Martin Wagner / The Growing House

In 1931, in response to the Great Depression and subsequent collapse of the building industry, Martin Wagner (1885-1957), then head of planning for Berlin, formulated plans for an adaptable micro-house called the growing house. Working with Egon Eiermann, Walter Gropius, Ludwig Hilberseimer, Erich Mendelssohn, Hans Poelzig and Hans Scharoun, the growing house was designed to be modified with the changing socioeconomic circumstances of its inhabitants, providing only what was necessary and expedient.