There are moments in history when a confluence of ideas, people, and broader cultural and technological forces creates a spark. Sometimes the spark amounts to nothing more than a flicker. But if conditions are right, it can erupt into a dazzling, brilliant light that, while burning for only a brief moment, changes the world around it.

The Bauhaus was one of these – a place that despite the economic turmoil and cultural conservatism of the world around it, offered a truly radical, international and optimistic vision of the future.

The origins of the Bauhaus lie in the late 19th century, in anxieties about the soullessness of modern manufacturing, and fears about art’s loss of social relevance. The Bauhaus aimed to reunite fine art and functional design (applied arts), creating practical objects with the soul of design. The effect was eventually designed good design was made accessible to people at an effective price.

100 years later in a world where rampant shifts in technology and automation, how can we change the dated outlook to design education fundamentally?

CHALLENGE

Most schools today may be replicating the techniques of Bauhaus as is. But the times have changed and the techniques used by Bauhaus might not be fit for the current times. However, the philosophies of Bauhaus transcend barriers of time as even Sir Norman Foster affirms the “Ideologies of Bauhaus are more relevant today than ever.”

Design Challenge: How can we reinterpret philosophies of Bauhaus to create a new design school that fosters a futuristic, bold and radical learning environment in the context of today and tomorrow?

The design challenge can begin with design disciplines that exist today like Architecture, Visual Communication Design, Graphic Design, Textile design or Conceive new disciplines entirely springing from fundamental learning programs. The competition will not focus on creating curriculums but innovation in spaces that nurture them.