Bauhaus past, present, future: Context of the civic – the City as context.
How can the idealist heritage of the original Bauhaus help meet the challenges of contemporary civic life?
An International Symposium for critical reflection on the founding of the original Bauhaus in Weimar, 90 years ago.
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, 5th – 7th November 2009

2009 commemorates the 90th anniversary of the creation of the original Bauhaus in Weimar. In this context, over the coming year, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will discuss the history, current state and future of the Bauhaus’s original core ideas in collaboration with many partners. The planned conference, an international symposium, should create a space for reflection on the state of contemporary architecture and city planning in the face of current challenges. Proceedings will also be dedicated to the question of whether the Bauhaus can now deliver leading edge transnational ideas for urban living.
The symposium program critically reflects on the central aspects in the history of the Bauhaus and its potential for revival and renewal. These aspects are: Bauhaus and the City; The Bauhaus as an urban Utopia; Structure/Design à la Bauhaus for city living; City/Architecture as project and craft; Urban development and the personification of architecture; The City as transdisciplinary research; The Unity of method and design; From International Style to globalised city. The symposium will be supported and framed by international experts from the fields of architecture, city planning and city research. Room for debate will be made possible on eight central themes through the Call for Papers, which will attract participants from all disciplines for four parallel Workshops.