 He enrolled in the Bauhaus in Dessau in 1928 and graduated from it in 1932.He became one of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's favourite students, and after graduating worked for him in Berlin until 1937.Until 1938 he worked for the post office; during World War II, he worked for construction battalions in Crossen an der Oder (now Krosno Odrzańskie, Poland) and then in Berlin, designing air-raid shelters.