Her New European Bauhaus has swallowed more than one billion with one partially-finished building to show for it
Six years, and a lot of funding, later, the European Commission is still struggling to get a project to renew the Bauhaus design movement for a visionary and net-zero 21st century over the line.
Back in 2020, Ursula von der Leyen outlined her plans to reimagine the iconic modernist movement that revolutionised the last century – responsible for everything from large buildings to tubular chairs and chess boards – with clean lines and geometric shapes free of unnecessary fill or decoration.
The European Commission president hoped her New European Bauhaus (NEB) could create a new ethos, with significant financial support, to combine form and function for a modern age of climate-conscious design.
In real terms, the NEB offers EU cash to bring together architects, artists, designers, researchers, businesses and urban planners to create projects that are low-carbon, attractive, affordable and socially inclusive.
