Bauhaus of our future
S.A. Sprenger (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
V. Gieskes – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / A)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This thesis explores the field of tension between the historical Bauhaus of 1919 and the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiated in 2020. At its core lies the question of how far the NEB utilizes the symbolic radiance of the original movement to promote current political, societal, and design-related reforms. The analysis starts from the assumption that the NEB serves not only aesthetic but also cultural and political functions by aligning the European Green Deal’s aesthetic, social, and ecological objectives with a broad civil society mandate.
Through a comparative examination of both institutions, it becomes evident that the historical Bauhaus emerged during a period of social upheaval as a revolutionary school for art, architecture, and craft, establishing a new understanding of design through radical formal reduction and interdisciplinary education. The NEB, on the other hand, operates as a European initiative without a fixed location, aiming to create a new quality of life through sustainability, participation, and aesthetics. Using the flagship project Creating NEBourhoods Together in Munich as an example, the thesis analyzes how these principles are concretely reflected in urban development processes.
It becomes clear that the NEB often functions as a political instrument that, by referencing the historical Bauhaus idea, aims for societal transformation — without the radical break with conventions that characterized the original. The thesis questions the depth of this symbolism and examines to what extent the NEB can offer genuine reform impulses as a cultural complement to the Green Deal.
The research paper argues that the NEB holds potential for long-term societal change — provided it succeeds in bringing about concrete structural and institutional transformations beyond political rhetoric. The historical Bauhaus movement is thus understood not only as a source of inspiration but also as a benchmark for the depth of reform processes. Whether the NEB can truly evolve into the "Bauhaus movement of the future" depends on its ability to move beyond political branding and establish itself as an independent and inclusive design culture.