Page 54 - AIT0519_E-Paper

SERIEN FIRMENJUBILÄUM • COMPANY ANNIVERSARY

Auch im Bauhaus-Gebäude selbst – die Bilder zeigen den Atelierflügel – verwendete Gropius Berker-Schalter. Auch hier kamen zur Restaurierung die Serien 1930 und Glas zum Einsatz, die den Originalschaltern nahekommen.

B erker and the Bauhaus have significant things in common: In addition to its foun- never the light was switched on. In this room, from which classic modernism was
ding in 1919, the long-established switch manufacturer steeped in tradition from
spread throughout the world and evolved into the most important chapter in the ar-
Schalksmühle is connected to the Bauhaus, the birthplace of classic modernism, chitectural, design and art history of the 20th century, elegant and yet plain switches
above all by its preference for the interplay of form and function. In addition, Berker and sockets made of glass or plastic from Berker were installed, then as now.
started early on to focus on the approach propagated at the Bauhaus of mass-produ-
cing products in order to be able to offer them at affordable prices according to the Two switch series still breathe the spirit of the Bauhaus today
modular principle. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius already used Berker switches in
his clear and well thought-out architecture as early as the 1920s. Today, the 1930 se- "With their round elements, they were the best design to fit into this house," says Bau-
ries and the glass series are used in the buildings of the visionary institute in Dessau, haus researcher Monika Markgraf today. The 1930 series from Berker and the 1930
which have meanwhile been thoroughly refurbished. Both switch ranges are functio- glass series fit in just as perfectly as the historic models did back then: they embody
nal and unadorned in the spirit of the Bauhaus: by reducing them to the essentials, the principle of pure functionality to which the Schalksmühle-based company foun-
they are given a timeless aesthetic. ded by Robert and Hugo Berker felt as committed as the Bauhaus itself, which was
founded in 1919. However, the glass series and the models of the 1930 range reflect
From the beginning, Berker and the Bauhaus shared similar ideas the Bauhaus zeitgeist not only in their functionality and materiality, but also in their
design vocabulary: the circular shape of the two switch ranges refers to one of the ol-
Walter Gropius used circular Berker switches in his architectural designs for the Haus dest and most significant elements of geometry. The switch design thus takes up a
am Horn in Weimar, the Dessau-Törten estate, and also for the architectural epicentre central component of the programmatic Bauhaus claim of a design oriented towards
of the Bauhaus building in Dessau. In 1926, the well-known "click" of the Berker rotary basic geometric forms. Today, however, the design switches of both lines impress with
toggle switches sounded in the famous Director's Office at the Dessau Bauhaus whe- more than just their nostalgic charm and expressive forms; they also feature state-of-

054 • AIT 5.2019