The Weissenhofsiedlung became known through the exhibition "The Dwelling" of the Deutscher Werkbund, in the context of which the buildings were completed in 1927. In just four months, 33 houses were built on Killesberg, which formed the core of the exhibition. With the Weissenhofsiedlung, the architects wanted to provide modern answers to the question "How to live?"
The architecture of the houses and apartments was new and special, such as the flat roof, the long band of windows, the cubic forms or the no-frills minimalism. There were multi-functional living areas with sliding walls, sliding beds and terraces. The design was intended to promote healthy, flexible and permissive living. Some of the building was done with new methods and low-cost materials, such as lightweight concrete, corkboard, and drywall.
Corbusier houses are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site
Exhibition director Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had assembled 17 representatives of the modern movement from five countries, including Walter Gropius, Hans Scharoun and Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris - better known as "Le Corbusier". The latter attracted particular attention with his "living machine": Modeled after a train compartment, the living room transforms into several sleeping cabins in a few simple steps.
The estate has been a listed building since 1958. In 2016, the semi-detached house by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the Citröhan House. The Le Corbusier house has already been a museum since 2006. In one half of the house, visitors can trace the history of the entire settlement, while the other half shows the house as it was in 1927.
One hundred years after the International Building Exhibition (IBA) at the Weissenhofsiedlung, visions for the Stuttgart urban region are to be developed as part of the IBA 2027 IBA 2027.
Weissenhofsiedlung
