Fagus Factory / Walter Gropius + Adolf Meyer | Classics On Architecture Lab

Architects: Adolf Meyer, Walter Gropius
Year: 1925
Photographs: Walter Gropius, Adolf Meyer, Edmund Lill, Martin, Heidas, Carsten Janssen, Clemensfranz, Traveler100, worldheritage.si.edu, www.fagus-werk.com, www.grandtourofmodernism.com
City: Alfeld
Country: Germany

The Fagus Factory, Walter Gropius‘s first major project, is an early milestone in modern architecture, characterized by its rectilinear form and predominantly glazed façade. Before this, Gropius worked under Peter Behrens but diverged by advocating for designs that revealed construction logic. His 1911 Folkwang Museum lecture emphasized adapting industrial buildings to societal needs, and improving worker satisfaction through light, ventilation, and hygiene—principles central to the Fagus Factory. Commissioned in Alfeld, Germany, by Carl Benscheidt, Gropius and Adolf Meyer redesigned the factory’s exteriors and interiors while retaining existing floor plans. The office building stands out with its bold use of internal concrete columns, extensive glazing, and fully transparent corners. Completed in 1911 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, the Fagus Factory shaped Modernist principles such as geometric forms and visual lightness. It launched Gropius’s career, culminating in the Bauhaus and solidifying his legacy as a Modernist pioneer.

The Fagus Factory, one of the earliest examples of modern architecture, marked Walter Gropius’s first architectural project. This commission allowed Gropius to implement his groundbreaking ideas, with the striking rectilinear structure and predominantly glazed façade setting a precedent for Modernism in the decades to follow.

Fagus Factory / Walter Gropius + Adolf Meyer | Classics on Architecture Lab

Before designing the Fagus Factory, Walter Gropius worked under Peter Behrens, the architect of the AEG turbine building. While both architects shared an interest in industrial architecture, their design philosophies diverged. Behrens sought to imbue industrial buildings with a sense of nobility, as seen in the AEG project, but Gropius criticized this approach, believing it lacked authenticity by concealing the building’s structural elements. Gropius advocated for exterior designs that revealed a building’s construction logic, establishing his commitment to finding artistic solutions for industrial architecture across various contexts.

Walter Gropius articulated his design principles during an April 1911 lecture at the Folkwang Museum titled “Monumental Art and Industrial Construction.” In this lecture, he argued that train stations, department stores, and factories should no longer adhere to outdated design conventions but instead evolve to reflect shifting societal and cultural needs. He highlighted the social dimension of architectural design, asserting that enhancing workers’ conditions through access to natural light, fresh air, and improved hygiene would lead to greater job satisfaction and, in turn, increased productivity. These foundational ideas shaped his approach to designing the Fagus Factory.

Following his lecture, Walter Gropius met Carl Benscheidt, owner of the Fagus Factory in Alfeld, Germany. The factory, which specialized in producing wooden “lasts” for boot manufacturing, was undergoing a major expansion led by industrial architect Eduard Werner. Gropius argued that Werner’s designs lacked the innovative and progressive image that Benscheidt sought for his factory. Persuading Benscheidt of the merits of his vision and the value of treating the factory as an artistic endeavor, Gropius was commissioned in May 1911 to contribute to the project. Since Werner’s floor plans were already in place, Gropius, along with his collaborator Adolf Meyer, concentrated on refining the building’s exterior and interior designs.

The Fagus Factory consists of multiple buildings serving functions such as manufacturing, storage, and offices. Walter Gropius aimed to establish a cohesive exterior design aesthetic that could unify these structures. Brick was a recurring element, particularly a 40-centimeter-high dark brick base projecting 4 centimeters from the facade. Among Gropius’ contributions, the office building stands out as the most architecturally significant. This flat-roofed, three-story structure departs from traditional designs by incorporating a facade dominated by glass rather than brick. Gropius made an innovative decision to position reinforced concrete columns inside the building, freeing the facade from its conventional load-bearing role. The facade features brick piers suspending iron frames that hold glass panels, while metal panels within the iron frames conceal the floor slabs. The design’s most groundbreaking element is the fully glazed corners, entirely free of structural supports. This office building exemplifies Gropius’ commitment to enhancing interior conditions and showcasing contemporary construction techniques as a central architectural expression.

The Fagus Factory was architecturally completed in 1911, with its interiors finalized in 1925. Recognized for its pioneering impact on modern architecture, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. The factory’s design features, including its clean geometric forms, extensive glazing, and impression of weightlessness, became defining elements of Modernism and continue to influence contemporary architectural practices.

After completing the Fagus Factory, Walter Gropius advanced his career by designing innovative industrial buildings and founding the Bauhaus in 1919. Among his works, the Bauhaus Building, designed by Gropius himself, stands as his most renowned architectural achievement. Through his extensive contributions to the Modern Movement, Gropius is recognized as one of the most significant pioneers of Modernism.