Colour and Light in Berlin and Wrocław (Breslau) Department Stores Built between 1927 and 1930

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper focuses on the architecture of the department stores built in Germany from the late 1920s onwards, on their language, which combines the International Style with other idioms, and on the use of peculiar materials and Colors in their exterior and interior. After a long introduction and the description of a number of commercial buildings in Germany, the authors focus on the Warenhaus A. Wertheim in Breslau (Wroclaw), which was the subject of a recent restoration they took part in. A final paragraph entitled Discussion presents their considerations and conclusions.

The paper results of a both theoretical and applicative years-long research on the topic. This is testified by the impressive bibliography, the accurate description of the buildings and the attention to aspects surely fostered by the direct, continuous dealing with the buildings and their precious details.

Despite the interesting content, the paper presents some problems. First of all, the topic of the color, which is central to the issue, looks only marginal and descriptive. Of course, discussing of colors for buildings that are mostly transformed or known only through black-an-white photographs may be difficult, conjectural and frustrating.

Secondly, while the subject of the paper is clear (“the theoretical assumptions concerning the architectural composition of commercial buildings erected in the years 1927–1930 in Berlin and contemporaneous Breslau”), the aims is quite generic (“to systematise the state of the art on the architecture of department stores […], to formulate conclusions that can optimise heritage conservation decisions and direct design work on remodelling such buildings, especially the renovation of stone and ceramic facades, as well as recreating formal interiors”), and methodology and results need to be better expressed. What is the authors’ theory (for example, the commercial buildings as an opportunity for mixing and experimenting solutions coming from different fields of architectural research, thanks to the clients’ pragmatism and masses’ urgency to evolve into middle-class)? Which hypotheses is their theory grounded on (an innovative role or combination of light, material and color…)?

The paper should be reorganized to put the question of the materials and colors, also framed in the context of the stylistic fusion that seems so important to authors, at the center. My suggestion is to focus on the specific solutions of the case-study and to rethink of the Introduction and Colour and light.. as a frame to better understand them. In this sense, the second paragraph, which is too long and only partially useful to analyze the case-study – the most interesting contribution of the authors – could be reduced by focusing just on a few buildings able to describe the general and innovative characters of the department store (the question of the color between day-time and night-time perception is quite intriguing). After introducing the historical scenario, such a section should be mainly used to describe the role of light and color - as declared in the title - in such department stores, in order to appreciate the peculiarities of the case study.

The Discussion is expected to present the personal and critical contribution of the authors about the architecture and colors of the German department stores. It is rightly compared with Taut and the practice of painting buildings to give them (and their inhabitants) nobility but some specific observations are expected (for example, the prominence of specific colors or materials to obtain some visual effect as well as the lacking of specific colors and materials). A final paragraph entitled Conclusion should sum up the content of the paper and its main results, taking into account the methodology and aims expressed in the Introduction.

Some passages need to be better explained or processed. For example, the final statements of the third paragraph sound enigmatic:

“All of these designs [Where are they?] were prepared based on academic research and conservation guidelines by the authors of this paper, who were responsible for conservation supervision of the project….” After clarifying what are the designs (a figure may be useful), this part could be perhaps moved into the Introduction.

Or, in the Discussion:

“glazed doors, displays and windows with translucent panes from tempered glass occupied around 70% of their facades”. What is the source of this percentage? Did the authors computed it on all of the department stores mentioned in the paper? Presenting such a number must be supported by sources or personal computing. Otherwise, it is better to stay generic.

Author Response

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Reviewer 2 Report

There is a spelling mistake for the following author name: Ladwig-Wnters line 789 - Should be Ladwig-Winters

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Reviewer 3 Report

The article is an incredibly detailed study of a particular aspect of the German architecture (department stores) of the Twenties of the XX century. The importance of this study is related to the complex interaction between the birth of a new class of department stores and the unique economical situation of the period; to the interaction between different designs of buildings in a lively period where Art Deco, Modernism, Expressionism and Bauhaus had a fertile interaction; to the use of rich decorations and new materials, whose manufacturing techniques are well described and bring a very useful contribution of the knowledge of the materials used in that period. Thse last information are connected to the restoration and conservation protocols to be used in this context.

For these considerations I strongly suggest to publish the article in its present form.

Author Response

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