Bruno Taut's Design Inspiration for the Glashaus [Paperback]

As a formative exemplar of early architectural modernism, Bruno Tauts seminal exhibition pavilion the Glashaus (literally translated Glasshouse) is logically part of the important debate of rethinking the origins of modernism. However, the historical record of Bruno Tauts Glashaus has been primarily established by one art historian and critic. As a result the historical record of the Glashaus is significantly skewed toward a singlular notion of Expressionism and surprisingly excludes Tauts diverse motives for the design of the building.

In an effort to clarify the problematic historical record of the Glashaus, this book exposes Bruno Tauts motives and inspirations for its design. The result is that Tauts motives can be found in yet unacknowledged precedents like the botanical inspiration of the Victoria regia lily; the commercial interests of Frederick Keppler as the Director of the Deutche Luxfer Prismen Syndikat; and imitation that derived openly from the Gothic. The outcome is a substantial contribution to the re-evaluation of the generally accepted histories of the modern movement in architecture.

1. Introduction, 2. Frederick Keppler, 3. Victoria Regia, 4. Gothic, 5. Conclusion

David Nielsen graduated from the Technikon Witwatersrand and the University of the Witwatersrand, where he earned Diplomas, Bachelors Degrees and a Master's in architecture. While resident in Johannesburg, he both taught architecture, at the University of Johannesburg, and practiced as an architect. In 2006, he migrated to Brisbane, Australia and subsequently took up an appointment within the architecture discipline at the Queensland University of Technology. Here l3‹