Konsum Building
by Walter Gropius (1928)
The Konsum Building was designed by Walter Gropius and built in 1928. Its location, height and role made it a centre point of the Törten Estate. The client was the Konsumverein (co-operative society) for Dessau and the surrounding area. In the building’s early days, the society’s name was clearly visible on the protruding roof of the shopping centre.
The two parts of the building – the flat-roofed section and the five-storey block – seem to blend into one another, and their proportions are elegantly attuned. Unlike the houses on the Törten Estate, the five-storey block is made of rendered brickwork and the flat-roofed structure of concrete reinforced with steel. The plain, light paintwork contrasts with the balcony balustrades and window frames, which are black.
The flat-roofed section was designed for use as a shopping centre. This could be divided into three sections by accordion walls. The five-storey building housed staff rooms, and above these, three three-roomed flats. A common area on the top floor included a laundry room, drying-room and a roof terrace.
The Konsum building remained undamaged throughout the war, and was restored in the 1990s. Today it is used as a central Info-point for the Törten Estate and hosts a permanent exhibition on the history of the settlement.
