Apartment House for Interbau Exhibition, Berlin-Hansaviertel: Penthouse floor plan - Walter Gropius

An original architectural floor plan for the Interbau exhibition apartment block in Berlin, designed by Walter Gropius and The Architects Collaborative.

This architectural drawing illustrates the penthouse floor plan for the apartment block designed by Walter Gropius for the 1957 Interbau exhibition in the Hansaviertel district of Berlin. Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus, developed this project through The Architects Collaborative (TAC). The plan reflects the post-war reconstruction efforts in West Berlin, where international architects were invited to demonstrate modern urban living solutions.

The drawing displays the precise, technical line work characteristic of mid-century architectural practice. It maps the spatial arrangement of the penthouse units, showing the integration of living areas, circulation paths, and structural elements. The curved geometry of the building footprint is evident, a design choice intended to break away from rigid, orthogonal urban planning. The annotations and scale indicators provide insight into the rigorous planning process required for such a large-scale housing project.

As a document of architectural history, this plan captures the functionalist approach that Gropius championed throughout his career. The layout prioritises efficiency and light, reflecting the social objectives of the Hansaviertel project, which aimed to provide high-quality, modern housing within a green, park-like setting. The inclusion of the TAC signature on the document acknowledges the collaborative nature of Gropius's later work, where he moved away from the singular vision of the master architect toward a more integrated, team-based methodology. This print offers a view into the technical foundation of one of the most significant urban planning experiments of the twentieth century.