Bauhaus Skills That Every Architect Should Learn.

Finding time to improve your architecture skills and what skills to improve on can be difficult to juggle between a hectic full-time job and life afterward. I am one of such people. Nonetheless, I too want to improve my architecture and was interested in how to do it.

After much research, I found it in one of my architecture school-required readings that collected dust in my book. The architecture book was Ulrich Conrads, Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-century architecture. If you are not familiar with is particular text, the significance of this book is mostly the time frame in which the manifestos in this book were written. The manifestoes from the figures help structure the philosophy of Bauhaus today.

One of the manifests in this book was by Walter Gropius, Programme of the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany which is known as an intellectual center. Gropius took over Weimar from Henry van de Velde in April of 1914. Making the founding of Staatliches Bauhaus. Within that same month, Gropius published the founding manifesto and a detailed program in the shape of a four-page leaflet.

Let's continue to the actual contents of this particular passage. I was pleasantly surprised by this manifesto because it was exactly what I needed. Now I will leave you to search for the manifesto yourself if you are curious about the additional information it might have. What was the most beneficial, are the architecture exercises that are in this particular manifesto.

Gropius highlights various important skills beautifully in this manifesto. Practices that I will personally add to my daily routine to learn and improve my architecture.

Here is what he describes.

Practical and Scientific Areas of Creative Work

1. Craft Training

2. Drawing and Painting

3. Science & Theory

Craft Training

Anything that has to do with your hands, this training must be some sort of building of something. In my opinion, teaches you the intense realization of the amount of effort, time, and skill that good design entails. Some items included by Gropius is.

• Sculpting

• Woodworking

• Metal working

Drawing and Painting

The majority of architects will tell you the importance of sketching.

I always had this nagging question in the back of my head, do I just practice drawing architecture or do drawing other things? Does drawing other things help improve my architecture skills? According to Gropius, yes it does.

So what to practice drawing.

• Freehand sketching from imagination and memory

• Drawing objects (dead or alive)

• Drawing landscapes

• Compositions

• Panel paintings

• Ornament design

• Lettering

• Construction and project drawings

• Design drawings of exteriors and exteriors

• Furniture and Partical articles design

I feel like is everything under the sun. It seems the sketching is more diverse and practical than one would originally think

Science and Theory

Continuously seeking knowledge in architecture and other fields is extremely important, everyone knows this but when life gets in the way it can be difficult to do and the majority of us don't even know where to start.

Starting with these topics, constructed by Gropus has given me a lot more clarity on what texts to read to improve my architecture.

• Art history

• Material Methods

• Anatomy of living creatures

• Theory of color

• Rational Painting methods

• Bookkeeping

• Individual lectures of your interest

In summary, Gropius provides a plethora of points to practice to slowly move your architecture skills to a new level of development. I hope this text finds you well and provides you with just a little push and clarity to improve your architecture.