An intrepid group of modern movement enthusiasts took a day return to the Bauhaus in Dessau. A short walk from the station, the painstakingly restored icon of design met with gasps of delight. Every detail, every shadow, every reflection combined to recall years of architectural training in composition, materiality and construction. A wonderful tour led by an expert guide included the hallowed space of Gropius' office. An unexpected treat was a second guided visit to the nearby recently restored director's and masters' houses, which demonstrate the full range of heritage techniques, from modern interpretive reconstruction to scholarly researched conservation. The decision to recreate Gropius' house as a ghostly memory in white concrete and obscure glass, made all the more atmospheric in a freak hail storm, provoked much discussion.