German Architectural Modernism, Spatial Perpetration and the Concentration Camp, 1933–1945

This doctoral project examines the extent to which the built environment of Nazi concentration camps is itself a historical source and whether the spatial experiences created were deliberate; it is hypothesised that close connections exist between concentration camps as physical manifestations of Nazi ideology and modernist architectural theories of standardisation and efficiency. Combining architectural theory with historical methodology, this interdisciplinary project explores the theoretical and tangible connections that exist through two case studies. Firstly, Dachau, which functioned as a so-called “model” camp (Musterlager) for the SS and so had considerable influence on the built environment of later camps. How architecture functioned as a significant but imperfect instrument of violence at Dachau is explored through the notion of spatial perpetration. The second case study focuses on Ernst Neufert, an architect who trained and worked with Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus. After publishing his internationally renowned text on architectural standards, Bauentwurfslehre, in 1936, Neufert was recruited by Albert Speer and became the regime’s consultant for standards questions. Together, the case studies demonstrate the interaction between architectural modernism and the regime, most notably through standardisation in construction; it is argued that establishing and replicating ‘norms’ is an inherently political act and, therefore, the role and responsibilities of architects under Nazism require careful reassessment. How intentionality manifests in design is considered alongside the complex interplay of power relations, autonomy and affect in the built environment.