Otto Voelckers (also spelled ''Otto Völckers'') (November 9, 1888 in
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
- December 6, 1957) was a German
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
and technical author.
Biography
Voelckers was initially an active
art director
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
in the 1920s. However, at the end of this decade he became famous in Germany for his work with the Finnish architect
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...
. Until 1933 Voelsckers was the editor of the magazine ''Stein Holz Eisen'' (Rock, wood, ice).
After the end of World War II he became very engaged with the reconstruction of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and was one of the few architects, that would link his ideas to the
Neues Bauen
The New Objectivity (a translation of the German ''Neue Sachlichkeit'', sometimes also translated as New Sobriety) is a name often given to the Modern architecture that emerged in Europe, primarily German-speaking Europe, in the 1920s and 30s. ...
movement, a radical new form proposed for the old city. Voelckers's reconstruction plan envisioned closed buildings composed of large blocks which were in cooperative ownership, which would have glassed-covered passages and retail areas to encourage use as social centers. Even in the planned reconstruction of the
Goethe House
The Goethe House is a writer's house museum located in the Innenstadt district of Frankfurt, Germany. It is the birthplace and childhood home of German poet and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It is also the place where Goethe wrote hi ...
, Voelckers pleaded for a full redesign, but was not able to successfully promote his idea over the faithful reconstruction proposed by
Theo Kellner
Theo Kellner (13 April 1899 – 26 February 1969) was a German artist and architect active in Berlin, Erfurt and Frankfurt.
After the end of the Second World War, Kellner was involved with the reconstruction of several buildings in Frankfurt, such ...
.
Voelckers was also known for his design of ''Notstands-Kleinstwohnungen'', that was commissioned by the Münchener Wiederaufbau-Referat (Munich Reconstruction Referendum) of 1945–1946. These small apartments were allowed by the zoning commission to have a maximum space of 4 m
2 per Person, with this restraint, Voelckers attempted to ''„Bestmögliche an Brauchbarkeit, Wohnlichkeit und Schönheit herauszuholen“'' (Extract the most usability, livability and beauty from the space).
From 1950 until his death, he was the associate editor of the architectural magazine
Glasforum.
[Glasforum 1/1958, Verlag Karl Hofmann, Schorndorf bei Stuttgart] Voelckers was also member of the
Deutscher Werkbund
The Deutscher Werkbund (English: "German Association of Craftsmen"; ) is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. The Werkbund became an important element in the development of modern arch ...
.
Works
Papers
* ''Die neue Volksschule in Celle - Ein Beitrag zum Problem des neuzeitlichen Schulhauses.'' Verlag Englert & Schlosser, Frankfurt a/Main 1929
* ''Wohnbaufibel. Für Anfänger und solche, die glauben es nicht mehr zu sein.'' Julius Hoffmann Verlag, Stuttgart 1932
* ''Deutsche Hausfibel.'' Staackmann, Leipzig 1937
* ''Glas und Fenster. Ihr Wesen, ihre Geschichte und Bedeutung in der Gegenwart.'' Bauwelt Verlag, Berlin 1939
* ''Dorf und Stadt. Eine deutsche Fibel.'' Staackmann, Leipzig 1942
* ''Bauen mit Glas.'' Julius Hoffmann Verlag, Stuttgart 1948
* ''Das Grundrißwerk.'' Julius Hoffmann Verlag, Stuttgart 1949 (3. Auflage)
* ''Wohnraum und Hausrat. Eine Fibel.'' Baessler, Bamberg 1949
* ''So wohnen die Völker der Erde.'' Cassineum, Donauwörth 1949
Buildings and Designs
* 1914: Entwurf Haus Kammersänger K. in
München[''Zu den Arbeiten v. Otto Völckers.'' In: ''Innendekoration'', 26. Jahrgang 1915, Heft 8, S. 305–312]
(Digitalisat)
/ref>
* vor 1915: Haus Dr. Drevermann in Frankfurt- Eschersheim, Häberlinstraße / Keßlerstraße (verändert)Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
[''Moderne Bauformen'', Jahrgang 1926, Heft 8, S. #.]
* 1928: Kleinwohnung auf der Münchener Ausstellung „Heim und Technik“[''Der Städtebau'', Jahrgang 1926, Heft 8, S. #.]
Filmography
* 1924: Helena
* 1926: Das deutsche Mutterherz
External links
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voelckers, Otto
Architects from Munich
German production designers
1888 births
1957 deaths
Architects from Kassel
Film people from Hesse