In this commission Gropius used a design system that he called ‘Baukasten im Grossen’, or giant building blocks, essentially a three-dimensional compositional assembly of interpenetrating volumes, developed later with the Masters’ Houses at Dessau for himself and other staff. The service functions of the house are denoted by a taller volume to the north that interlocks with the two-storey volume of the main accommodation, with an asymmetrical shift between them. The proportional relationships of elevations and spaces followed mathematical harmonic systems.
As conditions in Germany were exceptionally difficult at the time, alternative construction methods were needed. The Auerbach House was built using the ‘Jurko’ block system with breeze blocks with inner and outer walls separated by a layer of ‘torfuleum’ (a kind of linoleum), and concrete floors.
More info: https://c20society.org.uk/building-of-the-month/auerbach-house-jena-germany
Photo source (with more photos of the house)
