Brief portrait
The Van de Velde building in Weimar was handed over to the Bauhaus University Weimar on February 5 after two years of renovation. This means that not only has a unique architectural monument been regained, but also a significant part of the city of Weimar's UNESCO World Heritage Site has been restored. The former School of Arts and Crafts, which was renovated by the state, is one of the Belgian architect's most important buildings in Weimar. The university's Faculty of Design is now to be housed in the premises. The building has been repeatedly renovated since the 1950s. It was also partially infested with dry rot. The renovation work was intended to restore the “original quality” of the building, which was constructed between 1905 and 1906, in accordance with historical plans. Together with the main building of the Bauhaus University Weimar, the “Prellerhaus” studio building and the Brendel studio, the building was awarded World Heritage status in 1996. Walter Gropius founded the State Bauhaus Weimar in this ensemble of buildings in 1919. As part of the refurbishment, our office was commissioned with the planning and construction supervision of the technical building services, which posed a major challenge due to the “historical building fabric” and the realization of the architects' task with regard to “invisible technology”.
