Overview

The pedagogical experiments of the Bauhaus, imported by Gropius, Mies, Hilberseimer and others to the US system, challenged traditional Beaux-Arts thinking and played a crucial role in shaping modern architectural education. Historically, the German architectural training has been different from the Franco-Italian model. New interdisciplinary and technology-focused modes of teaching architecture and design had a long-lasting impact, however, are now again transformed by German-trained educators currently active in reshaping curricula. The conversations reveal the critical and independent thinking of this group of educators, and how they make a meaningful contribution to the discourse of architectural education appropriate to the 21st century. The book provides insight into the ways in which these German-born educators influence architectural and design education in the United States to this day.

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9781951541484

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Trans-Atlantic Engagements' is a fascinating book and a valuable body of work. I am sure that it will become a standard reference whenever considering the history and future trajectory of architecture education in the US, or the time and impact of the Bauhaus philosophies outside of Germany. I found it immensely entertaining and captivating, which cannot be said often when it comes to subject books. The book is well written and it is a joy to read, casting a broad and expansive big picture while still uncovering thought-provoking details. -- Mark Mueckenheim, Graduate Director of the School of Architecture, Academy of Art University and Principal, MCKNHM Architekten, San Francisco Bold in scope and packed with detail, the writing presents compelling pedagogical engagements as well as an impressive array of profiles and interviews with constant architectural commitment. It forces us to rethink the Bauhaus legacy, including the likes of Lilly Reich and Ernst Neufert who both stayed in the United States briefly, and alters the way we observe architecture not only through exhibitions but also how we manage data. Its educational strategies endeavors to reshape architectural education for future generations in the United States. Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a long overdue survey that steers one in new directions, by rekindling and renewing architectural exchanges across the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. -- Annette Condello, Ph.D., Author of The Architecture of Luxury, Curtin University, Perth, Australia Steffen Lehmann's Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a critical study and timely pedagogical research of German architects' definitive contribution to educating generations of American architects. Broadly focused on world-renowned figures who came to the US following their escape from the Third Reich, as well as on less acclaimed subsequent and contemporary educators, this inquiry puts in perspective a vital collection of case studies. Himself born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, having devoted years to academia all over the world, and now being a leading educator in the US, Lehmann's important book presents the in-depth personal quest. Tracing both contrasts and commonalities the author brings to light various teaching models based on increasingly relevant cultural, regional and national identities. -- Vladimir Belogolovsky, Curator and Author of Conversations with Architects, New York City The contribution and impact of German educators in the United States can be directly connected to teachers and students of the Bauhaus, a topic that this book unfolds. What is also relevant and of current interest is the legacy of the Bauhaus-related ideas, which is a self-standing research topic that this book uncovers. Following the recent Bauhaus centennial, this book arrives as a mature and well-cooked treatment of some critical episodes of architectural education, and sheds light on the trans-Atlantic exchange of ideas that had a strong impact on the discipline. The book fills a gap in the history of US architectural education. -- Andres Lepik, Ph.D., Chair in Architectural History and Curatorial Practice; Director of the Architecture Museum, Technical University of Munich, Germany There is a need for more analytical histories of architectural pedagogy to advance the understanding of how to educate the next generation of architects, and the ACSA strongly endorses this book. It investigates the influence of German educators on US architecture schools and on architectural pedagogy over the last eighty years, featuring profiles and interviews with current professors; it explores how two pivotal German architects and educators--Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe--influenced contemporary educational strategies and shaped their relevance. The book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of architectural education in the US and its historical cross-fertilization with innovative German educational concepts at large. -- Michael J. Monti, Ph.D., Executive Director, ACSA, Washington, D.C. This engaging study of the contributions of German architects, past and present, to architectural education in the United States is relevant to any design related field, not only to architecture. Given the focus of the book on the influence of cultural, regional and national perspectives on teaching philosophies and pedagogical models, it is of interest to any educator committed to the notion that new times require new thinking--and there could not be a more relevant time for Steffen Lehmann's book than ours. -- Sabine O'Hara, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and PhD Program Director Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. Trans-Atlantic Engagements offers a long-awaited critical analysis of the pedagogical influences of German educators within schools of architecture across the United States. As an American architectural practitioner from German descent, I personally find this forward-thinking appraisal both relevant to our time and fascinating in its connection of history with the contemporary. The legacy of the century old Bauhaus and notable proteges, Gropius and Mies van der Rohe are amply understood. Steffen Lehmann eloquently cross-examines the pedagogy of his German/Austrian/Swiss contemporaries and interprets their reach and influence on American architecture today. -- Dwayne R. Eshenbaugh, AIA, 2020 President of the AIA Nevada Chapter; Principal, NOVUS Architecture, Las Vegas, Nevada Critical aspects of the original Bauhaus curriculum -aimed to balance interdisciplinary learning with a process-driven focus on method, material craft, and industrial production in response to cities, and a society, in crisis- can be easily identified in contemporary approaches to pedagogy in US architecture schools. Yet, these trajectories have seemingly developed into independent strands within architecture education today rather than working in concert. Steffen Lehmann's exploration of the legacy of Bauhaus pedagogies offers a timely reflection on parallels and differences at a time when a new crisis in the form of a global pandemic poses uniquely spatial problems and forces educators to question both how, and what we teach in schools of architecture. -- Antje Steinmuller, Chair in Architecture, California College of the Arts, San Francisco

'Trans-Atlantic Engagements' is a fascinating book and a valuable body of work. I am sure that it will become a standard reference whenever considering the history and future trajectory of architecture education in the US, or the time and impact of the Bauhaus philosophies outside of Germany. I found it immensely entertaining and captivating, which cannot be said often when it comes to subject books. The book is well written and it is a joy to read, casting a broad and expansive big picture while still uncovering thought-provoking details. -- Mark Mueckenheim, Graduate Director of the School of Architecture, Academy of Art University and Principal, MCKNHM Architekten, San Francisco Bold in scope and packed with detail, the writing presents compelling pedagogical engagements as well as an impressive array of profiles and interviews with constant architectural commitment. It forces us to rethink the Bauhaus legacy, including the likes of Lilly Reich and Ernst Neufert who both stayed in the United States briefly, and alters the way we observe architecture not only through exhibitions but also how we manage data. Its educational strategies endeavors to reshape architectural education for future generations in the United States. Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a long overdue survey that steers one in new directions, by rekindling and renewing architectural exchanges across the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. -- Annette Condello, Ph.D., Author of The Architecture of Luxury, Curtin University, Perth, Australia Critical aspects of the original Bauhaus curriculum -aimed to balance interdisciplinary learning with a process-driven focus on method, material craft, and industrial production in response to cities, and a society, in crisis- can be easily identified in contemporary approaches to pedagogy in US architecture schools. Yet, these trajectories have seemingly developed into independent strands within architecture education today rather than working in concert. Steffen Lehmann's exploration of the legacy of Bauhaus pedagogies offers a timely reflection on parallels and differences at a time when a new crisis in the form of a global pandemic poses uniquely spatial problems and forces educators to question both how, and what we teach in schools of architecture. -- Antje Steinmuller, Chair in Architecture, California College of the Arts, San Francisco Steffen Lehmann's Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a critical study and timely pedagogical research of German architects' definitive contribution to educating generations of American architects. Broadly focused on world-renowned figures who came to the US following their escape from the Third Reich, as well as on less acclaimed subsequent and contemporary educators, this inquiry puts in perspective a vital collection of case studies. Himself born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, having devoted years to academia all over the world, and now being a leading educator in the US, Lehmann's important book presents the in-depth personal quest. Tracing both contrasts and commonalities the author brings to light various teaching models based on increasingly relevant cultural, regional and national identities. -- Vladimir Belogolovsky, Curator and Author of Conversations with Architects, New York City The contribution and impact of German educators in the United States can be directly connected to teachers and students of the Bauhaus, a topic that this book unfolds. What is also relevant and of current interest is the legacy of the Bauhaus-related ideas, which is a self-standing research topic that this book uncovers. Following the recent Bauhaus centennial, this book arrives as a mature and well-cooked treatment of some critical episodes of architectural education, and sheds light on the trans-Atlantic exchange of ideas that had a strong impact on the discipline. The book fills a gap in the history of US architectural education. -- Andres Lepik, Ph.D., Chair in Architectural History and Curatorial Practice; Director of the Architecture Museum, Technical University of Munich, Germany There is a need for more analytical histories of architectural pedagogy to advance the understanding of how to educate the next generation of architects, and the ACSA strongly endorses this book. It investigates the influence of German educators on US architecture schools and on architectural pedagogy over the last eighty years, featuring profiles and interviews with current professors; it explores how two pivotal German architects and educators--Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe--influenced contemporary educational strategies and shaped their relevance. The book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of architectural education in the US and its historical cross-fertilization with innovative German educational concepts at large. -- Michael J. Monti, Ph.D., Executive Director, ACSA, Washington, D.C. This engaging study of the contributions of German architects, past and present, to architectural education in the United States is relevant to any design related field, not only to architecture. Given the focus of the book on the influence of cultural, regional and national perspectives on teaching philosophies and pedagogical models, it is of interest to any educator committed to the notion that new times require new thinking--and there could not be a more relevant time for Steffen Lehmann's book than ours. -- Sabine O'Hara, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and PhD Program Director Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. Trans-Atlantic Engagements offers a long-awaited critical analysis of the pedagogical influences of German educators within schools of architecture across the United States. As an American architectural practitioner from German descent, I personally find this forward-thinking appraisal both relevant to our time and fascinating in its connection of history with the contemporary. The legacy of the century old Bauhaus and notable proteges, Gropius and Mies van der Rohe are amply understood. Steffen Lehmann eloquently cross-examines the pedagogy of his German/Austrian/Swiss contemporaries and interprets their reach and influence on American architecture today. -- Dwayne R. Eshenbaugh, AIA, 2020 President of the AIA Nevada Chapter; Principal, NOVUS Architecture, Las Vegas, Nevada

"""'Trans-Atlantic Engagements' is a fascinating book and a valuable body of work. I am sure that it will become a standard reference whenever considering the history and future trajectory of architecture education in the US, or the time and impact of the Bauhaus philosophies outside of Germany. I found it immensely entertaining and captivating, which cannot be said often when it comes to subject books. The book is well written and it is a joy to read, casting a broad and expansive big picture while still uncovering thought-provoking details."" -- Mark Mueckenheim, Graduate Director of the School of Architecture, Academy of Art University and Principal, MCKNHM Architekten, San Francisco ""Bold in scope and packed with detail, the writing presents compelling pedagogical engagements as well as an impressive array of profiles and interviews with constant architectural commitment. It forces us to rethink the Bauhaus legacy, including the likes of Lilly Reich and Ernst Neufert who both stayed in the United States briefly, and alters the way we observe architecture not only through exhibitions but also how we manage data. Its educational strategies endeavors to reshape architectural education for future generations in the United States. ""Trans-Atlantic Engagements"" is a long overdue survey that steers one in new directions, by rekindling and renewing architectural exchanges across the Atlantic Ocean and beyond."" -- Annette Condello, Ph.D., Author of The Architecture of Luxury, Curtin University, Perth, Australia ""Steffen Lehmann's ""Trans-Atlantic Engagements"" is a critical study and timely pedagogical research of German architects' definitive contribution to educating generations of American architects. Broadly focused on world-renowned figures who came to the US following their escape from the Third Reich, as well as on less acclaimed subsequent and contemporary educators, this inquiry puts in perspective a vital collection of case studies. Himself born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, having devoted years to academia all over the world, and now being a leading educator in the US, Lehmann's important book presents the in-depth personal quest. Tracing both contrasts and commonalities the author brings to light various teaching models based on increasingly relevant cultural, regional and national identities."" -- Vladimir Belogolovsky, Curator and Author of Conversations with Architects, New York City ""The contribution and impact of German educators in the United States can be directly connected to teachers and students of the Bauhaus, a topic that this book unfolds. What is also relevant and of current interest is the legacy of the Bauhaus-related ideas, which is a self-standing research topic that this book uncovers. Following the recent Bauhaus centennial, this book arrives as a mature and well-cooked treatment of some critical episodes of architectural education, and sheds light on the trans-Atlantic exchange of ideas that had a strong impact on the discipline. The book fills a gap in the history of US architectural education."" -- Andres Lepik, Ph.D., Chair in Architectural History and Curatorial Practice; Director of the Architecture Museum, Technical University of Munich, Germany ""There is a need for more analytical histories of architectural pedagogy to advance the understanding of how to educate the next generation of architects, and the ACSA strongly endorses this book. It investigates the influence of German educators on US architecture schools and on architectural pedagogy over the last eighty years, featuring profiles and interviews with current professors; it explores how two pivotal German architects and educators--Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe--influenced contemporary educational strategies and shaped their relevance. The book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of architectural education in the US and its historical cross-fertilization with innovative German educational concepts at large."" -- Michael J. Monti, Ph.D., Executive Director, ACSA, Washington, D.C. ""This engaging study of the contributions of German architects, past and present, to architectural education in the United States is relevant to any design related field, not only to architecture. Given the focus of the book on the influence of cultural, regional and national perspectives on teaching philosophies and pedagogical models, it is of interest to any educator committed to the notion that new times require new thinking--and there could not be a more relevant time for Steffen Lehmann's book than ours."" -- Sabine O'Hara, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and PhD Program Director Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. Critical aspects of the original Bauhaus curriculum -aimed to balance interdisciplinary learning with a process-driven focus on method, material craft, and industrial production in response to cities, and a society, in crisis- can be easily identified in contemporary approaches to pedagogy in US architecture schools. Yet, these trajectories have seemingly developed into independent strands within architecture education today rather than working in concert. Steffen Lehmann's exploration of the legacy of Bauhaus pedagogies offers a timely reflection on parallels and differences at a time when a new crisis in the form of a global pandemic poses uniquely spatial problems and forces educators to question both how, and what we teach in schools of architecture."" -- Antje Steinmuller, Chair in Architecture, California College of the Arts, San Francisco ""Trans-Atlantic Engagements"" offers a long-awaited critical analysis of the pedagogical influences of German educators within schools of architecture across the United States. As an American architectural practitioner from German descent, I personally find this forward-thinking appraisal both relevant to our time and fascinating in its connection of history with the contemporary. The legacy of the century old Bauhaus and notable protégés, Gropius and Mies van der Rohe are amply understood. Steffen Lehmann eloquently cross-examines the pedagogy of his German/Austrian/Swiss contemporaries and interprets their reach and influence on American architecture today. -- Dwayne R. Eshenbaugh, AIA, 2020 President of the AIA Nevada Chapter; Principal, NOVUS Architecture, Las Vegas, Nevada"

Bold in scope and packed with detail, the writing presents compelling pedagogical engagements as well as an impressive array of profiles and interviews with constant architectural commitment. It forces us to rethink the Bauhaus legacy, including the likes of Lilly Reich and Ernst Neufert who both stayed in the United States briefly, and alters the way we observe architecture not only through exhibitions but also how we manage data. Its educational strategies endeavors to reshape architectural education for future generations in the United States. Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a long overdue survey that steers one in new directions, by rekindling and renewing architectural exchanges across the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. -- Annette Condello, Ph.D., Author of The Architecture of Luxury, Curtin University, Perth, Australia Steffen Lehmann's Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a critical study and timely pedagogical research of German architects' definitive contribution to educating generations of American architects. Broadly focused on world-renowned figures who came to the US following their escape from the Third Reich, as well as on less acclaimed subsequent and contemporary educators, this inquiry puts in perspective a vital collection of case studies. Himself born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, having devoted years to academia all over the world, and now being a leading educator in the US, Lehmann's important book presents the in-depth personal quest. Tracing both contrasts and commonalities the author brings to light various teaching models based on increasingly relevant cultural, regional and national identities. -- Vladimir Belogolovsky, Curator and Author of Conversations with Architects, New York City There is a need for more analytical histories of architectural pedagogy to advance the understanding of how to educate the next generation of architects, and the ACSA strongly endorses this book. It investigates the influence of German educators on US architecture schools and on architectural pedagogy over the last eighty years, featuring profiles and interviews with current professors; it explores how two pivotal German architects and educators--Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe--influenced contemporary educational strategies and shaped their relevance. The book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of architectural education in the US and its historical cross-fertilization with innovative German educational concepts at large. -- Michael J. Monti, Ph.D., Executive Director, ACSA, Washington, D.C. Critical aspects of the original Bauhaus curriculum -aimed to balance interdisciplinary learning with a process-driven focus on method, material craft, and industrial production in response to cities, and a society, in crisis- can be easily identified in contemporary approaches to pedagogy in US architecture schools. Yet, these trajectories have seemingly developed into independent strands within architecture education today rather than working in concert. Steffen Lehmann's exploration of the legacy of Bauhaus pedagogies offers a timely reflection on parallels and differences at a time when a new crisis in the form of a global pandemic poses uniquely spatial problems and forces educators to question both how, and what we teach in schools of architecture. -- Antje Steinmuller, Chair in Architecture, California College of the Arts, San Francisco The contribution and impact of German educators in the United States can be directly connected to teachers and students of the Bauhaus, a topic that this book unfolds. What is also relevant and of current interest is the legacy of the Bauhaus-related ideas, which is a self-standing research topic that this book uncovers. Following the recent Bauhaus centennial, this book arrives as a mature and well-cooked treatment of some critical episodes of architectural education, and sheds light on the trans-Atlantic exchange of ideas that had a strong impact on the discipline. The book fills a gap in the history of US architectural education. -- Andres Lepik, Ph.D., Chair in Architectural History and Curatorial Practice; Director of the Architecture Museum, Technical University of Munich, Germany Trans-Atlantic Engagements is a fascinating book and a valuable body of work. I am sure that it will become a standard reference whenever considering the history and future trajectory of architecture education in the US, or the time and impact of the Bauhaus philosophies outside of Germany. I found it immensely entertaining and captivating, which cannot be said often when it comes to subject books. The book is well written and it is a joy to read, casting a broad and expansive big picture while still uncovering thought-provoking details. -- Mark Mueckenheim, Graduate Director of the School of Architecture, Academy of Art University and Principal, MCKNHM Architekten, San Francisco This engaging study of the contributions of German architects, past and present, to architectural education in the United States is relevant to any design related field, not only to architecture. Given the focus of the book on the influence of cultural, regional and national perspectives on teaching philosophies and pedagogical models, it is of interest to any educator committed to the notion that new times require new thinking--and there could not be a more relevant time for Steffen Lehmann's book than ours. -- Sabine O'Hara, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and PhD Program Director Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Science, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. Trans-Atlantic Engagements offers a long-awaited critical analysis of the pedagogical influences of German educators within schools of architecture across the United States. As an American architectural practitioner from German descent, I personally find this forward-thinking appraisal both relevant to our time and fascinating in its connection of history with the contemporary. The legacy of the century old Bauhaus and notable proteges, Gropius and Mies van der Rohe are amply understood. Steffen Lehmann eloquently cross-examines the pedagogy of his German/Austrian/Swiss contemporaries and interprets their reach and influence on American architecture today. -- Dwayne R. Eshenbaugh, AIA, 2020 President of the AIA Nevada Chapter; Principal, NOVUS Architecture, Las Vegas, Nevada

Author Information

Dr. Steffen Lehmann is a full Professor of Architecture and immediate past Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He is Director of the Future Cities Leadership Institute. Dr. Alexander Eisenschmidt is an architectural theorist and Associate Professor of the School of Architecture, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Peter Bosselmann is a Professor of the Graduate School in Architecture, City and Regional Planning, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design at the College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley.

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