The Bauhaus was distinguished neither by function nor by use but rather by symbolism. Whether square, triangle, or circle; whether Wilhelm Wagenfeld's lamp, Oskar Schlemmer's 'Kopf' (head), or white cubes with flat roofs: the Bauhaus created iconic visual symbols and a style that is neither functional nor social but visually striking. Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus, from the outset sought to develop the school into a brand - and he succeeded. More than eight decades after its forced closure, the Bauhaus is more present than ever before in consumerism, politics, and culture alike. It has become a participative brand that escapes centralised control entirely. It has been, and continues to be, forged collectively by countless designers, manufacturers, and consumers. Yet its founders' initial pledge for functionality and social commitment remains unfulfilled. In this book, Philipp Oswalt, former director of Foundation Bauhaus Dessau, explores the development of the Bauhaus brand and its use around the world, illustrated with some 950 images that highlight the vast range of Bauhaus appearances from a century.

Bilingual edition (English/Arabic) / Zweisprachige Ausgabe (englisch/arabisch) Designing Modernity: Architecture in the Arab World 1945–1973 is the result of a fascinating investigation by international experts into the influences of modernist architecture in the Arab world. Ten case studies provide the foundation for a thorough exploration of the relevant cultural-historical, sociopolitical, climatic and demographic aspects. Questions concerning the region’s reciprocal relationship with modernist architecture in the period from 1945 to 1973 are investigated through the biographies of selected buildings and building complexes from Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco. Texts, contemporary images, architectural drawings and archival material are used to document the process from commissioning and design through to completion and building use.

Berlin was shaped by the events of the twentieth century in a process of "automatic urbanism." More than any other metropolis, the city absorbed the forces of that epoch - modernity, fascism, two world wars, Stalinism, socialism, the Cold War, revolt, capitalism - and gave them form. This book shows how even today, opposed ideological, political, economic, and military forces continue to produce unplanned structures and activities and urban phenomena beyond the categories of urban design and architecture that conceal rich potential. Berlin reveals particularly clearly phenomena that have shaped urban development in the twentieth century in other places as well: conglomeration, collision of borders, destruction, void, mass, metabolism, and simulation. The present book, which caused a sensation when first published in German twenty years ago, is now being published in English for the first time. Its surprising and informative analysis of Berlin as a prototype of the modern city destroys the ideologies of heroic modernity as well as the new nationalisms and shows how the modern city "as found" can become the point of departure for new forms of context-specific architecture and urban planning. Taking Berlin as a prototype, Philipp Oswalt's lucid analysis describes how much the built environment of cities is influenced by the unintended side-effects of political, economic, and technological processes. This "automatic urbanism" reveals modernist master-planning and national building traditions as being a myth. Instead, the book offers a both socially and ecologically more sensitive, more responsible approach to develop cities "as found." Saskia Sassen, Columbia University New York This English edition of Philipp Oswalt's now-classic study could not be more timely. Every effort to understand the modern city must contend with Berlin, the twentieth century's anti-capital. Its lessons, presented here with singular insight and authority, remain necessary to anyone thinking about what that word - "city" - might still mean today. Reinhold Martin, Columbia University New York Berlin has never only been a theatre in the battle between ideas and ideologies. Rather, it has always been the material means by which these ideas clash against each other. If the struggle for our futures must take place in Berlin, as our historical moment seems to demand, there is no better guide than Philipp Oswalt's now classic Berlin: City Without Form. His scholarly ingenuity and perceptive architect's eye are only matched by a commitment to the future of his city. Eyal Weizman, Goldsmiths/University of London

In the 1930s, Walter Christaller used new media to work out his central place theory by counting telephone lines to identify centralities that connected multiple spaces: Today, digitization has a formative effect on space—on cities, the countryside, and mobility. Or when it is lacking, disruptions are the result. The contributions to the book offer an introductory examination of the effects of digitization on space and deal with the topicality of Christaller’s central place theory. The book does so both theoretically and practically, by examining spatial policies of current regional development programs, different conceptions of public services, and the tasks medium-sized centers in urban and rural areas. The second part of the book discusses which structural changes are to be expected in the course of digitization, especially through new mobility, and how this might affect the attractiveness of rural areas and the tasks of medium-sized towns. Finally, it examines the causes of populist tendencies and experiences of loss produced by processes of globalization and social division, as well as right-wing extremist developments in rural areas.

In 2019 it will be the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus. Prompted by this occasion, with "project bauhaus" ARCH+ has undertaken a critical appraisal of the Bauhaus ideas: working for several years, an international group of experts from a wide range of disciplines has investigated the socio-political relevance and emancipatory potential of the Bauhaus – historically, for today, and for the future. How can design still become effective as a political project? What are the possibilities and problems encountered by universal design in the age of globalization? Can the emancipatory potential of technology still be activated in a digitalized world? The answers to these questions are published here for the first time for an international readership.

Editorship Elisabeth Blum, Jesko Fezer, Günther Fischer, Angelika Schnell Not unjustly referred to as legendary, this series of books on the history and theory of architecture and urban development was founded in 1963 by Ulrich Conrads, who was joined by Peter Neitzke as a co-editor of the series in the early 1980s. Now numbering over 150 titles, it is the most comprehensive German-language book series covering these fields. Following the deaths of the two longtime editors Ulrich Conrads (2013) and Peter Neitzke (2015), a new editorial committee was formed to continue their work: Elisabeth Blum, Jesko Fezer, Günther Fischer and Angelika Schnell. As the future editors of this series, it is our aim to maintain the course set by our forerunners. The series has fulfilled its original aim of taking stock of the constructional and urban planning ideas and realizations formulated and achieved over the twentieth century in exemplary fashion. The Bauwelt Fundament series actually represents a history of ideas in the fields of planning and building that extends from the beginning of the twentieth century into the present. The second objective of the series, one that is anchored in its very name, will also continue to guide the development of the series, namely the publication of foundational thought – authoritative and fundamental – rather than passing opinion, of theses and polemics relating to the burning architectural and urban planning themes of the time. Penetrating complex interrelationships and probing them with systematic analysis provides the prerequisite for fruitful discourse and ongoing debate. As a forum for such discourses and contributions, the Bauwelt Fundamente series is maintaining its focus on the areas of architecture and urbanism, supplementing it with the always necessary historical　investigation of important questions and texts and its extension into other cultural and social fields. A strong international orientation and the desire for more female authors are self-evident in such a context. The original graphic design approach taken by Helmut Lortz to the series is being maintained. As is fitting for a working library, Bauwelt Fundamente titles remain simply designed, using black and white for the logo, the images on the front and back, and the eleven-line summary of the volume’s contents. This is indicative of the broad orientation of Bauwelt Fundamente to all those interested in the cultural and social development that provides the context for the creation of cities, houses and other objects, which in turn create contexts for the world. "Architects, it is said – or hoped – have always been interested in the world beyond the boundaries of their profession." (1) (1) Peter Neitzke, manuscript of his address Nicht mit dem Rücken zur Gesellschaft (Not with one’s back to society) given to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Bauwelt Fundamente in Berlin, 2013.

The artist Zoltan Kemeny's space sculpture of 1963 in the glass foyer of the Stadtische Buhnen (Municipal Stages) in Frankfurt am Main shapes the face of the building. The over 100-meter-long artwork, which is visible from afar, sets a contrast to the architecture of the building with ist organic dynamics and accentuated handcrafted quality. Based on new research, the book presents the artist, artwork, and genesis and reception of the work, which is beloved by the residents of Frankfurt, in texts and images. New student designs show various options for how the presentation of the recently landmarked work can go hand in hand with a conceptual revision of the Stadtische Buhnen.