idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The ensemble of art school buildings by Henry van de Velde are among the most important buildings designed by the Belgian architect in Weimar. After two years of renovation, the Free State of Thuringia will officially present the second of two buildings, originally designed by Henry Van de Velde for the former School of Arts and Crafts, to the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar at a grand reopening ceremony on 5 February 2010. The completion of the renovation work not only marks the return of a unique architectural landmark to Weimar, but also one of the city's most significant UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
On the basis of historic findings and intensive research, the architects' offices Pitz & Hoh GmbH (Berlin) and Junk & Reich GmbH (Weimar) have restored the Van-de-Velde building to its original condition, which had been deformed by several add-ons and weakened by dry and wet rot over the years. The blocked west-side exit to Amalienstraße was reopened and renovated according to the Van de Velde's designs, allowing natural light to flood the entrance area as originally intended. By removing partitions and false ceilings which had been added later, the architects were able to restore the original room layout, room volume and doorway locations.
The renovation work also took the demands of modern instruction into account, as the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will move back into building in April 2010. To meet these demands, the architects worked closely with the university to develop a functional room programme. The former workshops, for example, were redesigned with open galleries so that the work rooms and studios could be used without sacrificing the building's unique character. Furthermore, it was important to the architects to make all the rooms handicapped-accessible without having to install a stair lift.
The major alterations to the Van-de-Velde building began in the 1950s when the Institute for Materials Testing in Erfurt moved its headquarters to the former School of Arts and Crafts in Weimar. The conversion of the workshop wing required room partitioning and the demolition of the high industrial-style windows. The entire building underwent massive changes as it was used for other purposes - rooms were consolidated, groups of windows were divided, walls were opened for new doorways - "a sum of alterations which concealed the structure of the original building," as the Berlin art historian Dr. Christine Hoh-Slodczyk described it. Now the original quality of building is evident as first glance.
The Van-de-Velde building (constructed from 1905 to 1906) is owned by the Free State of Thuringia. The cost of the renovation, one of the most important building projects currently financed by Thuringia, totalled 7 million euros. Situated near the main building of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (Henry van de Velde, 1904 to 1911), the studio building "Preller Haus" (Louis Karl August Preller, ca. 1870) and the Brendel Studio (1886), the Van-de-Velde building is the place where Walter Gropius founded the State Bauhaus in Weimar in 1919. Its historic significance led UNESCO to formally recognize the art school buildings in Weimar, along with the Haus am Horn, as a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Grand reopening ceremony for the Van-de-Velde building
Date: 5 February 2010
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Audimax at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Steubenstraße 6, 99423 Weimar
Programme for journalists
Press conference
Date: 5 February 2010
Time: 10:30 am
Location: Van-de-Velde building, Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 7, 99423 Weimar
Exclusive tour of the Van-de-Velde building for journalists, accompanied by the architects
Date: 5 February 2010
Time: 11:15 to 11:45 am
Location: Van-de-Velde building, Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 7, 99423 Weimar
We would be happy to arrange a personal tour of the art school buildings with photo opportunities upon request. Please contact our press spokesperson Claudia Weinreich at presse@uni-weimar.de or by telephone at: +49 (0) 3643 581173.
http://www.uni-weimar.de/vdv - website with more news and background information about the Van-de-Velde building
South-side gable of the Van-de-Velde building before renovation (2008)
Source: Source: Wolfgang Reuss
South-side gable of the Van-de-Velde building after renovation (December 2009)
Source: Source: Architects' office Junk & Reich, photo: Th. Rämmler
Criteria of this press release:
Art / design, Construction / architecture
transregional, national
Organisational matters, Press events
English
South-side gable of the Van-de-Velde building before renovation (2008)
Source: Source: Wolfgang Reuss
South-side gable of the Van-de-Velde building after renovation (December 2009)
Source: Source: Architects' office Junk & Reich, photo: Th. Rämmler
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