“Only perfect harmony in its technical functions as well as in its proportions can result in beauty.” Walter Gropius
What is Bauhaus?
In the early 1920s Walter Gropius established the Bauhaus movement to help unify all art, craft and technology. He believed that art should meet the needs of society and advocated the idea that there should be no distinction between ‘form and function’.
The Bauhaus Art School operated from 1919-1933. Initially based in Weimar, the school moved to Dessau in 1925 and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. While the term Bauhaus literally means ‘construction house’, many knew it as ‘school of building’.
Bauhaus teachers and students searched for new ideas, questioned the traditional rules, experimented with new materials and brought about building innovations. They were also pioneers when it came to the use of synthetic interior fittings. It was during the construction of the Bauhaus in the mid 1920s that Walter Gropius arranged for the first generation of artificial flooring to be laid there. The Bauhaus itself and the Masters' Houses in Dessau are just a few hundred metres away from our German site.
Inspired by the Bauhaus movement
We question ourselves, our purpose and what we can add to the world, like the Bauhaus did. We have taken inspiration from the Bauhaus philosophy, weaving elements of it into our product development, research and innovation. This can be most clearly seen in our work with the Bauhaus idea of bridging the gap between form and function. Today, this is more commonly understood as creating a product ‘fit for purpose’.
We engineer our products to meet real-world needs. Our functional approach allows us to deliver solutions that meet our customers’ biggest challenges, such as the need for slip-resistance, cleanability, sustainability and hygiene.
In parallel with this, we also develop our materials for design-led innovation so that our products meet requirements for style as well as substance.
We know that good design isn’t an aesthetic shell without practical benefit. Good design is the result of thought-out function such as impact sound insulation and hard-wearing qualities.
Bringing together form and function helps us to create quality products that put people’s needs at the heart of everything we do.
How we do it
- We continually question conventional thinking.
- We invest in innovation – developing new technologies and testing ideas.
- We engage with industry experts – looking at emerging trends, sector issues and market variances.
- We value our customers and listen to their needs.
- We find out how the different sectors we serve need their spaces to perform.