Konsumgebäude Dessau (1928)

The concept of the entire building appears very balanced. The one-storey low-rise building, built as a shop, is particularly highlighted as there are no floors above it. This area was built of reinforced concrete. In contrast to this horizontal part Gropius planned the vertical house block. On the north facade, the staircase with the long windows was designed in contrast to the large window panes of the shop. For the effect as a central building of the Törten Estate, it is an ingenious idea to attach a flagpole to the house. The living areas open up to the east, south and west. The large casement windows face east and south, as are the balconies, facing south at least a little. A second row of balconies is located on the west side for sunset lovers. The white colour on the plaster is only slightly contrasted by the grey of the window frames, railings and parts of the shop zone.

Gropius planned the Konsum Building as the conclusion of the first construction phase of the Törten Estate and as the structural conclusion and central dominant feature that towers over the mostly flat houses of the estate. This seems very practical, as everyone might quickly find out where to get something to drink and eat in this part of the city. Although Dessau was very destroyed in World War II, this building remained undamaged. Today, the former shop houses the information office on the Törten Estate of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.

• Bauhaus Dessau Konsumgebäude
• Allerheiligen, Wendland: Mehr als das Bauhaus: Modernes Bauen in Sachsen-Anhalt 1915-1935 / More than the Bauhaus: Modernist architecture in Saxony-Anhalt 1915-1935., 2019