A Bauhaus Bathroom

Design Competition For a Public Restroom at Gropius House

An Initiative of Historic New England

A black and white photo of the exterior of Gropius House.

Introduction

Utilitarian and mass-produced, the portable toilet at the Gropius House unexpectedly echoes Bauhaus values. But it was always meant to be a stop-gap solution that is clearly inelegant and does not meet contemporary accessibility standards. It fails to adequately welcome visitors to this iconic property.

Through this competition, Historic New England is soliciting thoughtful, inventive ideas to solve this problem for future generations of visitors.

The competition focuses on the garage area east of the driveway. This area is the entrance to the property, the start of the pedestrian pathway to Gropius House, and a key part of the viewshed to the house’s notable north elevation. The Gropius-designed garage, original to the house, is now used as the site’s visitor’s center. — The competition focuses on the garage area east of the driveway. This area is the entrance to the property, the start of the pedestrian pathway to Gropius House, and a key part of the viewshed to the house’s notable north elevation. The Gropius-designed garage, original to the house, is now used as the site’s visitor center.

*Gropius-designed garage (now the visitor center)*

The competition invites designers to channel the Bauhaus spirit – experiment with materials, push boundaries, and collaborate across disciplines from architecture to landscape to graphics to industrial design – to create a permanent restroom solution and to reimagine the visitor arrival experience at one of Historic New England’s most celebrated museums.

The winning team will receive a cash prize, a place in the Gropius House archives, and an exhibition at the property. Historic New England aspires to ultimately build the selected design.

Key Dates

HNE Summit/Competition Launch: November 13 & 14, 2025

Optional Site Walk: January 5, 2026

Requests for Information Due: January 9, 2026

Submission Deadline: February 6, 2026

Finalists Announced: February 27, 2026

Virtual Finalists Presentations: Mid-March 2026

Winner Announced: March 27, 2026

Winner Exhibition: Summer 2026

Download the competition brief

Download the Competition Poster – Letter

Download the Competition Poster – Ledger

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