the industrial garden realm -
projects 1989 - 1999
 
Seventy years ago, the Bauhaus in Dessau blazed a trail for designing the human environment in the industrial age.

The Bauhaus of the twenties responded to the challenges presented by industrialization with creative innovations for design and architecture, and a theory that aimed to establish a synthesis between »art and technology«. Now, at the end of the century, the hopes held in the notion of industrial progress have shattered - entire regions are confronted with radical upheavals. At the same time, the people affected face the emergence of new developments that entail a dramatic change in cultural values and a new conception of work.
The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation has taken up this historical challenge of global dimensions. With its »Industrial Garden Realm«  project  it is  performing

practical and exemplary work - in cooperation with many partners - in the industrially depleted region of Dessau-Bitterfeld- Wittenberg on developing generally acceptable perspectives and design projects for a future city-landscape.
The aim here is to create a landscape that is not viewed as an inexhaustible resource for industrial exploitation, serving the questionable prosperity of an ever smaller number of people.

 
The Industrial Garden Realm is a long-term experiment that attempts to provide answers to the question of a new paradigm for designing a human environment. The project is based on the traditions of the Enlightenment and industrial modernism which have received international acclaim with the Dessau Wörlitz Garden Realm of the 18th century and the industrial culture of the 20th century around Dessau and Bitterfeld. The approach adopted for designing the environment is derived from both a critical appraisal of this history and the confrontation with current upheavals in the region. This approach involves protecting resources consistently, creating new work opportunities and opening up a wealth of cultural perspectives for the lives of future generations.
The Industrial Garden Realm has provided the basis for recognition as a region of correspondence for EXPO 2000 in Hanover.