THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DEUTSCHE LUXFER PRISMEN SYNDIKAT, THE VICTORIA REGIA LILY AND GOTHIC IMITATION IN THE DESIGN OF BRUNO TAUT’S GLASHAUS Neal David Nielsen N.Dip. Arch. Tech, N.H.Dip. Arch. Tech, B.Tech. Arch. Design, M.Tech. Arch. Design, B.Arch. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Design Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology February 2015 1 Keywords Bruno Taut, Glashaus, Deutsche Luxfer Prismen Syndikat, Victoria regia, Frederick Keppler, Gothic 2 Abstract Bruno Taut's Glashaus at the Werkbund Exhibition of 1914 is considered a seminal example of early modernist architecture; hence it is included in all its official histories. Yet, some of the crucial factors behind the design of the Glashaus remain little understood. In an attempt to address this situation, this PhD reveals that the Glashaus was the result of a strong architect-client interaction. In fact, Frederick Keppler, the Glashaus’ patron and director of the Deutsche Luxfer Prismen Syndikat, had a significant influence on its design. He wanted his company's Luxfer prototype, which had been developed over many years at earlier exhibitions, to be the major material constituent of the building. In order to show the glazed products of Luxfer in the best manner possible, Keppler insisted on a design featuring a glazed dome, electric lighting, a fountain as well as a cascade. Taut, as the architect, had to formulate a design that met these detailed stipulations. For the Glashaus, Taut turned to myths and symbols associated with the Victoria regia lily and the Gothic in order to provide his interpretation of the brief. By clarifying the background behind this architect-client relationship and these other under-examined sources, this PhD will significantly expand the understanding of the Glashaus, particularly as a collaborative endeavour, and thus reinvigorate our comprehension of one of the most distinctive early examples of modern architecture. 3 Table of Contents Keywords .................................................................................................................................. 2 Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... 4 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ 7 Statement of Original Authorship .......................................................................................... 12 Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................... 13 1.1 Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................ 16 1.2 Aim ................................................................................................................................... 16 1.3 Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 16 1.4 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 16 1.5 Chapter outline ................................................................................................................. 19 Chapter 2: Literature review ............................................................................... 19 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Bruno Taut and Paul Scheerbart ...................................................................................... 22 2.3 Bruno Taut and Adolf Behne ............................................................................................ 28 2.4 Bruno Taut and the Gothic Style ...................................................................................... 32 2.5 Bruno Taut, other influences and precedent buildings .................................................... 34 2.6 Bruno Taut and the use of colour ..................................................................................... 42 2.7 Horticultural glasshouses and the Glashaus .................................................................... 48 2.8 Bruno Taut and “Die Galoschen des Glucks” ................................................................... 51 2.9 Bruno Taut and the Victoria regia lily .............................................................................. 60 2.10 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 3: Victoria regia’s bequest to modern architecture ................................. 65 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 65 4 3.2 Horticultural glasshouses: An overview ........................................................................... 66 3.3 The orangery .................................................................................................................... 67 3.4 The glasshouse ................................................................................................................. 69 3.5 Private winter gardens ..................................................................................................... 73 3.6 Public winter gardens ...................................................................................................... 77 3.7 Winter gardens associated with botanical gardens. ........................................................ 84 3.8 John Claudius Loudon ...................................................................................................... 85 3.9 Palm houses ..................................................................................................................... 88 3.10 Victoria regia glasshouses .............................................................................................. 93 3.11 The initial European cultivation of the Victoria regia .................................................... 94 3.12 Further British examples of Victoria regia glasshouses ................................................. 97 3.13 Continental European examples of Victoria regia glasshouses ................................... 101 3.14 Further examples of Continental European Victoria regia glasshouses ...................... 113 3.15 The Berlin Botanical Gardens relocated to Dahlem ..................................................... 117 3.16 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 120 Chapter 4: The client - Frederick Keppler ........................................................... 132 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 132 4.2 Frederick Louis Keppler .................................................................................................. 139 4.3 Exhibiting Luxfer products ............................................................................................. 142 4.4 The Deutsche Luxfer Prismen Syndikat and the Glashaus ............................................. 146 4.5 Exhibition buildings: In search of glazed domes, central features, staircases and structural expression ........................................................................................................... 152 4.6 London’s Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, 1851 ..................... 154 4.7 New York’s Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, 1853 ........................................... 158 4.8 London’s International Exhibition on Industry and Art, 1862 ....................................... 160 4.9 Paris’ Exposition Universelle, 1867................................................................................. 161 4.10 Vienna’s Weltausstellung, 1873 ................................................................................... 163 5 4.11 Philadelphia’s Centennial Exhibition, 1876 .................................................................. 165 4.12 Paris’ Exposition Universelle, 1878 ............................................................................... 171 4.13 Paris’ Exposition Universelle, 1889 ............................................................................... 174 4.14 Chicago’s World’s Colombian Exposition, 1893 ........................................................... 178 4.15 Paris’ Exposition Universelle, 1900 ............................................................................... 189 4.16 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 197 Chapter 5: Imitating the Gothic ......................................................................... 203 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 203 5.2 Gotik und Deutsch (Gothic and German) ....................................................................... 206 5.3 The Gothic and the British .............................................................................................