The New Architectural School in Postwar Germany: Sep Ruf and Egon Eiermann

The article explores the formation of the new architectural school in postwar Germany through the pedagogical and professional activities of Sep Ruf and Egon Eiermann. In the context of the democratization of West German society, architecture and architectural education were understood as instruments of cultural renewal, guided by the principles of openness, rationality, and social responsibility. Ruf and Eiermann, representing two distinct professional orientations – Ruf’s humanist and socially oriented approach and Eiermann’s engineering and experimental discipline — sought to redefine the authoritarian teaching model inherited from the prewar period. Their studios functioned as laboratories of collective design, where education was grounded in action, dialogue, and critical reflection. Their joint project – the German Pavilions at the Brussels World’s Fair (Expo 58) – became a spatial manifestation of these principles. The pavilion structure, transparent façades, and absence of hierarchy embodied the idea of an “architecture of the open society,” in which spatial form and visi-tor movement communicated democratic values. The experience of Ruf and Eiermann demonstrates how architecture and pedagogy can reinforce one another, transforming education into a process of cultural and social formation. For contemporary architectural schools, their legacy remains relevant as a model of balance between technological inquiry and the ethics of public responsibility.