The i-rise sets a global example through fighting the wasteful land exploitation by using minimal land footprint that respects the natural and historical layers of the site. By doing so we can understand better Gropius' director house legacy and evolution that spreads out from the borders of Dessau and Germany to the rest of the world that is suffering from overpopulated areas. During the 20th century we enjoyed the prosperity of mass production and mass consumption but at the same time without paying much attention we pressed forward ecological destruction and social indifference. For most of the modernists form followed function but somewhere along the way we forgot that function should also follow social needs. Therefore especially at a time when land reserves are diminishing and social gaps are expanding, modernism should be re-examined while taking into account the new social and environmental needs. Seeing the Beautiful Master's houses in a contemporary context cannot elude the uncomfortable feeling that these "Aesthetic Objects" had failed the common people by becoming out of reach especially as they were produced at the same time as was the Dessau-Torten Neighborhood that was for the common people and tried to incorporate social elements. The i-rise in Dessau is a reassessed contemporary form of Gropius' Dessau-Torten .Following the Bauhaus legacy and spirit, the i-rise is a social, affordable and flexible house attempting to react in real time to the future necessities and to the contemporary essentials.
Team:
Cory, Malka
Award:
Finalist in the 4th international Bauhaus Award "Updating Modernism", 2006