Bauhaus vs Constructivism

Bauhaus was influenced by Constructivism — absorbed constructivist geometry and the union of art and industry.

Bauhaus Building, Dessau — Bauhaus

Bauhaus

The German school that fused art, craft, and industry into a functional modernism — clean geometry, flat roofs, and 'form follows function' applied to the whole designed world.

  • Rejection of applied ornament; function expressed as form
  • Clean rectilinear geometry and flat roofs
  • Glass curtain walls and ribbon windows
  • Honest, industrial materials
  • Unity of art, craft, and mass production
Full Bauhaus guide →
Narkomfin Building, Moscow — Constructivism

Constructivism

The avant-garde architecture of the early Soviet Union — abstract, dynamic geometry and exposed structure put in the service of a new social order.

  • Abstract, dynamic geometry and asymmetry
  • Exposed structure and modern materials (concrete, steel, glass)
  • Cantilevers and bold horizontal/vertical contrasts
  • Architecture as a 'social condenser' for collective life
  • Industrial, machine-inspired forms
Full Constructivism guide →

At a glance

BauhausConstructivism
Era1919–19331915–1935
DisciplineArchitectureArchitecture
RegionGermanyRussia, Soviet Union
FamilyModernismModernism
Formal traitsgeometric, minimal, functional, unornamentedgeometric, dynamic, industrial, asymmetrical

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