Raumplan after Loos. The European Work of Heinrich Kulka, 1930-1939

This paper analyses a selection of houses built by Heinrich Kulka between 1930 and 1939 that were influenced by the spatial design that Kulka termed “Raumplan” in the first monograph on his teacher Adolf Loos in 1931. The exterior organisation and the dynamically shifting volumes of the Raumplan, where each room is proportioned in accordance with its purpose, are characteristic of the work of both architects. A comparison between selected aspects of Kulka’s and Loos’ houses gives insights into the similarities with, and the advancements of, Loos’ designs, and to the ways in which both architects organised the static exterior and dynamic interior, as well as the living functions such as entering and representing. Kulka’s work displays a detailed understanding of Loos’ thinking, and an ability not only to continue, but also to adapt and further develop Loos’ spatial design principles.