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book (design) story #377

(unknown) :
wehag katalog 51

wilhelm engstfeld ag, heiligenhaus, 1951
printer: a. bagel, düsseldorf
size: 25 x 18 cm
designer: max burchartz

the company wilhelm engstfeld ag in heiligenhaus – "wehag" for short – was a german manufacturer of architectural ironmongery such as modernist door handles.

some models were designed by modernist pioneer max burchartz (1887-1967) who was also in charge of wehag's printed matters.

this product catalogue dates from 1951 and was designed by burchartz: ...

... sans-serif type, photomontages and neat boxes provide a look of uncluttered, functional "sachlichkeit" in the modernist tradition of the 1920s .

this door handle designed by burchartz was used in the "grindel towers" in hamburg, germany's first highrise buildings after ww2.

door handle nr. 16 was developed 1930 in collaboration with architect hans poelzig for the i.-g. farben building (now: poelzig building) in frankfurt/main.

above more designs by max burchartz. the wrappers feature an abstract drawing (doorhandle?) with the wehag logotype.