Trans-Atlantic Engagements: The Contribution and Impact of German Educators to US Architectural Education [Paperback]

The pedagogical experiments of the Bauhaus, imported by Gropius, Mies, Hilberseimer and others to the US system, challenged traditional Beaux-Arts thinking and played a crucial role in shaping modern architectural education. Historically, the German architectural training has been different from the Franco-Italian model. New interdisciplinary and technology-focused modes of teaching architecture and design had a long-lasting impact, however, are now again transformed by German-trained educators currently active in reshaping curricula. The conversations reveal the critical and independent thinking of this group of educators, and how they make a meaningful contribution to the discourse of architectural education appropriate to the 21st century. The book provides insight into the ways in which these German-born educators influence architectural and design education in the United States to this day.CNTrans-Atlantic Engagements offers a long-awaited critical analysis of the pedagogical influences of German educators within schools of architecture across the United States. As an American architectural practitioner from German descent, I personally find this forward-thinking appraisal both relevant to our time and fascinating in its connection of history with the contemporary. The legacy of the century old Bauhaus and notable prot?g?s, Gropius and Mies van der Rohe are amply understood. Steffen Lehmann eloquently cross-examines the pedagogy of his German/Austrian/Swiss contemporaries and interprets their reach and influence on American architecture today. Dwayne R. Eshenbaugh, AIA, 2020 President of the AIA Nevada Chapter; Principal, NOVUSArchitecture, Las Vegas, Nevada Bold in scope and packed with detail, the writing presents compelling pedagogical engagements as well as an impressive array of profiles and interviews with constant architectural commitment. It forces us to rethink the Bauhaus legacy, including the likes of Lilly Reich and Ernst Neufert who both stayed ls¹