Wassili Luckhardt
Encyclopedia
Wassili Luckhardt was a German
architect
. He studied at the Technical University of Berlin
(Technische Universität Berlin) and Dresden
. Luckhardt and his brother Hans
worked closely together for most of their lives. Both were members of the November Group (Novembergruppe), the Arbeitsrat für Kunst
, the Glass Chain
and, from 1926, the progressive architecture group Der Ring
. The brothers shared an office with the architect Alfons Anker (b. 1872, d. 1952).
In the 1920s the brothers belonged to the 20th centuries rising architects. Originally Expressionist
they then turned to modernism
. Their buildings are typical examples with skeletons of steel or reinforced concrete. During National Socialism
the Luckhardt brothers tried initially to reconcile their architecture with the new ruling powers and joined even the Nazi Party. It quickly became apparent however that the new regime required a different architectural language. They were professionally disqualified and could only build three single family houses in this time, the exterior of which was made to blend in with the preferred style of the regime.
After World War II
they tried to return to their pre-war work. After the death of his brother Hans, Wassili ran the office alone. The 1959 competition for the Haus der Bremischen Bürgerschaft (city assembly in Bremen
) was only realized after long discussions and repeated revision. In 1960 he was one of three architects shortlisted in a competition for the transformation of the Berlin Reichstagsgebäudes.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
. He studied at the Technical University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
(Technische Universität Berlin) and Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. Luckhardt and his brother Hans
Hans Luckhardt
Hans Luckhardt – October 8, 1954 in Bad Wiessee) was a German architect and the brother of Wassili Luckhardt, with whom he worked his entire life. He studied at the University of Karlsruhe with Hermann Billing and was a member of the Novembergruppe, the Arbeitsrats für Kunst, and the Glass Chain...
worked closely together for most of their lives. Both were members of the November Group (Novembergruppe), the Arbeitsrat für Kunst
Arbeitsrat für Kunst
The Arbeitsrat für Kunst was a union of architects, painters, sculptors and art writers, who were based in Berlin from 1918 to 1921...
, the Glass Chain
Glass Chain
The Glass Chain or Crystal Chain sometimes known as the "Utopian Correspondence" was a chain letter that took place between November 1919 and December 1920. It was a correspondence of architects that formed a basis of expressionist architecture in Germany. It was initiated by Bruno Taut.-Names,...
and, from 1926, the progressive architecture group Der Ring
Der Ring
Der Ring was an architectural collective founded in 1926 in Berlin. It emerged out of expressionist architecture with a functionalist agenda. Der Ring was a group of young architects, formed with the objective of promoting Modernist architecture. It took a position against the prevailing...
. The brothers shared an office with the architect Alfons Anker (b. 1872, d. 1952).
Biography
- 1907 to 1914 Studied at the Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin-CharlottenburgCharlottenburgCharlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
and Dresden, interrupted by World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. - 1921 to 1954 establishes architecture practice with his brother Hans
- 1924 to 1934 shares office Alfons Anker
- 1955 Member of the Akademie der KünsteAkademie der KünsteThe Akademie der Künste, Berlin is an arts institution in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1696 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg as the Prussian Academy of Arts, an academic institution where members could meet and discuss and share ideas...
, Berlin, until 1959 as a deputy director of the department of architecture - 1958 Awarded Art prize of the city of Berlin
- 1962 Honorary doctorate of the Technische Universität Berlin
In the 1920s the brothers belonged to the 20th centuries rising architects. Originally Expressionist
Expressionist architecture
Expressionist architecture was an architectural movement that developed in Europe during the first decades of the 20th century in parallel with the expressionist visual and performing arts....
they then turned to modernism
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
. Their buildings are typical examples with skeletons of steel or reinforced concrete. During National Socialism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
the Luckhardt brothers tried initially to reconcile their architecture with the new ruling powers and joined even the Nazi Party. It quickly became apparent however that the new regime required a different architectural language. They were professionally disqualified and could only build three single family houses in this time, the exterior of which was made to blend in with the preferred style of the regime.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
they tried to return to their pre-war work. After the death of his brother Hans, Wassili ran the office alone. The 1959 competition for the Haus der Bremischen Bürgerschaft (city assembly in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
) was only realized after long discussions and repeated revision. In 1960 he was one of three architects shortlisted in a competition for the transformation of the Berlin Reichstagsgebäudes.
Buildings (Selection)
- Terraced housing at Schorlemerallee (experimental settlement), Berlin-ZehlendorfZehlendorf (Berlin)Zehlendorf is a locality within the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf in Berlin. Before Berlin's 2001 administrative reform Zehlendorf was a borough in its own right, consisting of the locality of Zehlendorf as well as Wannsee, Nikolassee and Dahlem...
(1925–30, alterations) - Offices at TauentzienstraßeTauentzienstraßeTauentzienstraße is a major shopping street in the western part of Berlin, Germany. It is approximately 500 metres long and lies between two important squares, Wittenbergplatz and Breitscheidplatz...
, Stadtküche Kraft, Berlin (1925, destroyed in the war) - Chrysler-Haus, Berlin (1927, 1961 demolished)
- Office at Hirsch, Berlin (1926–27)
- House Buchthal, Berlin-Charlottenburg (1928, later converted and extended)
- Telschow-House, Berlin-TiergartenTiergartenTiergarten is a locality within the borough of Mitte, in central Berlin . Notable for the great and homonymous urban park, before German reunification, it was a part of West Berlin...
(1928–29, destroyed in the war) - Country house, Kluge, Berlin-Charlottenburg (1929)
- Houses „Am Rupenhorn”, Berlin (1919–32)
- Country house, Bibersteig, Berlin (1939)
- Berlin Pavilion at the Constructa 1951, HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
(1951, destroyed) - High-rise residential building, Kottbusser Tor, Berlin, (1952–55)
- Housing for InterbauInterbauInterbau was a housing development, constructed as part of the 1957 International Building Exhibition in the Hansaviertel area of West Berlin....
(Object 9), Klopstockstraße, Berlin-Tiergarten (1957) - Own house, Berlin-Zehlendorf (1957)
- National office for BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, München-Maxvorstadt, (1953–57,1989 demolished) - Haus der Bremer Bürgerschaft (city assembly), BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
(1959–66) - Veterinary Institute of Free University of BerlinFree University of BerlinFreie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
, Koserstraße (1963–67) - Pflanzenphysiologisches Institute of the Free University of Berlin (1962–70)
Projects (Selection)
- Competition for the German Hygiene MuseumGerman Hygiene MuseumThe German Hygiene Museum is a museum in Dresden, Germany. It conceives itself today as a "forum for science, culture and society". It is a popular venue for events and exhibitions, and is among the most visited museums in Dresden, with around 300,000 visitors per year.-History:The museum was...
, Dresden (1920) - Competition high-rise building at the railway station FriedrichstraßeBerlin Friedrichstraße railway stationBerlin Friedrichstraße is a railway station in the German capital Berlin. It is located on the Friedrichstraße, a major north-south street in the Mitte district of Berlin, adjacent to the point where the street crosses the Spree river...
, Berlin (1922) - Competition for the redesign of the AlexanderplatzAlexanderplatzAlexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
, Berlin (1929) - Tower-house for the Potsdamer PlatzPotsdamer PlatzPotsdamer Platz is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag , and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park...
, Berlin (1930) - Medical University PreßburgBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
(1933) - Competition „Rund um den Zoo”, Berlin (1948)
- Competition for the transformation of the Reichstag building, Berlin (1960)
External links
- Translated from German wikipedia article - :de:Wassili Luckhardt