Haus Sommerfeld

The Sommerfeld House in Berlin-Lichterfelde was a private villa that Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer designed between 1920 and 1921 for the building contractor Adolf Sommerfeld. A key work of modern architecture, the building was created during the early Expressionist phase of the Bauhaus. The teak structure, set on a limestone base and topped with a hip roof, impressed visitors with interiors that came almost entirely from the Bauhaus workshops. Artists such as Joost Schmidt and Josef Albers created carved woodwork and stained-glass windows, while Marcel Breuer contributed functional seating. Stylistically, the house combined the angular Expressionist look with early functionalist elements. The main building was completely destroyed in World War II, so today only the altered chauffeur's residence by Fred Forbát survives.