pavilion at the Werkbund exhibition in Cologne). Max Berg left the concrete in an almost “pure” form, not hiding the texture of the formwork under the plaster layer. However, stratigraphic studies of paint coatings and archival inquiries reveal a new face of this building. The research was carried out as part of the CMP (Conservation Management Plan—prepared by the authors of the article, among others) grant from The Getty Foundation Keeping It Modern program. According to the source materials, the architect intended to leave the exposed concrete outside of the building, while the interior was to be decorated with painting, stained glass, and sculpture. The stratigraphic tests showed that the external walls were covered with a translucent yellowish color coating. Thus, the Centennial Hall shows a different face of reinforced concrete architecture

New Form, New Material and Color Scheme, the Exposed Concrete Phenomenon—The Centennial Hall in Wrocław

The aim of the article is to present the remarkable changes in architecture that took place in the 20th century. They can easily be called a revolution regarding the architectural form and the color scheme. Progress was being made through the development of reinforced concrete production methods. In the German Empire (Deutsches Kaiserreich), this material quickly found applications in more and more interesting solutions in architectural structures. In Wrocław (formerly Breslau), then located in the eastern German Empire, exceptional architectural works were realized before and after the First World War using new technology. In 1913, an unusual building was erected—the Centennial Hall, designed by Max Berg (inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006). Berg’s work was inspired by the works of both Hans Poelzig and Bruno Taut. On the one hand, it was a delight with the new material (the Upper Silesian Tower at the exhibition in Poznań, designed by H. Poelzig) and, on the other hand, with the colorful architecture of light and glass by B. Taut (a glass pavilion at the Werkbund exhibition in Cologne). Max Berg left the concrete in an almost “pure” form, not hiding the texture of the formwork under the plaster layer. However, stratigraphic studies of paint coatings and archival inquiries reveal a new face of this building. The research was carried out as part of the CMP (Conservation Management Plan—prepared by the authors of the article, among others) grant from The Getty Foundation Keeping It Modern program. According to the source materials, the architect intended to leave the exposed concrete outside of the building, while the interior was to be decorated with painting, stained glass, and sculpture. The stratigraphic tests showed that the external walls were covered with a translucent yellowish color coating. Thus, the Centennial Hall shows a different face of reinforced concrete architecture