Architecture and Modernity : A Critique

joy a minimum of modern comforts (figure 18) together with direct contact with nature—all
at a rent they could afford. The rationalization of the construction process
and the development of housing for the Existenzminimum was subordinate to the
purpose of being of service to as many people as possible with the (inevitably limited)
means that were available. Ernst May:
Let us suppose we put this question to the army of the underprivileged,
who eagerly and impatiently demand decent accommodation. Should
they have to put up with a situation where a small number of them enjoy
sizable dwellings while the great majority are condemned to go on
suffering deprivation for many more years? Shouldn’t they rather be
content with a small home that, despite its limited space, would still
meet the requirements one has the right to expect of a contemporary
dwelling, if this will ensure that the evil of the housing shortage can be
abolished in a short period of time? 66
May’s arguments make it clear that a shift had occurred in the policy of Das
Neue Frankfurt. The term Existenzminimum no longer implied dwellings that re-
18
The famous Frankfurt kitchen,
designed by Grethe Schütte-
Lihotzky in 1926. This kitchen
was built in in most of the
dwelling units built by May and
his group.
(Photo: Institut für
Stadtgeschichte der Stadt
Frankfurt am Main.)
2 Constructing the Modern Movement