"From Bauhaus to Baustadt"

by Prof. Alfred Jacoby, Director Dessau Institute of Architecture Graduate School

For the past 10 years, the Dessau Institute of Architecture (DIA) has conducted a 2 year Master of Architecture Course as a Graduate School taught in English, which leads to an internationally accredited M.Arch. Degree.

Starting with 10 students in 1999 this course was initially oriented towards >>Revitalising the City<<, which meant that the studios were dealing mostly with urban design problems. With time and experience, DIA has changed its focus to >>From Bauhaus to Baustadt<<.

Now studios are trying to investigate and develop methods aplicable to the individual arhitectonic object as well as to the city at large. By now DIA has about 100 students from more than 30 countries enrolled in its course. Today it therefore is the most successful English-taught Master of Architecture Course in Germany. It has the heighest number of scholarship awards from the German Academic Exchange Program DAAD and many of its alumni work in internationally renowned offices around the world. Some of its students have won prizes in coveted Architecture Competitions like FEIDAD (2006/2007) or the German DAAD Prize (2008). As a school of Architecture, DIA took part both in the 2006 and 2008 Beijing Architecture Biennale for young talents as the only participant from Germany. The basis for its success is the integration of such large, diverse and international student body at the famous Groupius Bauhaus location, the multitude of academic options offered in the course.

The strong emphasis laid on teaching digital media processes and the intelligent architectonic and technical handling of them is another reason, why students chose to come to Dessau. DIA predominantly draws its faculty from Anhalt University. However, it is common practice to invite an international teaching staff as Guest Teachers. These invitations have ranged from stays for several years, the involvement of guests in 1-2 week long workshops as well as invitations for Crits and other events. Over the past eight years DIA has had Pablo Molestina (Stanford Univ./now teaching in Dusseldorf), Neil Leach (USC, Los Angeles) and Christos Passas (AA, London) as distinguished DAAD Guest Chairs. In addition, there is a long list of international complementary teaching staff. DIA is an affiliate member of the American Collegiate Association of Architecture Schools (ACSA) and has many exchange partners around the globe. It conducts studios and summer courses that tackle European but also global issues. It encourages students to look at urban, technical as well as environmental problems with the aim of searching for sustainable proposals as their solutions.

To study at DIA is certainly an exciting and academically challanging experience for any student, that is looking for a sound education at Master level.