ough them. The structure of the building had to be expressed clearly by its outward appearance. In formal terms, the horizontal was emphasised rather than the imposing verticals of 19th Century public buildings; flat planes were interlocked at right angles and surfaces were rendered white to symbolize purity and clarity. One of the most controversial elements in the german context was the use of the flat roof; the pitched roof was seen in conservative circles as inalienably Germanic. ]next[ Bauhausbauhaus The Bauhaus is not a style; it is a collection of attitudes. The Bauhaus was founded in Weimar Germany in 1919 by the architect [Walter Gropius]. The Bauhaus Manifesto was to unite the teaching of fine art, applied art and architecture in order to educate creative people capable of large sacale collaborative projects or "total works of art". The word Bauhaus is derived from the "hausbau" meaning construction. Bauhaus implies not only building and construction but also reconstruction. Above all, the Bauhaus is identified with functionalism, which is now seen as the eradication of ornament in favour of the austere beauty of the industrial Aesthetic. The students of the Bauhaus took part in the designing of buildings and fittings. They were encouraged to use their imagination and to experiment boldly yet never to lose sight of the purpose which their designs should serve. It was at this school that tubular steel chairs and similar furnishings of our daily use were invented. The theories for which the Bauhaus stood for are sometimes condensed in the slogan of "functionalism" the belief that if something is only designed to fit its purpose we can let beauty look after itself. There is certainly much truth in this belief. But like all slogans it really rests on an oversimplification. The best works of this style are beautiful not only because they happen to fit the function for which they are built but because they were designed by men of ta...
