Opus 87: Egon Eiermann, Haus Eiermann, Baden- Baden

Eiermann built his own house in Baden-Baden in 1959-62, which was to become one of his main works of post-war creative output. The house is convincing in its sophisticated functionality and has an unmistakable character due to its façade, exterior walkway, white linkage, corrugated Eternit roof, and adoption of motifs from sailing-ship building. Since 2020, the house has new owners, and the Stuttgart architects no where (Henning Volpp and Karl Amann) have undertaken an extremely careful renovation. The photographs were primarily taken by Horstheinz Neuendorff, an architectural photographer who was on friendly terms with the architect. Gerhard Kabierske is an art historian specialising in architectural history and monument preservation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 60 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2021
Publisher: Edition Axel Menges

Even though he had made a name for himself in the 1930s with his Berlin single-family homes,Eiermann later on found it difficult to accept commissions for this building type when,during the period of the economic miracle ,he was approached by numerous people interested to get a design by him. Only the Hardenberg House in Baden-Baden satisfied him,but above all his own house,which he also built in Baden-Baden in 195962. This house in particular,built after his success with the German Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair and at the same time as the Berlin Gedächtniskirche and the German Embassy in Washington,was to become one of the main works of his post-war creative output. As a builder in his own right,he was able here to uncompromisingly realise his ideal image of living for himself and his family in architecture. Eiermann himself tried to explain the house,which only crystallised in a longer planning genesis,primarily from the functional side: main house and annexe,the latter for garage,studio and guest apartment,the elongated main house in bulkhead construction under a flat sloping roof. In fact,the house is convincing in its sophisticated functionality. But it does not stop there. The complex group of buildings on a steep hillside site with its stagelike terraces,the staged interplay of views from the inside to the outside and,at night,also from the outside to the inside,is an extremely artificial structure even from its basic disposition. The Eiermanntypical façade,with its exterior walkway and white linkage as well as the corrugated Eternit roof provide a ponderous contrast. Together with echoes of traditional Japanese houses and gardens,but above all with the adoption of motifs give this house an unmistakable chara.

Even though he had made a name for himself in the 1930s with his Berlin single-family homes,Eiermann later on found it difficult to accept commissions for this building type when,during the period of the economic miracle ,he was approached by numerous people interested to get a design by him. Only the Hardenberg House in Baden-Baden satisfied him,but above all his own house,which he also built in Baden-Baden in 195962. This house in particular,built after his success with the German Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair and at the same time as the Berlin Gedächtniskirche and the German Embassy in Washington,was to become one of the main works of his post-war creative output. As a builder in his own right,he was able here to uncompromisingly realise his ideal image of living for himself and his family in architecture. Eiermann himself tried to explain the house,which only crystallised in a longer planning genesis,primarily from the functional side: main house and annexe,the latter for garage,studio and guest apartment,the elongated main house in bulkhead construction under a flat sloping roof. In fact,the house is convincing in its sophisticated functionality. But it does not stop there. The complex group of buildings on a steep hillside site with its stagelike terraces,the staged interplay of views from the inside to the outside and,at night,also from the outside to the inside,is an extremely artificial structure even from its basic disposition. The Eiermanntypical façade,with its exterior walkway and white linkage as well as the corrugated Eternit roof provide a ponderous contrast. Together with echoes of traditional Japanese houses and gardens,but above all with the adoption of motifs from sailing- ship building give this house an unmistakable chara.

Dimension: 300 x 280 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783932565878