The Deutscher Werkbund was a German organization from 1898-1927 that brought together artists, architects, designers, and industrialists to improve the competitiveness of German companies. It aimed to create high-quality, well-designed products through collaboration between manufacturers and designers. A key figure was Hermann Muthesius, who studied mass production in England and advocated for improving both craft and industrial design in Germany. The Werkbund held exhibitions to promote refined, standardized designs that could be produced at scale. Architect Peter Behrens played a major role by designing factories and offices for companies like AEG, integrating innovative ideas into functional designs.

1. Deutscher Werkbund

2. DEUTSCHER WERKBUND (German
Work Federation)
• It consisted of - Artists+ Architects + Designers+
Industrialist
• It was from 1898 – 1927
• Partnership of manufacture with designers to
improve competitiveness of German companies in
Global market of US & England
• Less of an art movement
• Hermann Muthesius – went to England for four years
to study wrote the book – “English House” which
focused on mass production in England.

3. • 1876 – Philadelphia centennial exhibition of 1876,
where the German products were considered inferior
to US & UK .It was cheap & nasty
• Germans wanted to improve design in both craft and
industry to create a high quality
• Artist people – machine production
• 1896 – Hermann sent to London
• 1904 – reform education in applied arts
• The English House – craftsmanship and economy as
basis of good design
• Peter Behrens – Architect during Werbund

4. Principles
• Split between Norma & Form
• Type & Individuality
• Deutsche Werkbund exhibition in cologne (1914)
• Hernab Muthesius – Need for refining typical
objects
• Progress in architecture & Industrail design by
development & refinement of Types
• Products of high standards
• Big firms with impeccable taste – mass
production.

5. Peter BEHRENS
(1868 - 1940)

6. Peter Behrens
• Self made Architect,Painter, Illustrator
• 1899 – Duke Ernst Ludwig – DARMSTADT ART COLONY
• Behren’s House (1901)
– Brick & Stucco façade & wood Interior
– Secession Style
• Major Builder of factory & offices
• 1903- Director of KUMSTGEWERBERSCHULE,
Dusseldorf
• 1907 – Major Architect in German Werkbund
• Architect and designer for AEG

7. Peter Behrens
• Architectural Ideology : “Will To Form”
• Tarsnformed from a vision to revitalize
German culture through ART to accept the
nature of Industrialization as future of
Germany – Industry is a vital rhythm of
modern life
• Duty of artist to give form.

8. Earlier works in Darmstadt Artists’
Colony along with Joseph Maria
Olbrich – Works were more Artistic
and considered in the lines of TOTAL
WORK OF ART

9. BEHRENS HOUSE
Darmstadt, Germany
(1901)

15. Later works as a Werkbund –
Industrial Designer– Works were
more integration of innovative
ideas in a more functional designs

16. AEG TURBINE FACTORY,
Berlin, Germany
(1909)

17. AEG Turbine Factory, berlin (1909)
• Faceted gable – statuesque of a farmyard
• Street façade – Light steel frame – corner made
of solid elements
• Behrens design for factory in general follows this
style of light steel frames with massive corners.
• Monumental Art – art as a expression of the
dominated power group in any given Epoch
• WILL TO FORM - Force destined to oppose the
specified technical propensities of an EPOCH