Fagus-Werk Factory, Alfeld
Walter Gropius und Adolf Meyer, 1911
With the commission to design the façade of Carl Benscheidt’s factory building, the Fagus-Werk, Walter Gropius was able to establish himself as an independent architect. Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer, both of whom were once employed in Peter Behrens’s office, turned the shoe last factory in Alfeld an der Leine into an early masterpiece of modern architectural history. The two architects continued to supervise the expansion of the Fagus-Werk until 1925. Its fascination owes a great deal to the light and airy quality of the main building. This was primarily achieved by foregoing supporting corner pillars, achieved by relying on an elaborate support structure and by windows that extend from floor to ceiling.
Jaeggi, Annemarie (1998): Fagus. Industriekultur zwischen Werkbund und Bauhaus, Berlin.