Die Projektdokumentatition

Project-based courses at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar connect theory and practice. Students identify a concrete problem and then create real-world solutions, which is how the exhibit The Architect Henry van de Velde came into being in the 2011/2012 winter semester. Students created their first virtual models of Van de Velde’s structures in intensive Cinema 4D courses. More 3-D models were created in the 2012 summer semester , such as Haus Bloemenwerf, Van de Velde’s home outside Brussels.

While working with Cinema 4D, the students worked with various materials. Original floor plans and photographs, for example, served as the basis for the work on the virtual models in the programme. In order to familiarise themselves with the materiality of the buildings, some of the students travelled to see certain structures on location, including a trip to Brussels in order to see Haus Wolfers. Some of the projects from previous semesters will be on display in the exhibit starting in March.

The current student group began their preparation for the exhibit in the 2012/2013 winter semester with a trip to Wrocław, Poland, to an unexpected Van de Velde site. They also travelled to Trzebiechów and visited a former sanatorium and present-day nursing home whose interior was designed by Van de Velde. The interior is a treasure of German-Polish-Belgian cultural history that was only rediscovered a few years ago. The students learned more about the »multi-talented artist« by engaging first-hand with original wall ornaments, door handles, doors and door frames, stairways, floor tiles and combinations of strong and muted colours. The interior design, which is continuously being restored, exudes Van de Velde’s aura. You can see the documentation of the student group’s design steps here.