alpine architecture
Introduction
Bruno Julius Florian Taut (Königsberg, May 4, 1880 - Istanbul, December 24, 1938) was a prolific German architect and publicist "Polygraph (author)", leader of the expressionist movement, active during the period of the Weimar Republic. Brother of the architect Max Taut.
Taut has distinguished himself for his theoretical work, speculative writings, and numerous exhibition buildings. His most representative work is the prismatic dome of the Glass Pavilion in Cologne "Cologne (Germany)") for the 1914 Exhibition. His projects for an "Alpine Architecture" in 1917 are a sample of an imperturbable utopian vision, and it has been classified variously: as modern and as expressionist.
This reputation does not accurately reflect Taut's extensive body of architectural work and social and practical achievements.
After studying and interning as a member of Theodor Fischer's office, Taut opened his own office in Berlin in 1910. The veteran architect Hermann Muthesius suggested that he visit England to learn about the Garden City movement. This trip had a deep and lasting impact on Taut. Muthesius also introduced him to some of the figures of the Deutscher Werkbund, among them Walter Gropius. Taut had socialist leanings and this, before the First World War, hindered his progress.
Taut completed two house projects in Magdeburg, from 1912 to 1915, directly influenced by the human functionalism and urban design solutions of the city-garden movement. Between 1919 and 1920 he led an expressionist group for exchanging drawings and ideas by correspondence called the Crystal Chain. He served as municipal architect in Magdeburg from 1921 to 1923.
In 1924 he was appointed chief architect of GEHAG, a private housing company, and successfully designed several large residential estates ("Gross-Siedlungen") in Berlin, notably the 1925 Horseshoe Housing Estate (Hufeisensiedlung), named for its configuration around a pond, and the 1926 development of Uncle Tom's Cabin ("Onkel Toms Hütte") in Zehlendorf. which is named so strangely after a local restaurant and is located in a dense grove of trees. The designs included modern and controversial flat roofs, people's access to sun, air, and gardens, as well as generous facilities: gas, electricity, and bathrooms. Critics on the political right complained that these developments were too opulent for "ordinary people." The progressive mayor of Berlin, Gustav Böss, defended them: "We want the lower levels of society to rise."
Taut's team built more than 12,000 homes between 1924 and 1931. GEHAG is still in business today and has a horseshoe logo, as a tribute to Taut.