When Modern Was Green

Winner of the Elisabeth Blair MacDougall Book Award 2013 presented by the Society of Architectural Historians

Today, contemporary landscape design is increasingly drawing from ideas of sustainability and ecological stability.  Not in fact new, the foundations of this approach stem from early twentieth century Germany, where architects and planners were already beginning to use the design concepts which are now referred to as "green".

This ecological school of thought was driven by modernist landscape architect Leberecht Migge (1881-1935).  Working with significant modernist architects of the age ¿ including Martin Elsaesser, Ernst May, Bruno Taut, and Martin Wagner ¿ Migge was responsible for some of the most important housing and planning projects of the age; the mass housing settlements, or Gro¿iedlungen, of Frankfurt Main and Berlin.

Using "biotechnic" principles to integrally link dwelling and garden, Mi