The Work: Architecture, Urban Design, Drawings, and Sculptures 9783035622805, 9783035622799

Table of contents :
The Work I
CONTENTS
Foreword
Friedrich Achleitner: On Rob Krier
Kenneth Frampton: Krier in context
Rob Krier: On my profession
Rob Krier: How it came about
Early sculptures and paintings
Church design
Airport for Luxembourg
Master plan for Aalter
Competition for housing units
New town hall, Amsterdam
Political and cultural centre, Dar es Salaam
Siemer house, Stuttgart
Linear city, Stuttgart
Reconstruction of the inner city, Stuttgart
Kolbeinsson house, Luxembourg
Weidemann house, Stuttgart
Leinfelden
Royal Mint Square, London
Residential complex, Freiburg im Breisgau
Dickes house, Luxembourg
Farewell to Stuttgart – new beginnings in Vienna 1975-1976
Proposal for Ballhausplatz, Vienna
Housing on Rennweg, Vienna
New community centre, Brunn am Gebirge
Urban proposal for Altona Nord, Hamburg
Proposal for West Berlin city centre
Urban development of South Friedrichstadt, Berlin
Apartment building on Ritterstrasse, Berlin
Schinkelplatz, Berlin
Prager Platz, Berlin
House I, Berlin-Spandau
House II, Berlin-Spandau
Housing in Tiergarten, Berlin - Tiergarten
Via triumphalis, Karlsruhe
Housing on Babelsberger Straße, Berlin-Wilmersdorf
State library, Karlsruhe
Housing on Kurfürstendamm, Berlin
Place de l’Étoile, Luxembourg
Housing on Breitenfurter Strasse, Vienna
Academy of Fine Arts, Berlin
Krier apartment, Vienna
Housing on Schrankenberggasse, Vienna
Housing in Hirschstetten, Vienna
Reconstruction of the city centre, Amiens
Urban proposal for Forellenweg, Salzburg
Urban plan for Liesing, Vienna
Housing close to Reichsbrücke, Vienna
Cultural centre in Breitenfurt, Vienna
Belvedere, Freiburg im Breisgau
Office building, Klosterneuburg
Mönchstein hotel extension, Salzburg
Remodelling of Piazzale Matteotti, Vicenza
World Expo '92, Sevilla .
Urban block, Bilbao
Town hall, Mannheim
Raftsman monument, Pforzheim
Resort town of Sistiana, Trieste
Parish hall, Pordenone
Retirement housing, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Urban intervention, Irun
Kirgate markets, Leeds
Urban development, Pforzheim
Building on Sedanplatz, Pforzheim
Various projects, Pforzheim
Urban plan for Lavi-Kavel, The Hague
Lessons learned from this master plan process
Student project: Redevelopment of the Grain Island, Gdansk
Master plan for Port Marianne – Consuls de Mer, Montpellier
Studies for a fountain, Montpellier
Proposal for the Exerzierplatz, Pirmasens
Master plan for Venta Berri, San Sebastián
Urban plan for Gothenburg
Bussy-Saint-Georges
Urban proposal for Cergy-Pontoise
Master plan for Bruay
New parliament building, Luxembourg
New community in Eiche, Potsdam
Potsdam Kirchsteigfeld
Composition of urban spaces
Brandevoort, Helmond.
Expert opinion Brabant 2050
Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht
Via Tiburtina, Rome
Spreeinsel with city palace, Berlin
Sketches of the city palace, Berlin
Cultural centre, Echternach
Passage Deutrich’s Hof, Leipzig
Verkade-terrein, Zaandam
Reshaping the façades of the marketplace, Groningen
SES Astra new headquarters, Betzdorf
Centrumgebied Vleuterweide, Utrecht
Urban development, Wageningen
Rehabilitation of the French district, Potsdam
Slot Haverleij, 's-Hertogenbosch
Urban development Haarlem – a critical intervention
Urban renewal in the historical city, Deventer
Viktoria-Quartier at the Kreuzberg, Berlin
De Parade, Bergen op Zoom
Gildenkwartier, Amersfoort
General remarks on my Dutch projects
Bataafse Kamp, Hengelo
Modification and extension of an old stone house, Duomo/Andora
Transformation of a students' village, Berlin
Postscript
Statement of works 1957 - 1999
Project staff
Biography
The Work II
CONTENTS
A dream of reuniting architecture and fine arts
Foreword
The Figural City, by Michael Graves
Motivation for this monographic introspection
Composition of urban spaces
Pavilion for the Landesgartenschau, Freiburg
Citadel Broekpolder, Beverwijk/Heemskerk
House for my friends, Pantasina, Liguria
Street segment, Frisco, Texas
Window in the woods, Almere
Lignano
Façades on Leipziger Platz and Voßstraße, Berlin
Façade study, Galerie Unter den Linden, Berlin
Rivierenbuurt, The Hague
Woonkathedraal, The Hague
Tacheles – Johannisviertel, Berlin
Cité-Jardins Le Plessis-Robinson, Paris
ZAC du Parc, Vitré
Val d'Europe, Marne-la-Vallée
Kloosterveste Assen
Lloyd Pier, Rotterdam
Strijp S, former Philips works, Eindhoven
Development plan for Ouderkerk, Amsterdam
Housing on Wielandstraße, Gladbeck
Chimney in our flat, Berlin
Bataviahaven, Lelystad
HARBOUR AND NEW CONCEPT FOR THE TOWN HALL, Bussum
Olympic village, Düsseldorf
Kamperpoort, Zwolle
Alter Hof (Old Court), RESTRUCTURING THE OLD RESIDENCE, Munich
Woonzorgpark Bilderdijk, Hoogeveen
My Sculptor’s workshop, Bargemon
Apartment villas, Heiligendamm
Housing complex Paktuynen, Enkhuizen
Living on islands, Heerenveen
Urban renewal, Culemborg
Urban development Hattersheim, Frankfurt am Main
De Stadsbleek, Oldenzaal
New development Oberkassel, Düsseldorf
Restructurisation of Boddenkamp, Enschede
New opera house, Muscat
Urban development, Amstelveen
Burcht Luyvestein, Suytkade, Helmond
Housing complex Ismaninger Straße, Munich
Foundation of a new village, Muiden
NEW COMMUNITY ON A FORMER FACTORY SITE, Ede
Extension of the former court of justice, Utrecht
Arcad Europea, Prague
Assumerhof, Heemskerk
Urban development Borbeck area, Oberhausen
Garden City Unterliederbach, Frankfurt am Main
IJburg – urban development of a new island
New Argentinie, IJhaven, Amsterdam
Living in the historical centre, Bilbao
HOW TO BUILD IN BILBAO
MY SCULPTOR’S WORKSHOP, Duomo / Andora
OLYMPIAKWARTIER, Almere
NEW DISTRICT BANGERT EN OOSTERPOLDER, Hoorn
MELCHIOR HOUSE, Ersange
MONUMENT TO FREEDOM AND UNITY, Berlin
SCULPTURE DEPOT, Duomo / Andora
EUROPEAN EMBANKMENT, St. Petersburg
CITÉ JUDICIAIRE, Luxembourg
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW MARKET, Berlin
CONVERSION OF A BARRACKS INTO A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, Bamberg
MUSEUM OF THE 20TH CENTURY, KULTURFORUM, Berlin
THE SCANDAL OF ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITIONS
DISTRICT OF TEGEL AIRPORT, Berlin
A LEGACY AND ITS CALLING INTO QUESTION
POSTSCRIPT
PROJECT STAFF
Biography

Citation preview

ROB KRIER KRIER ROB TheWork WorkI The Architecture, Urban Design, Drawings and Sculptures 1955-1999

3

ROB KRIER The TheWork WorkI

ARCHITECTURE, URBAN DESIGN, DRAWINGS AND SCULPTURES 1955–1999

Birkhäuser ROB’S EDITIONS Basel

4

In memory of my parents, Maudy and Jempy Krier. They protected my dreams. IPage owe1a –special debt of gratitude to the esteemed arPortrait sketch (of the author) by my wife chitectural critics, and my friends, Friedrich AchleitRoswitha Grützke, 1986. ner, Vienna, and Kenneth Frampton, New York, for their analysis of myfrom works. This committed book has been compiled various publications. It demonstrates not only my work as a town My thanks go to but Juliaalso Hintz, technical planner andalso architect, that for as aher visual artist support. and sculptor and my desire to see both in union. Designs that emerged under my leadership have been taken from the following books (either in full or in Page 1 – form): Portrait sketch (of the author) by my wife amended Roswitha Grützke, 1986. – Architectural Monographs, Rob Krier, ArchiImages andand texts are my own and are authorised tecture Urban Design, Academy Editionsby + me.Ernst und Sohn, 1993, ISBN 1 85490 204 0 (HB), ISBN 1 85490 205 9 (PB) – Rob Krier, Zeichnungen und Skulpturen, ResiThis book has been from various publicadenz Verlag, 1995,compiled ISBN 3-7017-0948-3 tions. demonstrates notKohl, onlyPotsdam-Kirchsteigmy work as a town – RobItKrier. Christoph planner and Making architect,ofbut also that as a visual1997, artist feld, The a Town, AWF-Verlag, andISBN sculptor and my desire to see both in union. De3-933093-00-7 signs emerged under my leadership been/ – Robthat Krier, On Architecture, Academy have Editions taken the following books (either in full or in St. from Martin's Press, 1982, ISBN 0-312-68541-6 amended form):0-312-68542-4 Paper Cloth, ISBN Monographs, –– RRob ob Krier, Krier, Architectural Urban Projects, 1968-82, Architec5 IAUS, ture and NY, Urban Design, Editions + Ernst Rizzoli 1982, ISBNAcademy 0-8478-0409-7 1993, ISBN 1-85490-204-0 (HB), ISBN Rationalist, A – und RobSohn, Krier, Ein romantischer 1-85490-205-9 (PB) Springer, Deutsches ArchiRomantic Rationalist, – Rtektur-Museum, und ob Krier, Zeichnungen Frankfurt amSkulpturen, Main, 2005Residenz Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-7017-0948-3 – Rob Krier, Christoph Kohl, Potsdam-Kirchsteigfeld, The Making of a Town, AWF-Verlag, 1997, ISBN 3-933093-00-7 – Rob Krier, On Architecture, Academy Editions / St. Martin’s Press, 1982, ISBN 0-312-68541-6 Cloth, ISBN 0-312-68542-4 Paper – Rob Krier, Urban Projects, 1968-82, 5 IAUS, Rizzoli NY, 1982, ISBN 0-8478-0409-7 – Rob Krier, Ein romantischer Rationalist, A Romantic Rationalist, Springer, Deutsches Architektur-Museum, Frankfurt am Main, 2005

Editors:and Dorothea Images texts areWagner my own and are authorised by me. Cathal Fiona Greenwood ITranslation: owe a special debtWhelehan, of gratitude to the esteemed arFincannon,critics, Sara King, Dorothea Wagner Achleitner, chitectural and my friends, Friedrich Vienna, and Kenneth Frampton, New York, for their Layout, andanalysis typesetting: Krier committed of myRob works. Cover design: Heike My thanks also go toStrempel Julia Hintz, for her technical support. Paper: 115g/m² Magno Volume Printing: BELTZ Grafische Betriebe GmbH Editing: Dorothea Wagner Library of Congress Control Number: 2021939422 Translation: Cathal Whelehan, Fiona Greenwood Fincannon, Sara King, Dorothea Wagner Bibliographic information published by the German National Library Copyright: Rob Krier The German National Library lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed ISBN................. bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. Printed.............. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in databases. For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained. ISBN 978-3-0356-2279-9 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-0356-2280-5

© 2021 Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, Basel P.O. Box 44, 4009 Basel, Switzerland Part of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 www.birkhauser.com

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CONTENTS

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Friedrich Achleitner: On Rob Krier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Kenneth Frampton: Krier in context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Rob Krier: On my profession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Rob Krier: How it came about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Early sculptures and paintings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Church design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 44 Airport for Luxembourg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 48

Master plan for Aalter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 52

Competition for housing units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 56 New town hall, Amsterdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 60

Political and cultural centre, Dar es Salaam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 64 Siemer house, Stuttgart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 66

Linear city, Stuttgart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 72

Reconstruction of the inner city, Stuttgart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 76 Kolbeinsson house, Luxembourg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 82

Weidemann house, Stuttgart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 83 Leinfelden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 86 Royal Mint Square, London. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 90

Residential Residential complex, complex, Freiburg Freiburg .im . . Breisgau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 94 Dickes house, Luxembourg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 98

Farewell to to Stuttgart Stuttgart –– new new beginnings beginnings in in Vienna Vienna 1975-1976 1975–1976. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Farewell 107 Proposal for Ballhausplatz, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 114 Housing on Rennweg, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 118

New New community community centre, centre, Brunn Brunn am . . .Gebirge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 122 Urban proposal for Altona Nord, Hamburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 123

Proposal for West Berlin city centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 128

Urban development of South Friedrichstadt, Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 134

Apartment Apartment building building on on Ritterstraße, Ritterstrasse,Berlin Berlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 142 Schinkelplatz, Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 150 Prager Platz, Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 162 House I, Berlin-Spandau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 168 House II, Berlin-Spandau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 169

Housing Rauchstraße, Berlin-Tiergarten Housing on in Tiergarten, Berlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 172

Via triumphalis, Karlsruhe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 182

Housing Housing on on Babelsberger Babelsberger Straße, Strasse,Berlin-Wilmersdorf Berlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 183

6

State library, Karlsruhe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 186 Housing on Kurfürstendamm, Berlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 190

Place de l’Étoile, Luxembourg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 191 Housing on on Breitenfurter Breitenfurter Strasse, Straße, Vienna Housing Vienna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 194 Academy of Fine Arts, Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 204

Krier apartment, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 208 Housing on Schrankenberggasse, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 216

Housing in Hirschstetten, Vienna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 220

Reconstruction of the city centre, Amiens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 224 Urban proposal for Forellenweg, Salzburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 234 Urban plan for Liesing, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 242 Housing close to Reichsbrücke, Vienna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 243

Cultural centre in Breitenfurt, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 246

Belvedere, Belvedere, Freiburg Freiburg im . . .Breisgau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 250 Office building, Klosterneuburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 258

Mönchstein hotel extension, Salzburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 259

Remodelling of Piazzale Matteotti, Vicenza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 262

World Expo 1992, Sevilla '92, Sevilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 263 Urban block, Bilbao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 266 Town hall, Mannheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 276

Raftsman monument, Pforzheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 277 Resort town of Sistiana, Trieste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 282 Parish hall, Pordenone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 286

Retirement housing, Mülheim an der Ruhr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 290 Urban intervention, Irun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 296

Kirgate markets, Leeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 300 Urban development, Pforzheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 304

Building on Sedanplatz, Pforzheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 306 Various projects, Pforzheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 307

311 Urban plan for Lavi-Kavel, The Hague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Lessons learned from this master plan process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 323

Student project: Redevelopment of the Grain Island, Gdansk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 332

33 Master plan for Port Marianne – Consuls de Mer, Montpellier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Studies for a fountain, Montpellier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 346

Proposal for the Exerzierplatz, Pirmasens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 350

Master plan for Venta Berri, San Sebastián . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354 354

he German standards rier's insisving space constraints rating plan.

Aalto, in his able to maeate a liber-

riate to the ily life. He, e did so in iet and furmily hearth.

e the minid for in the is is particlanned for oposals for adt (1977). ains its suboned to deosal for the in Vienna

7

Urban plan for Gothenburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

367 Bussy-Saint-Georges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 Urban proposal for Cergy-Pontoise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 Master plan for Bruay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 18

377 New parliament building, Luxembourg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 385 New community in Eiche, Potsdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384 391 Potsdam Kirchsteigfeld Kirchsteigfeld, Potsdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

date, for not only is the tectonic (1976), where various nineteenth Composition of urbancentury spacesurban . . . . .compo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .designed . . . . . . . to 470 of the load-bearing masonry and fenestrat nents find themselves combined into a single Brandevoort, Helmond. . . . . . . . .the . . .porte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .tently . . . . .carried . . 480 through, the plans themselve labyrinthine complex: the corner building, spaciousness and resolve that cochere, the atrium, the courtyards, the .amphitheatre Expert opinion Brabant 2050 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .mension . . . . . . . of 556 other solutions. The balanced proportions and the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. At the same Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht . . . . . .is. .all . . too . . . ap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .tened . . . . .hexagonal . . 558 central room are particula time, the primary architectural reference such a space still rema propriate, for Michaelerplatz ViaLoos's Tiburtina, Rome . . . . .department . . . . . . . . .store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .although . . . . . . . furnishing 560 lem, since almost no part of the room is und (1910) is patently evoked here, even if the elevational with Loos's city palace, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .the . . .swinging . . . . 564 of doors. Nevertheless, the s syntax has Spreeinsel more to do with ScheuBerlin. House (1912). both ingeniously situated and ap A key element of this reading is the presence Sketches of the city palace, Berlin . . in . . the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .spaces . . . . . .are . 570 proportioned. sketches of Loos's giant Doric column, submitted for Cultural Echternach . . .which . . . . . is. .fi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 the Chicago Tribunecentre, competition of 1922, nally transformed into the columnar hinge-point Passagehere Deutrich’s Hof, Leipzig . . . . . . of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The . . . .brick-faced . . . 580 polygonal residential tow that which Krier proposed for Fasanenstra the corner building. That this proposal was never reZaandam . . .only . . . .because . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .are . . .surely . . . . 582 the most historicist of these later p alised is to Verkade-terrein, be regretted at many levels, not the city of Reshaping Vienna hasthe been deprived of marketplace, a remarkable Groningen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .scheme, façades of the . . . . . . .together 584 with Krier's "tower sketche piece of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a SES Astraofnew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586 monumental version one headquarters, of Krier's mostBetzdorf paradigmatic domestic works – his canonical Dickes House, which Centrumgebied Vleuterweide, Utrecht. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592 was completed in the same year. Urban development, Wageningen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614

Modernity Rehabilitation versus Tradition of the French district, Potsdam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616 Rob Krier has recently moved away from a conception Slot 's-Hertogenbosch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618 of his works as Haverleij, abstract masses to a greater preoccupation with architectural form. This is most–immediately Urban development Haarlem a critical intervention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638 Figure 28 Figure 29 apparent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century Urban renewal in the historical Deventer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640 German brick tradition, particularly after thecity, realisation of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Rit- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642 Viktoria-Quartier at the Kreuzberg, Berlin terstrasse, despite its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" 649 Dewhereas Parade, what Bergen op Zoom . . . . .work . . . . .is. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648 architecture, follows in Krier's more traditionally structuredAmersfoort and frequently Gildenkwartier, . . . designed . . . . . . . in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668 precision brickwork with traditional features, such as General on my Dutch projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681 rubbed-brick archesremarks and header string courses. Lindenufer 34, infill terraced housing for. Berlin-Spandau Bataafse Kamp, Hengelo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686 (1978–1979), represents a clear shift in this direction. Modification andbetween extension old stone . . . .30. . . 690 Figure 31 Here, a contrast is affected the of oldantectonic of house, Duomo/Andora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Figure the load-bearing masonry and new "curtain-wall" Transformation of students village, Berlin Berlin-Schlachtensee Transformation of aa the students' village, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698 a growing interest in picturesque cultural fenestration of the living rooms. Postscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .One . . . .thinks . . . 701 of the impact of brick water to countryside and of the pr At Lindenufer 34, this Statement of works Statement ofsomewhat works.1957–1999 . . .awkward . . . . . . . antithesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .nineteenth-century . . . . . . . 703 nacle-like forms created by prominent mem between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more Project staff . . .Berlin . . . . .brick . . . . tradition. . . . . . . . .Para. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .German . . . . . . Association . 710 of Craftsmen during the complete adaptation of the doxically enough, the proto-Expressionist Biography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .aspect . . . . .of . .this . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .of . . this . . . .century; . 711 above all, perhaps, of Han steel-framed and brick-faced water tower bu tradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plasin 1922. However, while hydraulics may ter model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect that which Bruno Taut nostalgically recogn the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general ina this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier has ness of such forms for residential stock is di

8

9

FOREWORD

To have credibility To have credibility in in the the eyes eyes of of young young people, people, aa teacher teacher must must be be able able to to tie tie theory theory to to practice. practice. Some Some individuals areable abletoto communicate an encycloindividuals are communicate an encyclopaedic paedic knowledge with passion and conviction, knowledge with passion and conviction, but in but ourthat fieldisthat not enough. The of our in field not isenough. The art of art archiarchitectural composition is illustrated tectural composition is illustrated by the by the example of models: its theoexample of models: its theories must ries into the account takemust into take account lawsthe of laws conof construction andlogic the logic of instruction and the of internal ternal planning. an applied art, planning. As an As applied art, buildbuilding a foundation ing needsneeds a foundation thatthat reremains validbeyond beyondindividual individmains valid ual displays of architectural displays of architectural brabravura. is vura. My My ownown workwork is an atan attempt to uncover tempt to uncover the the different different facetsfacets of this of a r cthis h i tarchitecectural tural My truth. truth. My main main of area ofarea concern concern was urban was deurban developvelopment. The ment. great great The hopes and hopes andof promises of of the promises the pioneers the pioneers of the Modern Modern Movement were not fulMovement not fulfilled filled – as wewere well know. Holding –to as wearrogant, well know. to their naiveHolding belief that their naive that each arrogant, generation hadbelief to invent each to city invent anew generation the themes had of the and anew the themesthe of the city and architecture, Modernists architecture, the itModernists practically made a crime to practically made a crime toof refer back to the itexperience refer back My to the experience the past. projects were of the past. My projects wereas quickly categorised by critics quickly categorised by critics old fashioned, reactionary and as old fashioned, reactionary eclectic. I was told that they and I was told wereeclectic. "not in keeping withthat the they inDuring keepingthewith spiritwere of the“not age". last the spiritthe of environment the age”. During the last century, century, has been exploited onthe an enunvironment beenwe exploited on an unprecedented precedentedhas scale: have seen more destruction, scale: we have seen destruction, more power, more power, than evermore before. Our aggressive society

thanculture ever before. Our aggressive society form and culture and is reflected in the unbending of the is reflected unbending of and the modern city modern cityin– the which I reject,form sadly with bitter– which reject, sadly andselection with bitterness. ness.I This abbreviated of worksThis exabbreviated selection of of the works expresses presses my criticism much-praised my criticism the My much-praised spirithas of spirit of the of age. brother, Leo, the age. My brother,role Leo, has artistic played played a decisive in my a decisive role Possessing in my artisticquite dedevelopment. velopment. Possessing quite different talents and temperadifferent and temperments, wetalents found ourselves inaments, weonfound ourselves explicably the same track inexplicably on thehow same and argued about to track our and shared arguedconcepabout realise how our shared tion to of realise architecture. For conception of architeca long time I found ture.unswerving, For a long time his unI found his unswervcompromising attiing, uncompromising tude hard to underattitudeashard unstand, I amto perderstand, I am personally notascapable of sonallysingle-mindednot capable such of such single-mindness. Whereas Leo's edness. Whereas Leo‘s quick-witted energy is quick-witted is directed whollyenergy towards directed wholly towards ararchitecture, I continue to chitecture, I continueastowhen wawaver – as indecisive – as20 indecisive as when Iverwas years of age –I was 20 years of age – between between architecture and architecture and sculpture. sculpture. My hesitancy means My my hesitancy my that dreamsmeans of art that always dreams dreams. of art always remain remain However, if dreams. However, you chew you chew on aif piece of on a piece for tough meat offortough long meat enough longwith enough anddetermination, with enough and enough determination, are bound to you are bound you to digest somedigestinsomething in the end.phyThe thing the end. The sheer sheereffort physical effort its will bring sical will bring reward. its reward. And so to I continue to And so I continue work with work divided with these divided desires, hoping, the critthese desires, hoping, at the criticalatmoment, ical moment, to draw some strength the poetic to draw some strength from the poeticfrom stalemate that stalemate that make the struggle worthwhile. would make thewould struggle worthwhile.

10

Stele for Schinkelplatz in Berlin. These figures are the dreams with which I adorn my evenings.

11

Friedrich Achleitner ON ROB KRIER

W

hat depresses the unbeliever so much about religious wars is the apparent inability of man to learn from indirect experience, that is, from history. The religious wars in architecture, too, throw up with monotonous regularity the old prejudices and aggressions against the camp that happens to hold the dominant journalistic position. In the rather superficial beat of the latest waves, the flood of Catholic sensuality and ebb of Protestant self-denial follow one upon the other: a moralising animosity to form (in positivist and Marxist traditions of thought as well), following with great regularity upon the notoriously "culinary", often unreflective world of vision. Reform and counter-reform in architecture follow each other like night and day and, as it all happens in different places, at different times and to different rhythms; the predominant condition is that of twilight. Gottfried Semper could still divide architects into three groups – materialists, historicists and schematists or purists. Today, the materialists may be historical as well as speculative; the historicists both mathematical and schematic, while the schematists or purists are no less prone to historicism. What they all

share is a dream-like overestimation of the role of architecture, both with regard to its real "achievement" and the possibilities it has for influencing life. Schools do battle in buildings put up by other schools, and each time they fight as if the world were at stake. Of course the destruction caused to European cities by the Second World War and the opportunity this offered for planning mistakes on a scale never seen before have distorted the perspective a little. Berlin today still offers architects the concrete illusion that urban planning is possible. Nevertheless, we should bear in mind the purely quantitative relation between the exiting stock which the existing stockof of buildings buildings and and the the volume volume which any one generation can add; and above all we should accept the fact that every generation has to live in the buildings its predecessors have left behind. So far, each generation has had to come to terms with this historical inheritance, this "inherent determinism"; they have all set up house and lived their different social lives here. One of the most fatal illusions of functionalism was the belief that there is unity between architectural form and social life, indeed the delusion that architecture can give elementary expression to life and is capable of forming it.

12

As early as 1930, Josef Frank in Vienna argued that a house which was easy and pleasant to live in could be built in any style. We could put it differently today: form is not necessarily dependent on purpose; rather its relation to purpose is something which is planned, calculated, voluntary. That is what constitutes its message, and there there is is always always aanhistorical historicalaspect aspecttotothis. this.The Therelareand lationshipbetween betweenform formand andpurpose purposeisistherefore therefore always always tionship historicalrelationship relationshipand and constitutes constitutes only only aa brief brief aanhistorical episode in the life of a building. From the moment of its realisation, the reception and interpretation of form will go their own ways, while the material existence of the building will offer scope for utilisation and function according to the way it is built; and this can never be fully exhausted by the form.

shades of colour. The poetry of the place, whatever that may be, has emerged with all the variety of a big city created from an agglomeration of small villages and it shows no major typological lines of development, but instead layering, mixtures, transmutations. The historical element in the city is too omnipresent to be perceived as historical.

Whatever Rob Krier's role may have been in the antior post-functionalist movement of the 1970s, his work, especially that in Vienna, does raise certain 'existential' questions. If we ignore for the moment the general denunciation of these trends as 'restorative' and 'bourgeois-deterministic', there are some criticisms which we simply cannot overlook. The most important of these is that this is an unreflected use of historical patOn the other hand, the scope for use can never keep pace terns in urban planning, where their phenomenological with the intellectual dimension of the form and the dif- use, so to speak, is as a self-contained aesthetic system; ferent roles this plays throughout the course of history. historicism historicalconsciousness. consciousness. It It is is an an historicism without withoutan a historical If this were not so, architectural design would have no accusation that history is present in form, but absent in historical significance at all. But that also means that, in content; and indeed that structural, political and ecothis field, architects are concerning themselves with the nomic planning, being technical processes, are exmost transient aspects of the building – a visual phe- cluded. But precisely these have been the main concern nomenon which will willbe bean a historical mo- of functionalist urban planning (i.e. planning motivated nomenon which historical document document the the motechnologyand andscience) science)ininthe thelast lastfifty 50 years. ment the building is finished. It is perhaps this 'lack of by technology years. There reality' that makes architects so inclined to vastly over- is also the accusation that this is a positivist and ultiestimate their profession. The trivialisation of function- mately romantic attitude to the profession, affirming as alism would never have been so readily accepted if form it does the neutrality of historical models and methods really played a primary role in building. The paradox is of building and pretending that these can be recreated complete when one recognises that, beyond the physical or copied by anyone, at any time. nature of the building, only the form can give it permanence – permanence in the sense of an idea once spoken, There is more to this confused argument and I can formulated, whose materialisation occurs (according to indicate further points of attack, such as the objection Oswald Wiener) with its first repetition. that glorification of the craft of building betrays a woeful ignorance of the realities of building economics; Since the architectural concept has only a diminishing the belief that there is a binding grammar and syntax can learn learn from from text textbooks); chance of survival against the reality of the building, of architecture (that one can books); we would appear to have reached that point where the the provocative insistence on the postulated timeless'architect as designer' (I almost spoke of the 'architect ness of certain (but not all) historical phenomena, as thinker') changes from being a producer to a con- thus leading to a schematisation of architectural ideas sumer to take on the task of articulating unsatisfied de- and, ultimately, the construction of parameters persires. And while the heads of architectural factories taining to an equally unchanging image of man and stamp around exhibitions, criticising everything in sight society. and changing appointments to juries and the editorial boards of architectural periodicals, their minions at the Although Aldo Rossi's typological draughtsmanship drawing boards are already working on a new vocabu- poetically transforms history, while at the same time lary. So the copyists reach the building stage faster than distancing its collective content from the present as those whose works are being copied, while the division history, this question does not appear to arise for Rob of labour and the concentration of profit remain unaf- Krier at all. And (this being the worst criticism), while fected. the architect who thinks historically is always at pains to remain at the head of historical development and It could well be argued that Vienna is not a good place to define his own path through history – in other to do justice to the work of Rob Krier. Despite her words, to document his distance from it – Rob Krier Baroque edifices Vienna exhibits exhibits works outside history to the extent that he uses its Baroque edifices and and the the Ringstrasse, Ringstraße, Vienna little of the basic grammar of urban planning; her his- products as materials, as the aesthetic deposits of untorical sensibility (or irritability?) lies more in the reflected processes, as a treasure-chest of unprocessed sphere of idiom – in the relativity of the half-tones and experience.

13

Before attempting to answer this criticism, I would like to introduce another aspect into the discussion. One could maintain that Krier's architecture derives from a reality in design, rather than from historical tradition. His drawings derive their statement (message, mood) from an undefined and, indeed, veiled distance to historical scenarios. The moment of concealment and covering of what has not been brought to the surface generally plays a major part, especially in the figures. Even the naked figures wear masks; they are masks, behind which more masks appear. And the 'architectural world' he draws has the character of a scene, a reminiscence produced from movable scenery, often corresponding more to an inner reality than an outer one. We could also speak of a dream world made real, using alienated historical historicalelements elementsand andpenetrating penetrating'our ‚our realienated realiality‘, sometimes more andsometimes sometimesless. less.ItItisis in in this ty', sometimes more and this sphere that we find the filter to real history, to the living tradition, and to historical truth. One could argue that this artistic world arises from opposition to existing buildings, certainly to the aesthetic and intellectual bankruptcy of contemporary architecture and urban planning. It is a hypothetical counterworld whose only chance of being realised is in drawings. This might also explain the unconcealed pathos, the emotion of the presentation, the often depressively monumental mood, a dimension of architectural emotionality which the field of architecture has hitherto never seen in this form. But be they psychodrama or a counter-world (or the two combined), it is this which gives these drawings the fascination and suggestive force they exercise. This is the key which shows the absurdity of the criticism that this is historicising. Krier would appear to concern himself with history only insofar as it guarantees him a certain constancy of spatial experience; and it is with the patterns he derives from this that he calls into question the basis of the current architectural approach. He appears to have no intention of learning from history in another sense, or of reproducing a specific historical world. His link with history lacks concrete ties to historical processes or truths; the phenomenological basis is insufficient for the renewal and articulation of spatial experience. The use of classical categories in the formulation of urban spaces, the adaptations of well-proven patterns (streets, squares, courtyards) and their variations, the withdrawal into a 'sane' reliance on the craft of building can only be explained by the contention between the psychical situation of protests and the architectural reality which induced it. The proof of this thesis seems to me to to lie lie in inKrier‘s Krier's few few buildings, buildings, particularly particularly the me the RitRitterstrassehousing housingproject project in in Berlin, Berlin, whose whose architecture architecture terstraße is aasynthesis synthesis (not (not necessarily necessarily aa compromise) compromise) of is of wishful wishful

thinking and what one might describe as contingency. The monumentalism of the drawing and the model were lost when the building was realised. The axial structure and the arched entrance create a straightforward, unobtrusive and coherent urban situation. The entrance lobby is on a grand scale and has something of the attraction of urban (bourgeois) entrance halls and stairwells. The typology of the individual apartments is not only 'practical', that is, utilisable in a number of ways, but it also exercises a spatial fascination – it is architecture in the best and most natural sense of the word. No one could say that the scheme on Ritterstraße Ritterstrasse is aahistoricist historicist building – it is much more a reflection of history, or better, it introduces historical spatial experience as a new concept. This in itself should be sufficient to counter the suspicions and accusations outlined above. If one also considers the over-strained autonomy of architecture, the inherent laws of the medium, then Krier's method of aesthetic reception and reflection appears to have even greater legitimacy. If it is not permitted to generalise any architectural or formal principle (or indeed any system in any field whatsoever), or to claim totality for the same, then, of course, the language developed by Rob Krier is only meaningful within the context of the contemporary scene; from the experience of an urban landscape that had been planned to death in Stuttgart, to the problems of urban repair in Berlin, including the criticism of 1970s functionalism and the breakaway to an architectural style that was not blinkered by doctrinaire approaches. Today, it is all too easy to forget the architectural situation that prevailed in the 1960s, the unfulfilled hopes of a politicised, technical and scientific architecture and the realities of the economic situation. By its very nature, architecture is capable of creating 'complete systems', formalised philosophies, all of which bear the seeds of a claim to totality. Fashions are sometimes subject to such claims with the result that their counter movements ignore their substance. The work of Rob Krier may well produce such an effect (if it has not already been doing so) and it would be a shame if it were to become the victim of such an abstruse dynamic. Within the bounds of a brief foreword, it is not possible to analyse the work of Rob Krier in its wider context. For this, we should have to consider not only the continuous dialogue with his brother, Leo, but also outline his general development over the last ten years. What we have here is more of a snapshot of the discussion which is now taking place in Vienna, and in which Rob Krier plays a central role as a constant 'point of friction'; affectionately jostled, sometimes courted, but generally kept at arm's length from building.

14

18

Kenneth Frampton KRIER IN 18CONTEXT

inhuman s housing patial stand18 ds im designed to date, for not only is posed by the German (1976),auwhere variousarnineteenth century urban composhould no thorities. While s18posed by the Ger m u of the load-bearing masonry a uch minimal standards nentse do themselves combined into a single not pray for immortality, but only not to see dfind transit views of railway crossings into Switzerland c o a h u n b m t be increas inimal sta (1976), w te e on a here vam ed bcorner n d a tently carried through, the plan by society, Krier's insis- nclabyrinthine complex: the building, the porte our acts and all things stripped suddenly of all (Bergstrasse Gotthard, 1975). c r y e d a n s s ri tr o o c a us ninetee l and form nents fin 18 18 iety,18Krier's often seem nth century d thecompoallcourtyards, in y designed and s n appointed spatial standards imposed by the German (1976), where various nineteenth century urban living space cochere, the atrium, the the amphitheatre s their meaning… Night Flight, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry a is to p m p im o s inted livin elves co labyrinthin pose unne urban commension of spaciousness 18 on e ach mbined gvarious cessainfrastructure. p e sthe o p ievinterstitial c dlo of the other solutions. The balanced human spatial standards imposed by German authorities. While suchthand minimal standards (1976), where nineteenth century urban components find themselves combined into a single sarily formal constraints the arcaded At same a o c ri m em e ly p le enthe in fo cochere, x: the co t of a conv rmal cons the atrthe rner build to a sintened tr g eniennents le a in o tently ca hexagonal central room ousing While such minimal standards oient doubt be increased by society, Krier's insisfind themselves combined into a single labyrinthine complex: the corner building, porte andauthorities. liberating plan. time, the primary architectural reference is all too apAnatomies of Melancholy ts iu t m a n , the cour and the in ing, the p d liberatin One notes ty teamphitheatre oalthough gthe a r rs p te r ,society, d la ti te mension b furnishing such a spa spatial spatial standards standards imposed imposed inhuman by the by spatial German the German standards imposed by the German ould no inhuman doubt be increased by Krier's insisa inhuman central and formally appointed living space (1976), (1976), where where various various nineteenth nineteenth century (1976), century urban where compourban various componineteenth century urban compolabyrinthine complex: the corner building, the porte cochere, the atrium, courtyards, the propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department store From the way in which he represents most of his projs ti n y , a . th w l a a e time, the rcaded in y of contr amphithe Berlin Ha fr privarious aand alem, sregarded aastrusingle tr t, nWhile m e savisKrier h m a other so since almost no part of the inhuman spatial standards imposed by the German housing authorities. authorities. While such minimal housing such minimal authorities. standards standards While such minimal standards nce on ahousing central and formally appointed living space ms to impose unnecessarily formal constraints (1976), where nineteenth century urban components nents find themselves find themselves combined combined nents into find a into single themselves combined into a single cochere, the atrium, the courtyards, the amphitheatre the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. At the same how Alvar Aalto, in his (1910) patently evoked here, even if the elevational ects, Rob could be as an architect of ino ry c w ie tu a rt A re rc p e lvar Aalto . At the s l apartmen ropriate, fo hitectural nipulate re abuilding, ,invariably m ts re in r e qliberating fe o L h o tened he uby the swinging of doors. Nevert authorities. While such minimal standards should should no notohousing be doubt increased be increased society, should by society, Krier's no doubt Krier's insisbe increased insisby society, Krier's insisten seems toofdoubt impose unnecessarily constraints hievement a convenient and plan. nents find themselves combined into a single labyrinthine labyrinthine complex: complex: the corner the corner building, labyrinthine building, the complex: porte the porte the corner the porte and the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. At the same time, the primary architectural reference is all too apof 1956, was able masyntax has to do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). f habited spaces, inasmuch as his projects are re is o ir 1 o 9 eformal n s mmore 5 c 's e 6 (1 ents in suc , was able Michaele is all too 910) is pa hcentral rpla to aspaces te p areading m n wsociety, te although tz are both ingeniously sit should no doubt betence increased by Krier's insistence on tence a central onaaof central and formally and formally appointed appointed living aplan. living space and space formally appointed living space nway the achievement a convenient and liberating labyrinthine complex: the corner building, the porte cochere, cochere, the atrium, the atrium, the courtyards, the courtyards, cochere, the amphitheatre the the amphitheatre atrium, the courtyards, the amphitheatre primary architectural reference is all too appropriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department store as to create liberA key element this is the presence in the shown occupied byofon both animate inanimate figures, tl a aytime, y d e e asand v p s oked here yntax has artment s to create a toproportioned. ,same m liLoos's evthe re oreelevational ber-interstitial e al lem, sin tence onsketches asometimes central formally living space seems often seems to impose to how impose unnecessarily unnecessarily often formal seems constraints toappointed impose constraints unnecessarily formal constraints es,often by way of contrast, Alvar Aalto, in hisformal cochere, the atrium, the courtyards, the amphitheatre and the and interstitial the arcaded arcaded infrastructure. infrastructure. and the At interstitial the At arcaded same infrastructure. At the same propriate, for Michaelerplatz department store is column, patently evoked here, even if the ofand Loos's giant Doric submitted and even by (1910) mythical flora and fauna. The n to if d th Afor o e elevatio with Loos key elem nal 's e n S t c le the swin toHouse, impose unnecessarily formal constraints on the on achievement the achievement of aDickes convenient awas convenient on and the liberating and achievement liberating ofplan. aofconvenient and plan. ne notes, byapartments way ofoften contrast, Alvar Aalto, hisplan. ansaviertel ofseems 1956, able to maand the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. At the same time, the time, primary the primary architectural architectural reference time, reference the is all primary too is all aparchitectural too apreference is all too ap(1910) is patently evoked here, even if the elevational syntax has more to do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). theofhow Chicago Tribune competition 1922, which issliberating fibuilt inin Luxembourg-Bridel in 1974, is o h f e u th H ketches o is reading ouse (191 fMichaelerplatz 2). is the store LScheu o o tha spaces The brick-faced polygonal res on athe of aable convenient and liberating plan. erlin Hansaviertel apartments 1956, was marequirements in such way asoftoin create aHere, libertime, the primary architectural reference is all too appropriate, propriate, fortoreading Loos's for Loos's Michaelerplatz propriate, department department for store Loos's Michaelerplatz department store syntax more Loos's House (1912). A key element of this is the presence in the nally transformed here into the columnar hinge-point of aachievement case point. intothe maquette ofhas the house, ado figs 's p g r thwith ia e e Chicago sence in nt Doric c thethat T oelevational lu ri sp proporti which Krier proposed for One requirements notes, One notes, by wayby way contrast, contrast, how One Alvar how notes, Aalto, Alvar by Aalto, inway his in contrast, his how Alvar Aalto, in his pulate inofsuch aofway as to create a liberpropriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department store is patently is patently evoked here, even here, (1910) if even the is elevational if patently the evoked here, even if the elevational Aof key element of this reading is the presence in the sketches of(1910) Loos's giant Doric column, submitted for b the corner building. That this proposal was never reuratively ambiguous sculpture (wherein a (1910) hand appears m u n n , e naevoked s c ubmitted ompetitio lly transfo fo neven rmewhich r o f p are surely the most historicist of One notes, byis way of contrast, Aalto, in his Berlin Berlin Hansaviertel Hansaviertel apartments apartments of 1956, Berlin was 1956, Hansaviertel was toor able mato apartments maoffragment) 1956, was able to ma(1910) is patently evoked here, if the elevational syntax has more has to more do with to do Loos's with Loos's Scheu syntax Scheu House has more House (1912). to (1912). do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). sketches ofsyntax Loos's giant Doric column, submitted for the Chicago Tribune competition of 1922, is fito be regretted athow many levels, not only because toalised be holding aof vial, aable leaf, anAlvar architectural d 1 9 h 2 e th re 2 , which is e corner b into the co fi-the uilof luScheu m d The bric scheme, together with Krier's "t Berlinin apartments of 1956, was able to manipulate nipulate requirements requirements such ina such way as aimply way to create ashas requirements tonally acreate libera liberin the such aaTribune way asaof to create a libersyntax has more to do with Loos's House (1912). A key Aelement key element this of reading this reading is the A key is presence the element presence in the of this in the reading is presence in the the Chicago 1922, which is fitransformed here into the columnar hinge-point of the city oftonipulate Vienna been deprived of remarkable isHansaviertel rendered that the house, sculpture and in n a g r . h T licompetition in sed is to b hat this p ge-point o rof opFigure f gDoric ofor nipulate requirements inon such way as tosketches create a proposal liberAeisLoos's key element ofnever this reading is the presence incolumn, the sketches of Loos's of Doric giant column, sketches column, submitted Loos's submitted for that whT nally transformed here into the columnar hinge-point corner building. That this was re- of submitted piece of figures urbanism, butathe also because the Figure 3e re 4 forDoric the model the terrace are in some way analre s giant th cgiant itaproposal y of Vien tted at many levels al was never ren th sketches of Loos's giant Doric column, submitted for Chicago the Chicago Tribune Tribune competition competition of the 1922, Chicago of which 1922, Tribune which is fiis competition fiof 1922, which is fi- are surel the corner building. That this proposal was never realised tothe be regretted at many levels, not only because monumental versionofofthe onematerial ofis Krier's most paradigmatic ogous. The similarity employed suggests , a n h o pie a t s o nly becau ce of urb been depri sefialevels, ninto v is e d m ar scheme, Chicago Tribune competition of 1922, which is nally nally transformed here into here the columnar the nally columnar hinge-point transformed hinge-point of here into of the columnar hinge-point of alised is totransformed be regretted at many not only because the city ofDickes Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable domestic worksis–a his canonical House, which that the sculpture symbolic condensation of not o , f b monly u a othe t also bec remarkab numental acolumnar leof vThat u e s rs e sc io nally transformed here into the hinge-point the corner the corner building. building. That this proposal this the proposal corner was never building. was renever That rethis proposal was never rethe city of Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable piece of urbanism, but also because the is a was completed in the same year. the building, but also the idea of its occupation. That we th n e d o o p f mestic wo roposal is Figure 21 one of Kri eproposal rk are- not only because r' s s m – the corner building. That this was never alised is alised toof beone isregretted be regretted at many at levels, many alised levels, not is only to not be because only regretted because at many levels, piece of urbanism, also because the proposal is a monumental version of Krier's most paradigmatic are justified in reading Krier's sculptural pieces as ano h s is wtoabut t p c aradigmati s complete anonical D c dbedeprived icremarkable in kes H alised is to regretted not theseems city–theof city Vienna Vienna hasDickes been has been ofcity remarkable ofofVienna alevels, has been deprived of a remarkable monumental version of one of Krier's paradigmatic domestic works his canonical House, which Modernity versus Tradition thropomorphic ciphers for his houses to beof conthmost e deprived sthe o am uonly se, wbecause eatyamany e a h r. ic h the city of Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable piece of piece of but also but because also because piece the proposal of the urbanism, proposal is a but is also a because the proposal is a domestic –M canonical Dickes House, which completed inworks the same year. Rob Krier has didactic recentlywas moved away from aurbanism, conception firmed by the proportional scheme ofhis ourbanism, dernity ve rs uone s of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a monumental version version of one of Krier's of monumental Krier's most paradigmatic most version paradigmatic of one of Krier's most paradigmatic was completed inR same year. of his House, works as abstract masses a greater preoccupaSiemer built in Stuttgart intomonumental 1968, where athe T ra d ogiant it bpiece ion Krier has cversion entlDickes monumental of one of Krier's most paradigmatic domestic works works –w his canonical – hisrecanonical domestic Dickes House, works House, which – his which canonical Dickes House, which Modernity versus Tradition tion with architectural form. Thisdomestic is most immediately seated woman is depicted as determining the essential of his y m oved awa orks as ab y frDickes gure 21 Figure 28 Fig s o domestic works – his canonical House, which was completed was completed the same in the year. same year. was completed in the same year. Modernity versus Rob Krier hasnineteenth-century recently away from a conception apparent in of the harmonics ofhis thereinterpretation entire house. tr m timoved a oTradition c a t ninw c masses to o ith archite a greater p nception cturain was completed the same year. Rob Krier has moved away from a conception his works as abstract to a greater preoccupaGerman brick tradition,ofparticularly after therecently realisation apmasses l pare fo reoccuparm. This is nt in his re mo Tradition intea immediately Figure 21FigureFig 21 Figure Modernity Modernity versus Modernity versus of his asG abstract masses to greater preoccupation with architectural form. This isTradition most of his Ritterstrasse housing project inthe Berlin. RitThe anima and the21Doppelgänger areworks unacknowleFor rmaversus ure 23 nTradition brick trad rpretation of the nin st immediately itmoved Figure 21 Modernity versus Rob Krier Rob has Krier has moved away Rob away afrom conception hasa recently conception away from a conception Figure 28 tion with architectural This is immediately apparent infor his ofrecently the nineteenth-century terstrasse, despite subtlety, is still "white and edged "doubles" ofits Krier's work, ifreinterpretation there ahrecently eteenth-cmoved io ois f abstract" nmost , pTradition isconafrom rt Ritform. icuKrier entury teKrier la Figure 22 rs rlpreoccupatr y aaway aof s ft s e e Fi ure 22 Rob has recently moved from a conception of ofhishis as abstract as abstract masses masses to a of greater his to a works greater as preoccupaabstract masses apparent inworks reinterpretation the nineteenth-century German brick tradition, particularly after the realisation architecture, whereas follows in Krier's work is architect whowhat conceives hishis projects in light r h te th o rsworks u e ating and temporary s tr re in asse, desp alisation to a greater preoccupag project e nmore itin e itBerlin. in lyricatraditionally B s of his works as abstract masses to a greater preoccupation with tion architectural with architectural form. This form. is tion This most with is immediately most architectural immediately form. This is most immediately German brick tradition, particularly after the realisation of his Ritterstrasse housing project For Ritstructured and frequently designed in mythical presences, it is Krier. This attitude links his a s e rc u rl b varying an veof in h tl l it ety, is still . For Ritarrangem ecture, w d fteprecision ent, with hearchitectural whis reaof hitreinterpretation n conflictibrickwork ment, appropriate tion withproject form. apparent apparent his reinterpretation in his reinterpretation the apparent nineteenth-century offothe nineteenth-century in"This of the nineteenth-century ofasymbolism his Ritterstrasse housing in Berlin. For Ritdespite itsin subtlety, isasstill "white abstract" features, aterstrasse, to proto-surrealistic and to the m eisanmost pprotraditional s and oresuch w too, emtoplotheoarchitecture d h p a tr absimmediately ri t a d te n tract" it g ll io to oafter asin naparticularly wbrick yedPiranesian peRomantic th s in llisin edespite ctsand yinstill s arubbed-brick tr K Figure 22 pects of family He, apparent his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century German German brick tradition, brick tradition, particularly German after the realisation the tradition, realisation particularly after the realisation terstrasse, its subtlety, "white and abstract" architecture, whereas what follows Krier's work is arches header string courses. Lindenclassical art; to the works o p central thread u f ri re c fa e such alife. tu c r' m is re s work is ion brickw ily life. H d and freq living roo way as to e,Berlin-Spandau u o m, more e rk n c gure 23 butnis Figure 22a Böcklin, room, hehadid so in German brick tradition, particularly after the realisation of his of Ritterstrasse his Ritterstrasse housing housing project project of in his Berlin. Ritterstrasse in Berlin. For RitFor housing Ritproject in Berlin. For Ritarchitecture, whereas what follows in Krier's work is traditionally structured and frequently designed in ufer 34, infill terraced housing for of Arnold Giorgio de Chirico, Caspar David ru tl re b w y b a u it d te b t h e e h signed in d-brick arc e did so in traditiona larger am ble space ldespite oFriedrich hesubtlety, fe unt oprecision w(1978–1979), s a ithappropriate d even lyrical to the amount of quietarrangement, and fur- Friedrich of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Ritterstrasse, terstrasse, despite despite its subtlety, its is still "white is terstrasse, still "white and abstract" and abstract" its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" more traditionally structured and frequently designed in brickwork with traditional features, such as represents a clear shift in this direction. Figure 5 Karl Schinkel. Thus we may u a tu f n in theand e f re d r q h s u 3 , such as eader strin iet and fur4, infill te confines o gis r c f r o a th ingFigure and 23even Figure lyrical arrangement, Figure appropriate 22Figure Figure 22 23 to the Figure 22 and often conflicting aspects of family life. He, Figure 30 Fig nes of the family hearth. terstrasse, despite its subtlety, still "white and abstract" architecture, architecture, whereas whereas what follows what follows architecture, in Krier's in Krier's work whereas is work what is follows in Krier's work is precision brickwork with traditional features, such as rubbed-brick arches and header string courses. Linden(1 Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of easily detect a certain Piranesian sensibility in Krier's u c rs e e 9 d K e fa 7 s rie23 8 h m . –1979), re ousing fo Lindenr is at his ily hearth pstructured rfollows . terraced bNotizen re B esthe s H Figureroom, 23 Figure 22 rying and of family life. He, ployed a central living but he did so in e architecture, whereas what in Krier's work is more traditionally more traditionally structured and frequently and more frequently traditionally designed designed in structured in and frequently designed in rubbed-brick arches and header string courses. Lindenufer 34, infill housing for Berlin-Spandau load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" In terms of figurative imagery, however, de Chirico is Notizen am Rande – his sketches of Berlin's sewer oute taspects am Rande – his sketches of Berlin s sewer outr n e a li moften ts re t n th um spconflicting , a S a contrast e urban sc clear shif pandau alyrical ceven e ramount eliving t and is primary adid qlyrical insuch leliving uarrangement, atraditional ,w ff irfenestration th ating and ating ating appropriate and appropriate even to lyrical the toprecision the arrangement, appropriate to o, employed aand central room, so(1978–1979), ay as towhere create athe larger of and furscale, minimore traditionally structured ina growing precision with precision features, features, brickwork such with asdesigned traditional features, interest such as in pictures ufer 34,represents infill housing for Berlin-Spandau a-bbrickwork clear shift in direction. ofhe the rooms. the point of departure, not for the common thfrequently lets, earthworks and graves, published in Lotus 13, in em ethe earthworks and graves, published in Lotus 13, in with ebrickwork is as cthis geneven hein tedtraditional loterraced earrangement, d re nquiet a ir ero ts abut d b econly th e sity and clets, tw tion. e e r e a m e ri edirection. coarrangement, ini-hisisrubbed-brick nagevocation noftraditional m thcourses. m p e la e a o fe n ating and even lyrical appropriate to the Figure varying and often and conflicting often conflicting aspects varying aspects of family of and family life. often He, life. conflicting He, aspects of family life. He, ch a way as create a larger amount of quiet and furspace within the confines of the family hearth. One thinks of the impact of30br compensated for in the s precision brickwork with features, such as rubbed-brick arches arches and header and header string rubbed-brick courses. string Lindenarches Lindenand header string courses. Linden(1978–1979), represents clear shift in this Here, a contrast affected between the old tectonic ri of magically occupied squares, as in say, de 1976. A similar intent is evident in drawings of ld s o n ty a n uvarying e te te ry la s o tr d c f rto ly the cas tonic of ation of th and the n the urban for in the ew e confines edid sphe li in a v " c Fi varying and often conflicting aspects of family life. He, employed employed a central a central living living room, too, room, but employed but did he so a did in central so in living room, but he so in shable space the of the family hearth. nineteenth-century countryside antoo, space. is particrubbed-brick arches and header string courses. Lindenufer 34, ufer infill 34, terraced infill terraced housing housing for ufer Berlin-Spandau 34, for Berlin-Spandau infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of the load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis Chirico's The Soothsayer's Recompense (1913), but also bridges, quays and alpine engineering works; his inc in e th Chirico s The Soothsayer s Recompense (1913), but also u . Rtoo, g T rt e eThis ro h a nnwithin p in is erimeter oms. weg in V -wall" is partichaoquiet ie u n A s a growi too, employed a central living room, but he did so in aPsuch way as a way to create as to a create larger a amount larger such amount of way of and as quiet to furcreate and fura larger amount of quiet and furat such his best the urban scale, where the mininacle-like forms created by pro er housing for ufer 34, infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau (1978–1979), (1978–1979), represents represents a clear a shift clear (1978–1979), in shift this in direction. this represents direction. a clear shift in this direction. the load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" fenestration of the living rooms. n between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more for the Italian's three-dimensional icons, for example, in t for the Italian s three-dimensional icons, for example, a g L ragatplanned ( in 1 p 9 lanned fo denufer 3 er Platz ( 77) and in r confines 4his 1compensated 9within 78way ththe band a thin such aurban to create larger amount ofHere, quiet nishable space the the confines of nishable the of space within hearth. the the family hearth. rier at atare the scale, where the miniace requirements for ina family the German Craftsm nd inis the proposals for (1978–1979), clear in this direction. aHere, aof contrast is affected is, th affected between between Here, the old aathe contrast tectonic oldshift tectonic is ofaffected ofwhich between the old Association tectonic of of One fenestration offurrooms. complete adaptation the Berlin brick tradition. Parais econtrast Hector Andromache (1936), is eof )confines his Hector and (1936), which is perhaps perhaps tw Hnishable pfamily anas sorepresents ohis rhearth. ethe o wspace meand e d p n ebest S o ver, within oliving w s o ld a u haAndromache ls th a K tload-bearing n f ri aangel F o d w e r r n ie r' kbetween e s d w w u c r a ic rb o O nineteen nishable space within the confines of the family hearth. um space are compensated for in the ty and clarity of the urban space. This is particof this century; above all, per Friedrichstadt (1977). Here, a contrast is affected the old tectonic of the load-bearing the load-bearing masonry masonry and the and new the the "curtain-wall" new "curtain-wall" masonry and the new "curtain-wall" At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis doxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this the model for the "angel" planted on the axis of Krier's is rd m planted on the axis of Krier s the model for the tl h a e estrequirements s n p a li ta le d n m dt (1977) esign inva tithesis te adaptati inflection inated in fa . and ridramatically w othe a n h b v d e o ly o o n nacle-lik Krier isKrier at his is best at his at best the urban at the scale, urban Krier where scale, is at where the his minibest the at minithe urban scale, where miniand clarity of the urban space. This is particenerosity casesig in the perimeter housing planned for steel-framed and brick-faced w nvariably its subthe load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" fenestration fenestration of the living of the rooms. living rooms. fenestration of the living rooms. At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis between old new is eliminated in favour of a more tradition is most revealed in the white plasRitterstrasse block in Berlin. Krier's conception of this re f u x s conception of this Ritterstraße block in Berlin. Krier a th r ic h tt o e e a a nattains f ll in B has been c a more a piece o y enough, s its suberlin brick fand omfor th u tr r tr e m b a a n German Krier is at his best at the urban scale, where the minimum mum space requirements requirements are compensated are mum compensated space for requirements in for the in the are compensated for in the the case in the perimeter housing planned for garly in Vienna (1977) in the proposals in 1922. However, while hydr en commissioned to dep fenestration of the living rooms. between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. Parater model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect piece as an anima is suggested by his writing: "Being a d d is Lospace ro n it it s io to io in io w n -E n f n er Austria . Paraill, as in h ed to deis most dra xpression isspace. Staclarity is m te t p a a te r Gc of this mum space are compensated for in the generosity and for clarity and of urban of the space. urban generosity This is and This particclarity is particof the urban space. This is particennweg in Vienna (1977) and in the proposals for latz (1978) and South Friedrichstadt (1977). that which Bruno Taut nostalg ingenerosity his proposal the At Lindenufer At Lindenufer 34, this 34, somewhat this somewhat awkward At Lindenufer awkward antithesis 34, antithesis this somewhat awkward antithesis complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. Paradoxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this the bowed and set-back façades. In many ways as keen on sculpture as I am on architecture, I intend to r ti s o m p c p G a e o o ll c oshallow, d s t y vrequirements el, where al for the of this ernment b revealed in thistake e uhousing this th ilthe lo d(1977). e o steel-fra generosity clarity ofsubthe space. This particularly ularly the(1978) case the in case the in perimeter theand housing planned case in for the for perimeter housing planned for ager Platz and South Friedrichstadt r,ent Krier's urban invariably attains its e "city crown", or Stadtkrone, th building indesign Vienna At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis between between old and old new and new eliminated is eliminated in between favour in favour old of a and more of new a more is eliminated in favour of a more doxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this tradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plasthis isperimeter one ofularly the most solutions that Krier has responsibility for every action, even the most w inurban s w h re gintegrated h a it li ll inplanned e plaseving arch ow, bowe Vienna d foolhardy. es hadaptation athe this n d iscomplete e st in 1922 theinvariably case the housing planned Rennweg Rennweg in Vienna inbeen Vienna (1977) (1977) andininRennweg and the in proposals proposals Vienna fortradition (1977) for and in the proposals for owever, Krier's design attains itsin subection where heurban hasularly commissioned toperimeter de-the ness of such forms for resident between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more complete adaptation of Berlin of the Berlin brick complete tradition. brick tradition. ParaParaof the Berlin brick tradition. Paramost dramatically revealed in the white plaster model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect The figurative attribute of the home is as lp s is e tto oadaptation b nfor inflect ack façad e of the m easpect oproto-Expressionist s. Berlin st the In in in that whi Rennweg in Vienna (1977) in ter the proposals forset-back Prager Prager Platz (1978) Platz and South and South Friedrichstadt Prager Friedrichstadt Platz (1977). (1978) (1977). and South Friedrichstadt (1977). est inflection where he has been commissioned toand deece of urban infill, as(1978) in his proposal for the the end, one must conclude tha complete adaptation of the brick tradition. Paradoxically doxically enough, therelieving doxically enough, aspect of this the of proto-Expressionist this aspect of this model, where theenough, low arches help to inflect the shallow, bowed and façades. Intemany ways old asproto-Expressionist humanity and has profound and many-sided m te a gra n y ways d solution swhite th th "city cro Prager Platz (1978) andattains South Friedrichstadt (1977). However, Krier's urban urban invariably However, invariably Krier's attains its subits subdesign invariably attains its subgnHowever, a piece ofKrier's urban infill,design as indesign his in proposal for the Austria State Government building Vienna in Krier's repertoire; a folly tha doxically enough, proto-Expressionist aspect of this tradition tradition is most is dramatically most dramatically revealed tradition revealed the is inways the plaswhite dramatically plasrevealed in the white plasthe shallow, bowed and set-back façades. many this isurban one of the most integrated solutions that the Krier has motivations. InInin addition to functional structure I was amost t Kits ri er has ness of"cs However, urban invariably attains itsthe subtlestAustria inflection tlest inflection where where he hasKrier's he been has commissioned been tlest design inflection commissioned towhere de-this tohe dehas been commissioned to deower State Government building in Vienna idiosyncrasies of the site. is most dramatically revealed the relieving white plaster model, ter model, where where the low relieving low relieving ter model, arches help to where help inflect to thein inflect low arches is one of mosttradition integrated solutions that Krier has tothe provide aarches positive detail. To me, it represents thehelp to inflect n tlestofinflection where he has been design a sign piecea of piece urban urban infill, as infill, in his as sign in proposal ahis piece proposal for ofcommissioned urban theforthe infill, theshallow, astoin his proposal for the terbowed model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect the shallow, bowed and set-back and set-back the façades. shallow, In many In bowed ways many and ways set-back façades. symbol offaçades. an architectural dimension which has beenIn many ways the end, th sign Government aState piece1Government of urban infill, in in his proposal for of the LowerLower AustriaAustria State building Lower building Austria inasVienna State Vienna building in Vienna Antinomies of Value the shallow, bowed and façades. In ways this is one this is one the most of the integrated most integrated solutions isset-back that one Krier offor that the has most Krier integrated hasmany solutions has in Krier Figure Figure 2Government lost. There isthis nosolutions money art in state housing, so I'mthat Krier idiosync Lower Austria State Government building in Vienna this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier hasKrier's work is riddled within Figure 24 id the one hand, a manifest intere Antinom proportional control and, on the Figure 25 A Krier'sth ure 25 Figure 26 Figure 27 increasing tendency toward Figure 26 the oneK th proporti Figure 27 Figure 25 Figure 26 Figure 27 p increasi

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any correspondence between the microcosmic dream and its realisation. Behind him we witness the apprehensive visage of the artist recalling the purity of the initial vision.

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

giving this work to the city on the understanding that it will be painted over from time to time. The statue, remote from the din of the road, faces the sun and lives through the changing of the seasons and its own moving shadow." Other de-Chiricoesque images abound in Krier's sketches; the classic Mediterranean horse or the "blind" gladiator recalled by Krier's portrait of the artist in an iron mask. This is the figure of the architect as the "other," irrespective of whether he or she possesses the innocence of youth or the somnolence of age. These parallel conditions are represented in two related and disturbingly revealing sketches. In one instance, the mask is being tentatively lifted from the face as though for the first time – letting in the blinding light of reality; in the other, it has assumed the bodily form of a weary veteran, already scarred and coarsened by repeated confrontations with empirical practice. Here we see the architect as Caliban, hovering over the maquette of the Dickes House and dispassionately pondering whether there is

Figure 10

Figure 11

Despite his public commitment to a Rationalist typology, Krier, through his drawing, constantly betrays a highly Romantic temperament, and with this, his affinity for the ethos and grain of Expressionism. (See, for example, the interior of Dickes House.) However, this peculiar sensibility reveals itself in other ways besides the quality of line and the awkwardness of the posture. It is also there in Krier's preference for blurred lemon-yellows, pinks and greys and in the arcades and squares of his hypothetical cities, peopled with shaggy, shadowy dramatic personae. These presences, we may assume, are the bearers of poetic content. Of this he wrote in 1980: "The deep meaning of the beauty of architecture lies in the need of the species to bestow poetic content upon utilitarian objects, which bear witness to the 'spirit' of that particular period for later generations." Although Krier is obviously referring here to architecture as an achieved history, his own work is also depicted as inhabited by figures that evoke the spirit of a particular time, despite the fact that these personages are largely the figments of his imagination – the demons of his psyche. Thus, his book book Stadtraum Stadtraum from his psyche. Thus, in in his from 1975, 1975, one one of his alternative treatments for a square is dominated by the image of a giant decapitated cranium from which petrified Piranesian fragments sprout into the sky. Even when the intention is ostensibly descriptive, as in the sketch entitled "Arcade Running Around the Square," Krier's self-consciously ironic spirit still intrudes, for in this version the square is occupied by a figure of a giant carp; a surreal presence and an allusion to the classic photograph, first first published published in in L L’Architecture photograph, 'Architecture Vivante Vivante in 1929, of a carp on the kitchen table in Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye.

Figure 12

16

Figure 14

Figure 13

Figure 15

Krier's sympathy for Le Corbusier's iconography can hardly be disputed. It is present in his highly textured renderings of human form and clothing, a technique that is indebted, in its turn, to Fernand Léger's remarkably animated representations of such features as hands, gloves, and baggy trousers; that is, the extremities or their coverings as the physical manifestation of the species' life and spirit. For Léger, gloves were literally the plastic embodiment of an absent presence, just as the hands themselves were the primary ciphers of the whole being-agents whole being-agents of of both both society society and and life life (Vieux (Vieux gants, 1930). is the the same same in inKrier‘s Krier's drawings, drawings, where where gants, 1930). It It is the crumpled surfaces of suits and dresses speak eloquently, through their habitual corrugations, of the deformities they contain. Nothing could be further from Leo Krier's purity of line, which first appeared in his peopling of Stirling's unbuilt Derby Town Hall (1970) with stylish figures drawn from the works of Otto Wagner.

spective techniques and their entirely different attitudes toward the character of the figure, they differ even more fundamentally in their overall concept of urban form and in the corresponding typologies they propose for its realisation. Thus, at the level of their preferential building types and elements, it is possible to claim that where Leo's choices are Neoclassical, Rob's if not Expressionist, are certainly ''Romanesque." No better proof of this can be found than in their respective prototypical houses – Leo's project for a painter's studio in Tuscany of 1974 and Rob's Dickes House of the same year. Where the former is a lithe composition predicated on making a traditional differentiation between the light trusswork of its pitched roof and the heavy mass of its pier supports, the latter draws its power from establishing a formal, rather than tectonic, contrast between a single massive corner column and the negative form of its rectangular emplacement. Where the one is tensile and flooded with light, the other is compressive, dark, and brooding; where the one is "classical" the other is almost anti-classical. Such distinctions tend to reappear in all the subsequent variations of these prototypes, from Leo's monumental public loggia, designed for Teerhof in Bremen in 1978, to Rob's building for the Lower Austria State Government from 1976, designed for Ballhausplatz in Vienna.

The Brothers Krier: Variations in Style Despite a common advocacy for the "reconstruction of the traditional city," marked differences distinguish the styles of Rob and Leo Krier. For, aside from their re-

These variations in tectonic form and tactile density find their corresponding parallels at the level of spatial planning. Thus, where Leo's apartment plans are invariably open, schematic, and relatively neutral with regard to room size and sequence, Rob's residential units tend to be hierarchically organised, not only in terms of their size and sequence, but also with respect to their shape. This concern became particularly critical in his project for an apartment house in Berlin-Spandau in 1978, where each of the two-bedroom units was centrally planned around a flattened octagonal living space that opened out onto balconies on either side of the apartment. He was to adopt a similar strategy in his Schinkelplatz housing project for South Friedrichstadt in Berlin (1977–1982). In this instance, the individual character of each apartment was differentiated through the shape of the central living room, which was

Figure 16

Figure 18

Figure 17

Figure 19

17

variously designed as square, rectangular, elliptical, cir- the observations that accompany the alternative façades cular or polygonal. Rob's determination to achieve room in Stadtraum go little further than to describe that which shapes and sequences that are determined according to is already displayed in the axonometrics. By way of 19th-century bourgeois standards of deportment has led, contrast, the consequences of making comparable transon occasion, when confronted with minimum standards, formations in either a given street section or an urban 18 to the aggregation of spaces that are unduly constricted. space are more cogently recognised by Krier when he In this regard, the pathos of his intention is evident in writes of the influence the bordering streets exert on the the following passage: "In the plan, the layout of the contingent space. Thus, of a street façade with a set-back waswhere decided by starting from the living room – attic, he writes: "This device reduces the height of designed mposed by the German rooms the to date, for not only i (1976), various nineteenth century urban compothe shape of acombined flattened octagon and building and creates a pleasing human scale. Thisoftype the load-bearing masonry uch minimal standards which nentstakes findon themselves into a – single via the hexagonal hall to thethe sevenby society, Krier's insis- proceeding John carried through, the pla labyrinthine complex: the entrance corner building, porte of section was applied with particular virtuosity bytently staircase hall. This not a case the of geometrical y appointed living space sided way, of spaciousness and cochere, the atrium, theiscourtyards, amphitheatre Nash in his Park Crescent, London." In a similarmension but simplyarcaded a logical development of the other solutions. The balanced sarily formal constraints fetishism, and the interstitial infrastructure. At the same when dealing with alternative morphological treatments of aprimary principal room to which the is secondary tened nient and liberating plan. concept is hexagonal central room time, the architectural reference all too ap- for a square, Krier notes how the sense of enclosure ones are connected. TheMichaelerplatz form of the living room grows although furnishing such a sp propriate, for Loos's department store transformed in perceivable terms by the axial or bilateral of theisneed to enlarge in theeven middle, it is penetration of one or more streets into the centralised lem, since almost no part of th how Alvar Aalto, in his out(1910) patently evokedithere, if thesince elevational family's theLoos's 'heartScheu of the House home' (L.B. the swinging of doors. Never of 1956, was able to ma- thesyntax hasmeeting more topoint, do with (1912). space. spaces are both ingeniously si way as to create a liber- Alberti) A key..." element of this reading is the presence in the proportioned. the sketches of Loos's giant Doric column, submitted for The limits of arbitrary permutation are proven by The that volume andcompetition mass may play in the which symbolic therole Chicago Tribune of 1922, is fi- fact that a comparable range of perceptual consequences establishment of thehere "home" hascolumnar always been one of of cannot be ascribed to many of Krier's alternative The brick-faced polygonal res nally transformed into the hinge-point Rob concerns. In proposal this, he has tended that which Krier proposed fo theKrier's cornerprimary building. That this was nevertore- façades. And while such exercises may accidentally bealised more isconcerned with at themany specific idiosyncrasies of generate combinations, there remains an uncomfortably are surely the most historicist o to be regretted levels, not only because thethe sitecity – its loci – than usually the in the mechanistic aspect to this elevational range. This haptic scheme, together with Krier's " ofgenus Vienna has beenisdeprived of acase remarkable more abstractly conceived projections of his brother. piece of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a method tends to have a destabilising effect on many of Thus, in the Schinkelplatz housing Rob is Krier's larger compositions, particularly where the overmonumental version of one of Krier's project, most paradigmatic clearly obsessed, paternalistic terms, with domestic worksin–somewhat his canonical Dickes House, which all form seems to be reduced to a disjunctive assembly thewas ideacompleted that the entire complex should be readily acces- of heterogeneous elements, as in the competition entry in the same year. sible to the "alienated" user: for the State Library in Karlsruhe (1979). Modernity versus Tradition "The andrecently 'introverted' quality the square and Alternatively, this principle of permutation may lead to Robintimate Krier has moved awayoffrom a conception theofadjacent block structure will undoubtedly facilitate such arbitrary plan formations as the hexagonal housing his works as abstract masses to a greater preoccupathetion initial of adaptation by its withprocess architectural form. This is first mostinhabitants. immediately Figure 28 Fi Moreover, Turks live in Kreuzberg and I am conapparent many in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century vinced thatbrick this tradition, ethnic group still remembers, having German particularly after the realisation learned lesson inhousing their homeland, to feel of his their Ritterstrasse project inhow Berlin. For at Rithome in a square a street. isItstill would be nice if the terstrasse, despiteand its subtlety, "white and abstract" gure 22 means could be whereas found to decorate the square with steles architecture, what follows in Krier's work is and figures, with images that canand befrequently read and that would in more traditionally structured designed ment, appropriate to the help people brickwork to understand I have features, suggestedsuch thatas precision withthem. traditional spects of family life. He, therubbed-brick square should named Friedrich archesbeand headerafter stringKarl courses. Lindenroom, but he did so in Schinkel." ufer 34, infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau amount of quiet and fur- (1978–1979), represents a clear shift in this direction. Figure 30 Fi nes of the family hearth. Typology and Morphology Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of Ever since the publication publication ofJ. N. L. J.N.L. Durand's Précis des des thesince load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" Ever the of Durand s Précis a growing interest in pictures n scale, where the mini- leçons leçons données aal'ecole polytechnique arfenestration the living rooms. (1802–1805), donnéesof l‘ecole polytechnique (1802–1805), One thinks of the impact of b compensated for in the architects chitects have the havespeculated speculatedfrom fromtime timetototime time about about the nineteenth-century countryside ban space. This is partic- generative generative potential aa universal Durand At Lindenufer 34,of this somewhat awkward Durand antithesis potential of universaltypology. typology. nacle-like forms created by pr er housing planned for complemented his new universal plan forms withofa aperbetween old and is eliminated in favour more Figure 20 German Association of Craftsm nd in the proposals for mutable system of elevations, where an appropriate complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition.face Paraof the this century; above all, per h Friedrichstadt (1977). could be readily attached to a given building.aspect Although doxically enough, the proto-Expressionist of this tower introduced for largely picturesque reasons into steel-framed and brick-faced w nvariably attains its sub- Rob Krier'sistypological alternatives areinpatently contradition most dramatically revealed the white plas- orthogonal housing scheme proposed for Berlinin 1922. However, while hyd en commissioned to de- ceived with awhere similar view, thearches overall intent ap- Wilmersdorf (1981). A similar obsession with generater model, theend lowinrelieving help to inflect Krierwhich Bruno Taut nostalg in his proposal for the pears to be more modernist and creative than Stuttgart the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways tional geometry also manifests itself in the typicalthat is ancrown", or Stadtkrone, th ment building in Vienna Castle's variations ofsolutions Durand. that The Krier differ-has apartment plan, where, as noted earlier, there "city this is conventional one of the most integrated 19th-of such forms for resident ent perceptual consequences that Krier draws from his uncomfortable mismatch between the rules of ness the end, one must conclude tha typological speculations are of importance. However, century bourgeois domesticity and the exacting, indeed, in Krier's repertoire; a folly th idiosyncrasies of the site.

Antinomies of Value Krier's work is riddled with the one hand, a manifest intere proportional control and, on th

should no doubt beshould increased no doubt by society, be increased Krier's insisby society, Krier's insislabyrinthine complex: labyrinthine the corner complex: building, thethe corner portebuilding, the porte tence on a central and tence formally on a central appointed and formally living space appointed livingthe space cochere, atrium,cochere, the courtyards, the atrium, the the amphitheatre courtyards, the amphitheatre often seems to impose often unnecessarily seems to impose formal unnecessarily constraints formal constraints and the interstitial arcaded and the interstitial infrastructure. arcaded At the infrastructure. same At the same 18 on the achievement on of athe convenient achievement andof liberating a convenient plan. andtime, liberating plan. architectural the primary time, the primary reference architectural is all too reference apis all too appropriate, for Loos's propriate, Michaelerplatz for Loos's department Michaelerplatz store department store One notes, by way One of contrast, notes, by how way Alvar of contrast, Aalto, inhow his Alvar Aalto, in his evoked (1910) is patently (1910) here, is patently even ifevoked the elevational here, even if the elevational Berlininhuman Hansaviertel Berlin apartments Hansaviertel of 1956, apartments was able toof ma1956,syntax was (1976), able mahasto more to do syntax with has Loos's more Scheu to do House with Loos's (1912). Scheu spatial standards imposed by the German (1976), where various nineteenth century urban where various 19th-century urbancompocom-House (1912). nipulate requirements nipulate in such requirements a waysuch as to minimal create in sucha aliberway asAtokey create a liberelement of this A key reading element iscombined the of this presence reading presence in the housing authorities. While standards nents find themselves into single ponents find themselves combined intoin athe ais the single sketches of Loos's complex: sketches giant Doric of column, submitted Doric the column, for portesubmitted for should no doubt be increased by society, Krier's insislabyrinthine theLoos's cornergiant building, the Chicago Tribune thecompetition Chicago Tribune of 1922, competition which is fiof 1922, which is fitence on a central and formally appointed living space cochere, the atrium, the courtyards, the amphitheatre nally transformed here nally into transformed the columnar herehinge-point into the of samehinge-point of often seems to impose unnecessarily formal constraints and the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. Atcolumnar the the corner the That corner this building. proposal That was never this proposal reon the achievement of a convenient and liberating plan. time, building. the primary architectural reference is all too ap-was never realisedpropriate, is to be regretted at many isMichaelerplatz to be levels, regretted not only atdepartment many because levels, not only because foralised Loos's store of Vienna has the city been ofdeprived Vienna of hasa been remarkable of a remarkable One notes, by way of contrast, how Alvar Aalto, in the his city (1910) is patently evoked here, even if thedeprived elevational piece syntax of urbanism, piece buttoalso of with urbanism, because the but proposal alsoHouse because is (1912). a the proposal is a Berlin Hansaviertel apartments of 1956, was able to mahas more do Loos's Scheu monumental monumental ofofone of reading Krier's version most paradigmatic one of Krier'sinmost nipulate requirements in such a way as to create a liberA key version element this isofthe presence the paradigmatic domestic worksof–Loos's his domestic canonical Dickes – column, hisHouse, canonical which Dickes sketches giantworks Doric submitted forHouse, which was completed in the was same completed year. in theof year. the Tribune competition ofsame 1922, which isis fifithe Chicago Chicago Tribune competition 1922, which nally transformed here into the columnar hinge-point of Figure 21 Figure 21 Modernity versusbuilding. Tradition Modernity Traditionwas never rethe corner Thatversus this proposal Rob Krier recently moved Krierathas away recently from amoved conception away from a conception alisedhas is to be Rob regretted many levels, not only because of his the works of hismasses works to asadeprived abstract greater masses preoccupato a greater preoccupacityasofabstract Vienna has been of a remarkable tion with architectural tionform. with architectural most immediately form. This is most piece of urbanism, butThis also isbecause the proposal is a immediately apparent in his reinterpretation apparent of histhe nineteenth-century of the nineteenth-century monumental version ofin one ofreinterpretation Krier's most paradigmatic German brick tradition, German tradition, after theparticularly realisation after the realisation domestic works –particularly his brick canonical Dickes House, which of hiswas Ritterstrasse of housing project in Berlin. housingFor project Rit- in Berlin. For Ritcompleted inhistheRitterstrasse same year. terstrasse, despite itsterstrasse, subtlety, isdespite still "white its subtlety, and abstract" is still "white and abstract" Figure 23 Figure 23 Figure 22 Figure 22 architecture, whereas architecture, what follows whereas in Krier's what work follows is in Krier's work is Figure 21 Modernity versus Tradition more traditionally structured more traditionally and frequently structured designed frequently in designed in Rob Krier has recently moved away from aand conception ating and even lyrical ating arrangement, and even lyrical appropriate arrangement, to the appropriate toworks the as precision brickwork precision with traditional brickwork features, traditional such as features, such as of his abstract masses to awith greater preoccupavarying and often conflicting varying and aspects often of conflicting family life. aspects He, ofrubbed-brick family He, arches rubbed-brick and header string arches courses. and header Lindenstring courses. Lindentionlife. with architectural form. This is most immediately too, employed a central too, employed living room, a central but heliving did soroom, in ufer but he did so 34, infill in 34, housing infill for terraced Berlin-Spandau housing forGerBerlin-Spandau apparent interraced hisufer reinterpretation ofthe thenineteenth-century 19th-century apparent his reinterpretation of such a way as to create sucha larger a way amount as to create of quiet a larger andamount fur- (1978–1979), of quiet and furrepresents (1978–1979), aparticularly clear shift represents in this adirection. clear shift inofthis direction. man brick tradition, after the realisation German brick tradition, particularly after the realisation nishable space within nishable the confines space within of the family the confines hearth.of the family hearth. Here, a contrast is affected Here, a contrast between isthe affected tectonic between ofRitterthe his Ritterstraße housing project inold Berlin. ForFor of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. Rit-old tectonic of the load-bearing masonry the and theisisnew masonry "curtain-wall" new "curtain-wall" whiteand and abstract straße, despite itsload-bearing subtlety, still terstrasse, despite its subtlety, still "white andthe abstract" Krier Figure is at his Krier the is urban at hisscale, best at22the urban the miniscale, fenestration wherearchitecture, the miniof the living fenestration rooms. of follows the living 23 best at Figurewhere whereas what inrooms. Krier's work is mum space requirements mum space are compensated requirementsfor areincompensated the for the morein traditionally structured and frequently designed in generosity generosity of the urban and space. clarity This ofappropriate theisurban partic-space. is partic-34, Lindenufer this At Lindenufer somewhat 34, awkward this somewhat antithesis awkward antithesis atingand andclarity even lyrical arrangement, to At theThis precision brickwork with traditional features, such as ularlyvarying the caseand inoften the ularly perimeter the case housing in the perimeter planned for housing planned for new between old and between is eliminated oldheader andinnew favour is eliminated of a more in favour of a more conflicting aspects of family life. He, rubbed-brick arches and string courses. LindenRennweg in Vienna Rennweg inliving Vienna in the proposals (1977) anddid forin so the complete ofterraced the Berlin adaptation brick tradition. of Berlin Para-brick tradition. Paratoo, employed a(1977) centraland room, but he inproposals uferadaptation 34,forinfillcomplete housing forthe Berlin-Spandau Pragersuch Platz (1978) Prager and South Platz Friedrichstadt (1978) and South (1977). Friedrichstadt (1977). doxically enough, the doxically proto-Expressionist enough, proto-Expressionist aspect of direction. this aspect of this a way as to create a larger amount of quiet and fur(1978–1979), represents a clearthe shift in this However, Krier's urban However, design Krier's invariably urban attains design itsinvariably sub-hearth. attains tradition isitsmost dramatically tradition isrevealed most dramatically in thethe white plasHere, aasubcontrast is between old tectonic ofthe white plasnishable space within the confines of the family Here, contrast is effected affected between the oldrevealed tectonicinof tlest inflection where tlest he inflection has been commissioned where he has been to decommissioned to de- theter ter model, where low model, relieving where arches the help to inflectarches help to inflect the load-bearing masonry and thelow newrelieving "curtain-wall" sign aKrier pieceisofaturban sign infill, a piece as in of his urban proposal infill, for as in the his proposal for the ofthe the shallow, bowed and set-back bowed façades. and Inset-back many ways façades. In many ways his best at the urban scale, where the minifenestration theshallow, living rooms. Lowermum Austria State Lower Government Austria building Government in Vienna building in Vienna this of the most thisintegrated is one of solutions the most integrated that Krier has solutions that Krier has space requirements areState compensated for in the is one generosity and clarity of the urban space. This is partic- At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis ularly the case in the perimeter housing planned for between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more Rennweg in Vienna (1977) and in the proposals for complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. ParaPrager Platz (1978) and South Friedrichstadt (1977). doxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this However, Krier's urban design invariably attains its sub- tradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plastlest inflection where he has been commissioned to de- ter model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect sign a piece of urban infill, as in his proposal for the the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways Lower Austria State Government building in Vienna this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier has Figure 24

Figure 24

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 25

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 26

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 27

Figure 27

es, by way of contrast, how AlvarBerlin Aalto,Hansaviertel in his (1910) apartments of 1956, washere, able even to ma-if the is patently evoked elevational syntax has more to do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). ansaviertel apartments of 1956, was able torequirements ma- syntaxinhas nipulate such a way aswith to create a libermore to do Loos's Scheu House A key(1912). element of this reading is the presence in the requirements in such a way as to create a liber- A key element of this reading is the presence theLoos's giant Doric column, submitted for sketchesinof 19 sketches of Loos's giant Doric column, submitted forTribune competition of 1922, which is fithe Chicago the Chicago Tribune competition of 1922,nally which is fitransformed here into the columnar hinge-point of nally transformed here into the columnar hinge-point of the corner building. That this proposal was never rethe corner building. That this proposal was never realised is to be regretted at many levels,isnot only because designed to date, for not only is the tectonic articulation disjunctive surface incidents. This inclination perhaps alised is to be regretted at many levels, not only because the city of Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable of the load-bearing masonry and fenestration consis- most evident in the project for Lindenufer 34, where the city of Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable piece of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a tently carried through, the plans themselves have a di- there is something of a split between the proportional piece of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a monumental version of one of Krier's most paradigmatic mension of spaciousness and resolve that is absent in regulation of the façade through the application of equimonumental versionofofthe oneflatof Krier's most paradigmatic domestic workstriangles – his canonical House, other solutions. The balanced proportions lateral and right-angled and the Dickes disruption of which domestic works – his canonical Dickes House, which was completed in the same year. tened hexagonal central room are particularly striking, this order through the use of setbacks and bay windows. completed in the same year. In Lindenufer 34 Krier has, for the most part, abandoned although furnishing suchwas a space still remains a probFigure 21 Modernity versusofTradition lem, since almost no part of the room is undisturbed by the Corbusian principle leaving "the mass intact in Modernity versus Tradition Rob Krier has recently away from conception the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, the surrounding the splendour of its form", whilemoved appropriating the asurRob Krier has recently moved away from a conception of his works as abstract masses to a greater preoccupaspaces are both ingeniously situated and appropriately face for utilitarian needs and thereby ensuring the mainof his works as abstract masses totenance a greater tion withaccusing architectural form. This is mostofimmediately proportioned. ofpreoccupa"the and generating lines the tion with architectural form. Thisform"; is mostasapparent immediately in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century Le Corbusier put it with didactic lucidity, "To apparent in his reinterpretation nineteenth-century German brick tradition, particularly afterform the realisation The brick-faced polygonal residential towers, such asof the model the plain surface of a primary and simple is German brick tradition, particularly after the realisation of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. Krier proposed proposed for for Fasanenstrasse Fasanenstraße (1980), to bring into play an automatic rivalry with the mass it- For Ritthat which Krier of his housing project in Berlin. For Ritterstrasse, despite its subtlety, is still "white are surely the most historicist ofRitterstrasse these later projects. This self." The surface plasticity at Lindenufer 34 and hasabstract" Figure 23 Figure 22 terstrasse, despite its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" architecture, whereas what follows in Krier's scheme, together with Krier's "tower sketches," suggests patently attained such a volatile form as to diffuse the work is Figure 22 architecture, whereas what follows in Krier's more traditionally intrinsic orderwork of theismass.structured and frequently designed in ating and even lyrical arrangement, appropriate to the precision more traditionally structured and frequently designedbrickwork in with traditional features, such as d even lyrical arrangement, appropriate theoften varyingto and conflicting aspects of family life. He, precision brickwork with traditional features, such as rubbed-brick arches and header string courses. This apparent contradiction in Krier's recent work is per- Lindenand often conflicting aspects of family life. He, arubbed-brick too, employed central living room, butheader he didstring so in arches and courses. Lindenufer 34, infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau haps the echo of a more general oscillation in his sensiployed a central living room, butsuch he did so in a way as toufer create34, a larger of housing quiet and fur-Berlin-Spandau infill amount terraced for (1978–1979), clear shift in to thisthedirection. bility between, on the represents one hand, a commitment ay as to create a larger amount of quiet andspace fur- within nishable the confines of the family (1978–1979), represents a clearhearth. shift in this direction. Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of public spirit of the Enlightenment – personified most space within the confines of the family hearth. Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of the load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" simply in his sketch Comsketch for foraamemorial memorialgrove groveentitled entitled ComKrier is at his best the urban scale, where minithe at load-bearing masonry andthethe new "curtain-wall" the living rooms. recourse – and, and, on on the theofother, other, an anguished anguished recourse to to aa pagnon –fenestration an at his best at the urban scale, where mini-requirements mumthespace for in the interiority. The latter inclination is close in its fenestrationare of compensated the living rooms. private ace requirements are compensated for in the and clarityFigure of the At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat antithesis Figure 28 generosity 29 urban space. This is particcryptic subjectivity to Expressionist paintingawkward and to the ty and clarity of the urban space. This is particularly the case At in the perimeter planned for Lindenufer 34,housing this somewhat awkward antithesis between old and new is eliminated in favour of latent, violence-tinged eroticism we find in the work of a more e case in the perimeter housingRennweg planned for in Vienna (1977) andnew in the proposals forfavour between old and is eliminated in of a more complete adaptation of thesuch Berlin pre-war Magical Realist painters, as brick Otto tradition. Dix in Parag in Vienna (1977) and in the proposals for(1978) Prager Platz and South Friedrichstadt (1977). complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. Paradoxically enough, the proto-Expressionist Germany and Balthus in France. In this oscillation,aspect we of this latz (1978) and South Friedrichstadt (1977). However, Krier'sdoxically urban design invariably attains itssense sub- antradition enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this is most dramatically revealed in the insatiable nostalgia for the lost capacity white of plasr, Krier's urban design invariably attains its sub- where tlest inflection he has beendramatically commissioned to detradition is most revealed in the white plaster model, where the low relieving arches help architecture to create significant public work, whileto inflect ection where he has been commissioned to de-of urban sign a piece infill, as inthe hislow proposal for the help ter model, where relieving arches to inflect the shallow, bowed andfeeling set-back In many ways simultaneously all too keenly thefaçades. questionable ece of urban infill, as in his proposal the State Lowerfor Austria Government in Vienna the shallow, bowed building and set-back façades. In many ways this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier has compensation offered by private domesticity, whose Austria State Government building in Vienna this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier has evident and limited temporality is ultimately painful. Figure 30

Figure 31

a growing interest in picturesque cultural landmarks. One thinks of the impact of brick water towers on the 19th-century countryside ofthethe pregnant, nineteenth-century countrysideand and of pregnant, pinpinnacle-like forms created by prominent members nacle-like forms created by prominent members of the German Association of Craftsmen during the early years Figure 24 above all, perhaps, of Figure 25 Poelzig's of this century; Hans Figuresteel-framed 25 Figure 26 Figure 27 and brick-faced water tower built at Zeipau in 1922. However, while hydraulics may well justify that which Bruno Taut nostalgically recognised as the "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general inappropriateness of such forms for residential stock is disturbing. In the end, one must conclude that they are a mere caprice in Krier's repertoire; a folly that is justified only by the Figure 32 idiosyncrasies of the site. Antinomies of Value Krier's work is riddled with curious antinomies: on the one hand, a manifest interest in classical devices of proportional control and, on the other, a discernible and increasing tendency toward the expressionistic use of

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 33

lem, sin the swin spaces a proporti

The bric that whi are surel scheme,

Figure 28

Figure 30

a growi One thin nineteen nacle-lik German of this c steel-fra in 1922 that whi "city cro ness of s the end, in Krier idiosync

Antinom Krier's the one proporti increasi

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Mon enfant, ma soeur, Songe à la douceur D'aller là-bas vivre ensemble! ... Là, tout n'est qu'ordre et beauté, Luxe, calme et volupté. From Charles Baudelaire, L'invitation au voyage

21

Architecture and Sculpture Since ancient times, the abstract geometrical background of buildings and urban architecture has been enriched by the contrast with figural and pictorial representations and sculpture. Since the visual arts rejected this form of expression and began to compete with the abstraction of buildings, this contrapuntal dimension has been lost.

22

Rob Krier ON MY PROFESSION

T

he daily working life of an architect who concerns himself with the practical implementation of his ideas has sunk to a level which holds none of those dreams that once made our profession a major vehicle of culture.

There is now now hardly hardly aa single single building builder who There is who is is really really interested in architecture! architecture! interested in Return on investment is the only motor driving the building industry. The architecture that our rich and well-fed society produces is shameful beyond words; a reflection of the unmistakable decline in our level of education and culture. The world is saturated as never before with schools, universities and training centres of every kind; our knowledge about the things of this world should, it would seem, have grown to gargantuan levels, but our knowledge of its beauty would appear to have paled in proportion. Nor will beauty ever be able to grow new roots in a society which is geared to fast consumption and in which

silence, the stuff on which it feeds, is being choked in the intoxication of superficiality. Beauty is the only thing which inspires me in my profession. I am striving to escape the aridity of simply fulfilling needs and to avoid the bitter aftertaste of a desire for profit without any ethical or physical background. Any effort in this direction seems, to me, a waste of energy. The veil of ugliness which so tightly encircles our world will take our children's breath away. In the light of the terrible catastrophes which our century has brought upon itself, in full awareness of what it was doing, and the even more unfathomable catastrophes it is now in the process of creating, my call for a boycott may well sound like no more than a choked sob. Why squeeze out the tears? Everything is going swimmingly! The acres of ruins left by the last wars have been cleared away and there are ample old buildings left to satisfy our nostalgia. In any case, the world looks different from behind our well-

23

tended rose garden. Even I, to my surprise, have quite a few commissions to keep me busy. In comparison with this optimism, I take a rather grim view of the situation. What has this modern architecture given us? Which of the buildings of the last few decades have really been of sufficient quality to penetrate the general consciousness? And which can we look at more than once without becoming bored? Or to put it differently: if you were showing a visitor around your home town, which new buildings would you take him to see? In every city in the world, the percentage of worthy buildings is so low that there is little chance that the layman will know them. The caprices of modern architecture have become an incestuous problem for specialists. Architecture has lost her cultural role and, with the best will in the world, I cannot believe that a healthy architecture – one we will be proud to pass down as our heritage – can develop, while modern builders, in other words, politicians, financiers and promoters, are pouring out their private bad taste on the land and in the city, supported by a ruined building craft. The gags and trick-like alienations that have filled the architectural periodicals in recent years are not likely to point to a solution. On the contrary! Enforced cheerfulness, a false and unnatural regurgitation of quotations from architectural history are but a withered fig leaf, which cannot conceal our impotence. The 1960s revealed the need for a more coherent theoretical approach in the social sector. It is now time for architecture to consolidate the theoretical foundation of its own long-established craft, the art of building, to rediscover the basic elements of architecture and the art of composing with them. We do not need new inventions for this. Throughout the course of history, it has all been played out over and over again, in countless variations across all continents. We must always be aware that whatever we do in architecture must be fit to be handed down. Only then can the chain of experience, of learning from our heritage, be further developed and improved. With this solid, rational basis, genial side-steps can be easily absorbed. Side-steps for their own sake and in the overwhelming numbers that have been spat out by our age can only be a short-lived fashion. The dance of absurdities goes on in full swing, celebrated on all sides as a release.

Our carnival mood will be followed by disillusionment when the bluff has been called and the intoxication is over. There is an honourable avenue of retreat for those who don't want a hangover or can see no way out of the confusion: as in former times, the peasant planned the use of his land carefully and wisely, using clear and nonmystical means, and then did the work with his own hands; so should we today, after clarifying the basic issues of architecture, be able to produce an honourable and simple architecture of which no one need feel ashamed. A precondition is that we should recognise what purpose a door is to serve, a window, a wall, the supports, the roof and so on. Any layman should be able to recognise these as basic elements. Alienation for the sake of originality is misplaced. In this, modern architecture has taught us a bitter lesson. The struggle for the basic truth of things our profession is dedicated to articulating, and the longing for beauty, which can enclose our life in the walls we have constructed – these strengthen me and help me to bear the burden of the despair to which I have here given utterance.

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Rob Krier HOW IT CAME ABOUT

I

had probably just turned twelve when my grandfather discovered me in the garden, armed with a hammer and chisel and working away at a stone. I wanted to remake a shepherd for the nativity crib after the original had been broken during the holidays. My father spotted the helplessness of my endeavours and advised me to find an old shoe box, to fill it with liquid plaster and then to carve the figure from the hardened material using a fine kitchen knife. He was so taken with the result that he placed this little figure in his tailor's workshop, where he proudly showed it off to his customers when they called in for fittings. This flattered the young plastercarver and cemented his firm determination to replace his passion for his bicycle, and all the technical trappings surrounding this beloved object, with loftier aspirations. Around the same time, I inherited a book on art history from the estate of an uncle from Liège, who had been an oboe teacher at the music academy there. It was like s copying the most receiving an assignment. I practiced beautiful steel etchings of ancient sculptures and heads from the Sistine Chapel and, in this way, filled the empty pages in the sketchbooks belonging to my mother and grandfather. Stashed away in his desk, he had a roll of academic drawings that dated back to his time at grammar school and whose perfect technique I wanted to imitate. My mother had also inherited his gift for drawing. Using templates or nature as her model, she painted regularly, right up to old age, with an impeccable oil painting technique. Her Sunday painting hours created a cosy mood in our living room, one which whetted the appetite to join in and aroused an ambition to do things better or differently. Later, whenever I made my own attempts, she would always ask me with surprise: "Did you really do that on your own? Is it not a tracing?"

From the same book, I recreated a plaster replica of a fragment from an antique seated torso; much later, I remember standing speechless before the marble original in the Vatican museums. My figure had the dimensions of a teapot; the original was a colossus with heroic expressive power. Another material that I got my hands on at a very early stage would accompany me my whole life long: clay – moist, malleable clay. An uncle on my mother's side owned the pottery works in the small monastery town of Echternach, where I attended grammar school as a

boarder; he had an excellent stock of clay and an enormous kiln. My figurines were fired here without even getting in the way. The former Benedictine monastery, which was now a boarding school, had a spacious attic that served me as a secret hideaway for my first tentative steps into the world of art. I managed to procure a key for the attic from the kitchen staff, but, in spite of my efforts to keep things darkened, my hiding place was spotted from the courtyard during an evening break. Whilst I was able to creep out of sight of the approaching headmaster and hide in darkness behind the roof beams, my unprotected and abandoned work was unfortunately discovered. It was a life-sized crucifixion scene in washed India ink on heavy-grade drawing paper that my father used for drafting his suit patterns. The rapture of the figures surrounding the crucifix was reminiscent of El Greco. I was the only one in the boarding school suspected of producing this piece of art. It was probably down to the religious content of the piece that the headmaster merely gave me a reprimand, pointing out the fire hazards to be expected in such a place. Rather than punishing me, he handed me the key to a heated room that could be reached from the boarding school dormitories and afforded unhindered views of the Romanesque chancel of the basilica, which the former monastery bracketed. The luck bestowed upon me, the privilege of being able to sequester myself from the remaining boarding school, seemed almost immoral to me. I therefore also allowed the key to circulate among my friends whenever they wanted to disappear for a few hours. The most profound experience I had during these years was a trip to Italy, which my father had promised me in return for passing the school-leaving examinations. I spent every free minute of the entire school year preparing for this trip, eyeing Florence as the most exciting destination. I scoured every book I could get my hands on and made notes on the most important locations, to make sure I missed nothing on my journey. Having passed my exams, I stumbled from one thrill to the next in Italy, as though in rapture, unable to fathom the extent to which the reality had surpassed all my expectations. This experience heralded the start of a constant downhill trend in my schoolwork. However, after a wretched period of cramming, I managed to pass my exams.

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The architectural career I finally steered towards was glorified by my ideal image of the high-class works of art I was familiar with from Italy, and it took a long time before I finally understood that contemporary society was far removed from the cultured artistic intentions I had conceived for myself in my youthful dreams. The artworks were not however mere utopias. They were to be found in all cultures, albeit always as testimonies to bygone epochs. Is the world today filled with so much beauty that modern times can be satisfied with that which has been created so far? Haven't the flaws that the great wars have torn into in our cultural landscape already shown us how delicate and transient this legacy was, indeed, how irreplaceable it was, when one compares it with that which emerged from the wreckage in its place? The fact that things could be and, indeed, were done differently, was something I experienced as a child in Echternach. The severe war damage was cleared with astounding casualness and the buildings were restored even more beautifully than they had ever been before. The marketplace had a Baroque appearance in the style of Maria Theresa – one that it had previously never had. The skill of craftsmanship was alive; the local language of form was still preserved. My grandfather, who was active in the town's beautification society, told us about their decisions with great pride. Following its destruction, the Romanesque aesthetic of the basilica was recreated once more; the remains of the neo-Gothic vault were torn down and replaced with a low timber joist ceiling. The towers that flanked the chancel and which, for centuries, had only stood at the height of one of the side aisles were completed on the basis of outlines taken from miniature codex paintings dating back to the 11th century. An extraordinary venture into architectural history and a wonderful accomplishment. The annexes of the abbey, of which only individual structures had survived from the Baroque period, were brought together in a grand gesture. This building site was my childhood playground and, later, the framework for the educational establishment that I reluctantly endured. Yet, the aesthetic quality of this ensemble was so beguiling that it evolved to become the foundation of my professional philosophy – both geometrically (as far as urban development and architecture are concerned) and artistically. What I had in mind was to unite them both once more, just as had been the case in all of the classical epochs. Sculptures need an architectural frame. They often demand distance that can only be found in public spaces or in the open landscape. It is frightening how abstract the world is in which fine arts are entrenched today, and

how it tries to protect itself with barely decipherable codes. Museums have become the cathedrals of art. But they present themselves like trade fairs, trying to win appeal by means of show architecture architecture and and to to lure lure flocks flocks of visitors with events. There is hardly any room for tranquillity and inwardness. The artworks are smothered by razzle-dazzle. They have become interchangeable and homeless and are sent here, there and everywhere like common goods. The storerooms are filling up or spilling over, as was recently the case in Holland. There, the state supported young artists with generous acquisitions during the post-war years. Not long ago, the same state patron announced that the artists would have to collect their works by a fixed date, because the storerooms were overfilled. Everything that had not found its way back to its creator by the appointed time was burned. Since the 1920s, the speaking elements of architecture, the arts of painting and sculpture, have gradually broken loose from their ancestral moorings. Whilst liberation was doubtless the intention, isolation was the result, and the bonds are not so easily rejoined. What was lost to architecture, the architect today seeks to replace with effects. The artists feel they have no point of contact within this torpid shell; they no longer play a complementary role. Shortly before the turn of the 20th century, Rodin designed the Tower of Work monument, which he intended as an artistic unification of sculpture and architecture in the medieval spirit. A slowly ascending stairway leads past sculptures that present themselves to the climber facing the eye of the stairwell and the window openings. The structure is the vehicle – the built pathway – by which the sculptures may be viewed closely on all levels. A true museum in the form of a monument for the fusion of sculptures with architecture both the classical and medieval sense. The Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals offered similar sculptural promenades in their galleries and triforiums. It was from this world of experience that Rodin created his motif. Against architecture, the fine arts hold all advantages in the intimate and poetic spheres. Reduced to its smallest limits, it can still arouse tremendous emotions. What the building is better at is opening up the wide outreaching spatial dimension. In doing so, it reaches into spheres in which it can only be surpassed by music. In the rivalry between the branches of art, one cannot set priorities or play one off against the other. Architecture is undoubtedly encumbered by the fact that it belongs to the applied arts and is thus very user-orientated. As a result, it is held in strong manacles. Before the building flourishes into architecture, a number of ennobling processes must become effective. The quality

26

of materials and the balance of proportions in its composition play important roles. It is the function of a building that tips the scales in determining whether or not monumental aspirations are justified. A railway station will never become a cathedral, just as a machine cannot be transformed into a sculpture. Rites and symbols are difficult to reverse. There has been much experimentation with the topic of disassociation during the past hundred years. In today's art scene, it does not look as though theories and philosophies will be settling down any time soon. Even the architecture scene is being shaken by ever more frantic waves of innovation. A bank building is not a world of fantastic experiences. Anyone who attempts to convince us otherwise is only interested in image-building. The positive theories that we so urgently need as the basis of our future creations cannot be deduced from this attitude of shock and effrontery. Just as my architectural and urban visions are characterised by typological values founded on solid theories that can be handed down, my artistic works refer to categories that, in the classical sense, can be read and understood. The will of expression is not expressionistically overstepped, but rather internalised and poetically coded. Many of my drawings are draft outlines of figures. They have a richer choreography than the vivid clay or plaster models, which bear the shackles of the inherent inertia of these materials. The flexible medium of the drawing fully captures the zest of the dream, which, once modelled, searches for balance and ossifies in its earthy weight. It is a sensing of life's vibrations, the beat of the pulse; an endurance test for reasonableness and resilience.

Reuchlin

weeks apart, the awakening is felicitous and, at the same time, bitter, as if they had aged. Their abode is cramped and importune; they live so close together. It is noisy in the workshop during daylight hours and it takes strength to withstand the din. Classical imagery is outlawed; the ancient gods have been overthrown. Yet, as long as the worlds of cult and art continue from thethe pastpast andand theirtheir exart continuetotosparkle sparkleatatusus from ample hashas notnot yet yet faded, the misgivings aboutabout our modexample faded, the misgivings our ern-day understandings of art and are all too modern-day understandings of architecture art and architecture warranted. are all too warranted.

Liberated from the constant confrontation with geometry and function in architecture, the depiction of the human body allows me to search for the warmth that is lost in abstract dialogue. During architectural presentations, I like to display my figures, without commentary, intermingling with the projects, as if they had been quite naturally born into my townscapes. I then claim that my only reason for building is to create a home for them. They stand at the entrances to buildings like gatekeepers, keeping a watchful eye on life in the street; they appear to implore passers-by to reflect, they hide in niches or grow as projections in walls. The models I pour in the casting shop are worked in plaster and therefore still pliant and correctable. As such, they grow, transform, age and breathe; they are never finished and never come of age. Even the cast in which their form is frozen can be corrected. In spite of this, no figure ever finally matures. They remain unsatisfied; they want to say even more or to be understood differently. At each reencounter, after every new dawn, after

Raftsman

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ADVERSITIES IN THEADVERSITIES IMPLEMENTATION – SELECTION IN THE A IMPLEMENTATION – OF ANECDOTES A SELECTION OF ANECDOTES At times, sobering boundaries were encountered while escaping the world of freewere expression and unfetAt times, into sobering boundaries encountered while tered reverie. my work as expression an urban development escaping intoDuring the world of free and unfetconsultant forDuring the town Pforzheim at the end of the tered reverie. myof work as an urban development 1980s, onefor project emerged that neverathad consultant the town of Pforzheim theany endchance of the of being By way that of consolation, thechance Lord 1980s, onerealised. project emerged never had any Mayor, Becker, commissioned me tothe create of beingJoachim realised. By way of consolation, Lorda sculptureJoachim of a famous soncommissioned of the town from Renais-a Mayor, Becker, methe to create sance period: the philosopher, Johannes Reuchlin. sculpture of a famous son of the town from the RenaisI madeperiod: three models, all of which Johannes were rejected by the sance the philosopher, Reuchlin. artistic committee. Somewhat embarrassed, Itown's made three models, all of which were rejected by the Dr. Becker askedcommittee. me if, despite these setbacks, I would town's artistic Somewhat embarrassed, be prepared to tackle a more innocuous theme,Ifor exDr. Becker asked me if, despite these setbacks, would ample, a monument the Raftsmen's Guild for on exthe be prepared to tackle for a more innocuous theme, and Nagold Auerbrücke at the confluence of the EnzGuild ample, a monument for the Raftsmen's on the rivers. The work a raftsman, tree Auerbrücke at theofconfluence ofnamely, the Enz guiding and Nagold trunks down to theofvalley on a raft, demands enormous rivers. The work a raftsman, namely, guiding tree to this, is the challenge of athleticdown effort.toAdded trunks the valley on athere raft, demands enormous keepingeffort. balance on the loosely drifting trunks. athletic Added to often this, there is the challenge of I wasn't unhappy thatthe theoften themeloosely had been changed. keeping balance on drifting trunks. I wasn't unhappy that the theme had been changed. My brother, Leo, designed the plinth as a wonderful sandstone pillar. had to get two very awkMy brother, Leo,We designed thethrough plinth as a wonderful ward council meetings monument wasawkapsandstone pillar. We hadbefore to get the through two very margin. During assembly stage, provedcouncil by a slim ward meetings before the the monument was apof car horns on there was bridge; vulgar proved bya acacophony slim margin. During thethe assembly stage, gesticulations were made in my direction and pensionthere was a cacophony of car horns on the bridge; vulgar ers blocked thewere footpath side, gesticulations madeoninthe myopposite direction andcomplainpensioning blocked fiercely.the It was only years that I side, received a note ers footpath on thelater opposite complainon afiercely. Christmas card from thelater Lordthat Mayor, saying that ing It was only years I received a note the alocals had now slowly to terms withsaying the Raftson Christmas card fromcome the Lord Mayor, that man. the locals had now slowly come to terms with the Raftsman. The same figure met with even greater hostility in Claviers in the South France. I had been invited to an The same figure metof with even greater hostility in my giants. art exhibition asked to provide Claviers in the and South of France. I hadone beenofinvited to an Myexhibition brother selected the to setting andone drafted thegiants. base, art and asked provide of my which was carefully together quarrystone. My brother selectedpieced the setting andusing drafted the base, In a tense figuretogether was brought the instalwhich wasjourney, carefullythe pieced using to quarrystone. lation sitejourney, standing on the backtoofthea installorry. In a tense theupright figure was brought It closed thestanding triangularupright plaza inon front the church at the lation site theofback of a lorry. pointed endtriangular like a cork. this of point, the narrow It closed the plazaAt in front the church at the medievalend pathway in two directions: uppointed like abranches cork. Atoffthis point, the narrow hill towards the former fortress downhill towards medieval pathway branches off and in two directions: upthe valley. The Thefifteen 15-metre-high the the valley. metre-high buildings and the hill towards the former fortress andbuildings downhill and towards weighty, cut of the planebuildings trees framed the valley.bone-like The fifteen metre-high and the manner. I had promised sculpture in a uniquely weighty, bone-like cutdramatic of the plane trees framed the the Mayor he coulddramatic have it on permanent loan. But m inthat sculpture a uniquely manner. I had promised no more than year have had passed when I received an the Mayor thathalf he acould it on permanent loan. But order from thehalf council have the sculpture and base no more than a yeartohad passed when I received an removed. hold it to against It was inorder fromI don't the council have the the locals. sculpture andanbase removed. I don't hold it against the locals. It was an in-

vasion by a Johnny-come-lately; the project had not been decided in consensus. My attempts at ingratiation vasion by a Johnny-come-lately; the project had not had failed andinthe RaftsmanMy returned to my studio. been decided consensus. attempts at ingratiation had failed and the Raftsman returned to my studio. A fundamental impulse came around the midpoint of the 1980s, when I was came commissioned to produce A fundamental impulse around the midpointa series figures for the oldcommissioned town harbour in of the of 1980s, when I was toBarcelona. produce a A contract for the had manoeuvred my series of figures forCity the of oldVienna town harbour in Barcelona. architectural such debt I was forced A contract forpractice the Cityinto of Vienna hadthat manoeuvred my to let all my practice staff go.into At such the same time,I was a friend in architectural debt that forced Barcelona, whostaff wasgo. tasked designing to let all my At with the same time,thea waterside friend in promenadewho at the harbour, asked me if I could design Barcelona, was tasked with designing the waterside the sculptures which had been shown his plans for promenade at the harbour, asked me ifinI could design the sculptures which had been shown in his plans for

Papasseit model Papasseit model

Studio on Montjuic Studio on Montjuic

Test installation on Moll de la Fusta, Barcelona

Test installation on Moll de Fusta, he Barcelona years, but which, toladate, had been

unable to conyears, but which, to date, he had been unable to convince any sculptor to undertake. I brought him a portmanteau of claytofigures, which he thenhim showed to vince anyfull sculptor undertake. I brought a portm full Pasqual Maragall. Theheassignment was the Mayor, manteau of clay figures, which then showed to clearly outlined during a dinner The at theassignment town hall. The the Mayor, Pasqual Maragall. was figures outlined – depicting six personalities from all hall. walksThe of clearly during a dinner at the town life – should be inaugurated priorfrom to the figures – depicting six personalities all Olympic walks of Games. Of these, were erected. life – should be two inaugurated prior to the Olympic Games. Of these, two were erected. The City provided me with the former residence of the sculptor, Clarà, a base for my residence preparatory The City Josep provided meas with the former of dethe sign works. Three students from of arts sculptor, Josep Clarà, as a base forthe myacademy preparatory dewere works. appointed forstudents the enlargement which we sign Three from theworks, academy of arts were appointed for the enlargement works, which we

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were able to carry out in a vacant hall building from the 1929 World Exposition on Montjuic. There were other artists working in this vast, basilica-like space at the same time. It was also used for theatre rehearsals. This is where I created the sculpture of the Catalan poet, Joan Salvat i Papasseit. The periodical interruptions, brought about by my having to commute between Vienna and Barcelona, proved to be very beneficial for the work. With a few weeks’ distance, II was was much better placed to weeks distance, make a sober assessment of the state of the work and any possible undesirable developments. I had worked the surface down to the raw torso and, from here on, decided to dispense with the assistance of colleagues, as they merely dragged out my decisions by debating them different versions debating them at atlength. length.Over Overtwenty 20 different versions of of the head followed.It Itisisalmost almostimpossible impossibleto to imagine imagine the head followed. how sensitively headreacts reacts to to the the how sensitivelyan aneighty-centimetre 80-centimetre head smallest amendments – even when they are only a few millimetres. As I was constantly climbing up and down ladders, I was plagued by painful cramps, which forced me to take frequent breaks. In the cold and damp winter months, the heavy physical work meant I was always completely wet through. The only available source of heat was an open fire in a metal barrel, where the smoke billowed freely through the hall. The plaster figure was however finally installed in its appointed location, the Moll de la Fusta, in good time for the topping-out ceremony.

leaning against an abstract figure, in order to create an image viewable from all sides. As a result, the figure was not only of considerable height at five metres, it also had a substantial outer girth. After around a half a year, I was able to get back to chiselling. I had overseen countless instances of coarseness in the plaster model. The white surface had concealed areas that appeared hard and brutal in the bronze. Only the last retouching works breathed real life into the material. It was the most enjoyable phase of the work. It made me feel as though somehow intoxicated and it was no coincidence that, during the evenings, I succeeded in producing the most wonderful drawings, even though I was physically worn out. The second figure for Barcelona, Bosch i Alsina, was created in Vienna and cast in Graz. The coarse surface was intentional and therefore no final post-treatment was required. Both figures were stored in a fantastic space in Barcelona, the Deposito de Agua. Hundreds of pillars, with a bulky vault, bore a water basin measuring 100 × x 100 metres, which supplied the fountains in Parc de la Ciutadella. The figures stood in a uniquely dramatic atmosphere – one which I can only compare with the cisterns in Istanbul or Naples. If it had been down to me, I would have loved them to remain there.

There was a truly medieval atmosphere awaiting me later in the foundry in Olot in the Pyrenees. I had followed the transporter carrying the plaster figure in my

Drawing of of the theyard-facing yard-facingfaçade façadefor forRitterstrasse, Ritterstraße,Berlin Berlin Drawing

Papasseit in the foundry in Olot

Bosch in the foundry in Graz

own car and had watched it lurching hazardously from one side to the other on the bumpy mountain roads. Despite the care we had taken to package it safely, the figure had arrived with a number of serious breakages, but this didn't worry the caster: apparently, they all arrived like this and he had become very skilled in patching them together again. I had formed my poet with his back

The completed building, 1979

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had made made my my first first experience experience with with aa large large architectural architectural II had figure at at the the end end of of the the 1970s 1970s at at my my building building on on RitterRitterfigure strassein inBerlin. Berlin.As Asisisalways alwaysthe thecase casein insocial social housing, housing, straße there was never a single penny left over for any form of artistic embellishment. In my plans, I had included a winged figure, growing from the central pillar above the street-spanning portal on the yard-facing elevation. It had quickly become clear to me that I would have to take matters into my own hands. During the summer break, I cleared out the lecture theatre in my institute at Vienna University of Technology and enlarged the figure with the assistance of a number of students. While transporting the piece via the stairs, our giant bird lost its balance and plummeted to ground down the eye of the stairwell. The bruises it was left with looked amazBust with with gilded gilded mask, mask,Rauchstrasse, Rauchstraße,cast castaluminium, aluminium,1984 1984 ingly natural – as if its wings had been frayed. The Bust workers on the site in Berlin greeted it with raucous caterwauling. hearty cheer. Somewhat thoughtlessly, we had made finger-deep drainage channels just above the shoulders, so I repaired the transport damage at the weekends when that the stains now running down the breast of the figure the site was deserted. On one of these Saturdays, a make it look as though it is wearing braces. It was ceri effort. It showed that passerby stopped for a long time to watch what I was tainly a somewhat rough and naïve doing, before disappearing and returning with an enor- even builders don't keep their eye on the clock, where b mous Bockwurst, which he handed me to give me there is something to be done that isn't on the order sheet strength. It is probably worth noting that this was in the and which achieves an effect beyond that of mere utility seventies and the first construction site on a vast stretch – something they see as a bit of fun. of desolate land that extended all the way to the Berlin Rauchstraße, also Wall. This lonely resident looked forward to the promise At Rauchstrasse, also in in Berlin, Berlin, the client donated a casting of a giant portal bust with a gilded mask. It is also of a new neighbourhood. He had not expected to find anchored into a central column and grins down on the an architect on his site, scraping and etching away at What it is supposed to be saying saying has been left passers-by. some strange bird. Incidentally, the site foreman had passersby. What it is supposed to be taken it upon himself to see to the final installation of to everyone to decide for themselves. Nothing architecthe figure. As soon as the façade was complete and the tural can tell the viewer a similar tale or pose such ridscaffolding removed, he erected a separate scaffold him- dles. This essential something more in architectural self and heaved the figure into place with the aid of vol- works can only be performed by an effigy. unteers. The façade contractor had procured a special mortar, which was applied to the blank base with several At the same building, I had painted two obscured winlayers of reinforcement. In no time at all, the builders dow elements – one depicting a woman at morning then assembled the various components with hooks and wash, opening a window as she yawns and the other highlighted the most important body parts with spray, showing a curtain caught on the breeze. Both were before raising their beer bottles to the artwork with a painted over by the client so as to avoid any accusations of immorality. The painter, who had worked from a cherry-picker, had taken photographs of the works before they were removed. He was good enough to send me the photographs along with a short note, in which he revealed that he had applied a clear rubberised coating to protect the original paintings before covering them with the ordered brick-brown paintwork. Today, the latex paint is peeling in a number of places and the paintings are starting to show through once again.

Portico figures Portico figures at atRauchstrasse, Rauchstraße, Berlin, Berlin,yard-facing yard-facingelevation, elevation,1983 1983

A medallionswas was planned planned for for A series series of of fifty-centimetre 50-centimetre medallions the parapet zone on the yard-facing elevation of the crescent. However, after the paintings had been washed over, I lost all interest in this undertaking. I was in a similar mood with a pair of figures in the stairway area and two seated figures at the yard-facing side of the portal.

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At Schinkelplatz in Berlin's Luisenstadt, the sculptural effort I had in mind would beLuisenstadt, within the framework of At Schinkelplatz in Berlin's the sculptural effort I had in mind would be within the framework of

Schinkelplatz, Berlin Schinkelplatz, Berlin

a symposium. I wanted to erect ten steles on the fully enclosed square and, intoa erect way very similar a symposium. I wanted ten steles on to thehow fullyI practiced sculptors con-I enclosed architecture, square and, to in invite a wayvarious very similar totohow s to architecture, tribute the overall design. onlysculptors conditiontoIconhad practiced to inviteThe various was thattothe coordinated. tribute thethemes overallwere design. The only condition I had was that the themes were coordinated. Only a single stele was installed – without any figure embellishing Thewas otherinstalled steles were replaced byfigure plane Only a singleit.stele – without any trees. I namedit.the square because was embellishing The otherafter stelesSchinkel, were replaced by itplane the former location of the Feilner townhouse, trees. I named the square after Schinkel, becausewhose it was the former location of Feilner house, whose façade he had designed. At first, the town plan was to recreate location of the the Feilner townhouse, the façade true to the At original design andtoadequate façade he had designed. first, the plan was recreate provisions made the budget. A noxious press the façade were true to the inoriginal design and adequate campaign surrounding reconstruction the provisions were made in the budget. A noxiousofpress Ephraim-Palais had had the an indirect impact on campaign surrounding reconstruction of our the Ephraim-Palais had had an indirect impact on our

Otto Wagner

Floral medallion

Adolf Loos

Floral medallion

Otto Wagner

Adolf Loos

Floral medallion

Floral medallion

company; the budget was struck out. Now, on funding more suitedthe to budget a socialwas housing scheme, I wason leftfunding sitting company; struck out. Now, on mysuited Feilner project,scheme, which II now hadsitting to atmore to abuilding social housing was left tempt recall building to memory, wherever possible, by referon mytoFeilner project, which I now had to atence the original proportions compositional tempt to to recall to memory, whereverand possible, by referthemes. is the same on Schinkel's ence to The the cornice originalband proportions andascompositional pavilion at Charlottenburg Palace. themes. The cornice band is the same as on Schinkel's pavilion at Charlottenburg Palace. Schinkel had made use of medallions with floral decorations his cornices. I supplemented the decofloral Schinkelbelow had made use of medallions with floral medallions withhisportrait medallions. Schinkel's is rations below cornices. I supplemented thehead floral in the centre, facing directly to the north, towards medallions with portrait medallions. Schinkel's headthe is sites his works ondirectly Gendarmenmarkt, Friedrichin theofcentre, facing to the north,thetowards the swerder Church, Academy, the Guard sites of his worksthe onBuilding Gendarmenmarkt, the Old FriedrichHouse, Old Museum, theAcademy, cathedralthe and theGuard City swerder the Church, the Building Old Palace. flanked on thethe leftcathedral and rightand by architecHouse, He the isOld Museum, the City tural colleagues (Otto on Wagner, Loosby with an ear Palace. He is flanked the leftAdolf and right architectrumpet) and some of my family members tural colleagues (Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos and withfriends. an ear As their distance thefamily centremembers increases,and their faces trumpet) and somefrom of my friends. turn gradually as increases, they looktheir towards As their distanceinto fromprofile the centre faces Schinkel. Only one disdainfully Corturn gradually intolooks profile as they away: look Le towards busier. I took inspirations the floral designs the Schinkel. Only one looksfor disdainfully away: from Le Corplants our inspirations overgrown garden in Loretto in from Burgenbusier. in I took for the floral designs the land. plants in our overgrown garden in Loretto in Burgenland. Around the same time, I realised two of my house designs onthe Lindenufer in Spandau; theseofhad comAround same time, I realised two mybeen house demissioned – not to say, by the then existing signs on Lindenufer in butchered Spandau; –these had been comhousing association, Neue Heimat. The was manmissioned – not to say, butchered – by thesite then existing aged by association, a foreman who constantly drunk, housing Neuewas Heimat. The site waswhich manmade foraanforeman atmosphere fully in drunk, keepingwhich with aged by who that waswas constantly the sinking that wasthat Neue Heimat. did however made for anship atmosphere was fully inI keeping with succeed in ship adding couple ofHeimat. decorative the sinking thata was Neue I didappliqués. however During summer in Loretto, I gave each visitor succeeda in addingholiday a couple of decorative appliqués. aDuring tablet aofsummer wet clayholiday and asked them toI form motif into in Loretto, gave aeach visitor it. I had of thewet tablets in thethem kiln and glazed in a dark a tablet clay fired and asked to form a motif into blue tone, installed above theinmedian it. I had thebefore tabletsthey firedwere in the kiln and glazed a dark risalit of one of the There were than a blue tone, before theyhouses. were installed abovemore the median dozen small daughter, Nadine, hada risalit of these one of the tablets. houses.My There were more than created especially impressive a small bird that dozen ofanthese small tablets. My motif: daughter, Nadine, had appeared be bursting out of the tableta small and extending created antoespecially impressive motif: bird that its open beak the wind. thetablet left-hand of the appeared to beinto bursting out On of the and side extending portico, I installed a head everyoneside crossing its open beak into the wind.that Onfixed the left-hand of the portico, installed headthat that fixedeveryone everyone crossthe threshold its blue-glazed gaze. portico, II installed aahead fixed crossing ing threshold the threshold with its blue-glazed gaze. the its blue-glazed gaze. There is a similar anecdote to accompany every one of my buildings. Theanecdote oldest of to these, going back to the There is a similar accompany every onebeof ginning of theThe 1970s, centres on the house designed my buildings. oldest of these, going backI to the befor my cousin, a cubic, ginning of the Carlo 1970s,Dickes, centresinonLuxembourg the house I –designed outwardly forbidding structure that opened out for my cousin, Carlo Dickes, in Luxembourg – a onto cubic,a patio. The metal tool shed was tothat serve as theout plinth outwardly forbidding structure opened ontofora apatio. stylised stand guard Thetorso metaltotool shed wasin tofront serveofasthe theyard. plinth for a stylised torso to stand guard in front of the yard. My stories do not have a chronological thread and the first is as dear as the last. But, for me, one and will the alMy stories do to notmehave a chronological thread ways particular of the first isbe asremembered dear to me asfor thethe last. But, fordifficultly me, one will alremembered for the the particular particular difficulty of the struggle. It was with the double figuredifficultly for the circular ways be remembered for struggle. It was with the double figure for the circular

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Test installation, Vienna-Liesing

Studio in Bargemon

plaza at Breitenfurter Strasse Straße in inVienna‘s Vienna's 23rd 23rd district, district, which I dedicated to Camillo Sitte. I had to scrape together the budget for the figure by making savings in the construction works. I therefore gave up the carved plasterwork on the plinths of my buildings, but this saving was only enough for a single artificial stone cast of the over five-metre-tall double figure. In order to construct the double figure, I measured a bottle-sized model with the aid of a self-assembled contraption made of moveable rods and entered the countless coordinates I gained in this way into a computer. I was subsequently able to enlarge the figure in proportion. I bought an old shoe factory in France, where I carried out the plaster moulding works for the two figures. The figures were formed of several individual parts and grew to such a height in the loftier part of the studio that they would only fit through the doorway once they were taken apart again. In order to simplify the work at the higher points of the piece, I purchased a used forklift truck and assembled a small cabin on the lifting platform. Using cables, I was now able to travel up and down the piece with all my equipment and materials. With this, the figures were not obstructed by scaffolding and I was able to work independently of assistants.

Studio in Bargemon, 1994

Studio in Bargemon

I repeatedly find myself having to explain the meaning of this double figure to those who show an interest. The best interpretation was proffered by a visitor, who said that the haughty upright figure drew its strength from the other, which was tortured and knotted. I am happy to go along with this interpretation, even though it isn't quite consistent with my original concept. As was the case with the Papasseit figure in Barcelona, my intention here was to create a double figure. It stands slightly offcentre on my circular, arcaded plaza in the Liesing district of Vienna. The upright torso faces towards the south, towards the noon sun; the crouching figure faces the north, in the direction of the main entrance to the plaza. On its plinth, it extends up to the level of the second floor window-breasts. During a test installation of the blank piece, I was so afraid of the consequences this height would have for the overall composition, that I decided to reduce it by a whole metre. noticed later later that that my my fears fears had had been been unfounded unfounded –- the the II noticed four-storey, 32-metre diameter plaza absorbs the figure with ease. Once a couple of decades have passed, the plane trees I had planted in the centre will fill out the plaza and, quite literally, put the sculpture in the shade. Craftsmen and above above all, all artists very reluctant reluctant to to Craftsmen –– and artists–– are are very reveal their little workshop secrets. This much and no more: I found a mineral substance in France, which I mix into the plaster. This increases the setting time by such a degree that I can quite happily shave, scrape, hack, cut and plane the material for days on end, without having to hurry or exert excessive force. I model with plaster in a manner similar to that which I employ with clay for smaller pieces; somewhat recklessly, I must admit, if the spoil piles are anything to go by. As the figures stand on wheeled bases, so that I can inspect them from all sides at any time, I have to shovel

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away the plaster chippings at hourly intervals. This task is usually a welcome distraction and the tidy studio a source of calming satisfaction.

Figures at Bettembourg Castle, Luxembourg, 170 cm, cast iron, 1988

I often sink into a wonderfully comfortable armchair for hours on end, just to take a break and to examine the success of each of the day's efforts. As the studio had become more densely populated in the meantime, I often just sat there, as if in the midst of family, and pondered what could still be improved in the future.

her breasts. Her vitality and life force blend with the imposed skin and weld the mask to the portrait. The curse of abstraction, coupled with the sham of existence. The life we carry within us shapes a body for us – one that we only superficially control. Our knowledge, the choreography and staging of our lives, is nothing but the shell. Our spirit, with its will of construction and abstraction is damned resilient and, with time, very much capable of defying its mock self. The character to the right of the central figure is proud, exalted and noble. This is followed by a female form in a muse-like, elegiac, internalised pose. To the left of the centre, there are two aggressive temperaments: the first, a society man, plump of body, snooty, self-confident, arrogant, but not unsympathetic; the second a fiercely impassioned, impudent-looking athletic type, who, with his arms clasped together behind his back, is turned towards the centre in a dynamic protesting stance. Just as at Schinkelplatz, these figures all face towards the centre. They are 170 centimetres high and up to 60 centimetres wide. They were formed of solid cast iron and are sentenced to a very long life term.

Standing before the pieces, which were lined up in the foundry, ready for final amendments, we looked at each other with a feeling of powerlessness against the formidable stateliness of the material. After several desperate My friend, Francy Valentiny, had been commissioned attempts with the most heavy-duty grinder we could to transform the annexe building of Bettembourg Castle, find, we gave up. The figures would have to go on living near Luxembourg, into a cultural centre. He asked me with the scars they suffered during casting. Following to model five figures for the niches he proposed to in- an old caster's recipe, we heated up these giants and corporate on the courtyard-facing elevation. He himself coated them firstly with old motor oil and later with wanted to help as much as he could. bee's wax.Even Eventoday, today,there there is is not not aa single single trace trace of of rust rust beeswax. to be seen. After some consideration, the wall with the We decided on a series of character depictions, emanat- figures appeared a little bit too bare after all, so Francy ing from aacouple coupleininthe thecentre, centre,a woman a woman sen- planted ivy, which will soon spread to every corner. ing from in leaning leaning sensually in the niche and an abstracted torso, which should look as though it was embossed in metal. A shock of It is thanks to a competition that I received the commishair protruded behind its split mask; a signal of the life sion for an effigy of the former president of Luxemthat lay concealed behind an artificial shield. The bourg, Joseph Bech. As Bech grew up in the town of woman wears a gossamer-thin naturalistic mask, which my birth, Grevenmacher on the Moselle, I took on the bears her own facial expressions and reaches down to assignment with a large degree of sentimental devotion. Two committed jury members, the sculptor, Vercolier, and the historian, Calmes, kept track of my work in the studio. During their first visit in Bargemon, they disliked the pose of an arm and, on their second visit, the stance of the legs. As an architect, I was well used to this kind of man-to-man supervision by the client. Here, too, I succeeded in satisfying my supervisors, while ensuring that the most essential elements of the figure did not suffer under the changes.

Foundry in Luxembourg with Francy Valentiny

Laying of the foundation stone, Kirchsteigfeld: In 1993, one of my sculptures was erected as part of the groundbreaking ceremony for a new district on the outskirts of Potsdam, a project which we realised together with nu-

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merous other architects. Once again, my brother had designed the base, upon which a bronze model of our town plan can also be seen. The foundation charter was encapsulated within it. The client was the same one we had had on on the the project project in in Rauchstrasse. Rauchstraße. He to had had He came came to Bargemon to select a sculpture that was not too big, yet still sufficiently ceremonious and unobtrusive for the proposed location. It should be regarded as a gift to the inhabitants of the new district. He chose one of the Bettembourg figures, which had been worked as a highly contoured relief. It therefore needed a back, as well as alterations to the stance of the legs to suit its prominent positioning. During the course of the alterations, the figure took on an entirely new personality. I subsequently decided that I would rework all of the Bettembourg figures to create freestanding sculptures. At the the end endofof1994, 1994,thethe same client ordered 20 At same client ordered twenty bronze miniatures of the model for this figure as Christmas gifts for his best customers. The proceeds from this order are fatefully connected with my book, Zeichnungen und Skulpturen. Later, the same persistent customer – Dieter Graalfs – placed an order for a sculpture "to be as feminine as possible" for an empty niche in one of his buildings on Berlin's Friedrichstrasse. He selected selected aa model model that Berlin’s Friedrichstraße. He that II had had originally produced for Sedanplatz in Pforzheim, but which had not made the final cut. It was now to find a home in a corner niche of an old sandstone building. The niche was so shallow that I had to remove a large portion from the back of the figure. Graalfs directed these operations. He was of the opinion that she was too big and had become overly dramatic, because I was always exaggerating. I didn't argue with him, instead simply responding that the lady would have to put up with a lot of brouhaha in this part of Friedrichstadt and therefore no amount of sturdiness could be enough. In a building ofmore morethan thantwenty 20 metres building of metresininheight, height,itit seemed seemed hardly possibletotome methat that a 2-metre-high figureinina hardly possible a two metre-high figure athree 3-metre-high the metre-highniche nichecould couldbe beregarded regarded as as over over the top. Some artists may feel that this stance in asserting my figures seems servile. At the time, I was blissfully unaware of how things were done on the art market. In the meantime, I am aware that there is no place for squeamishness there either. Architects and artists both know that relentlessness, arrogance and sabre-rattling are generally what is needed to achieve success. A phrase my grandmother often used when commenting on how to handle my grandfather still rings in my ear, even today: "Say 'yeah, yeah' and then do as you please."

Luxembourg's president, Joseph Bech, head details, 1993–1994

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EARLY SCULPTURES AND PAINTINGS

First attempts at sculpture; top left, a portrait of my grandfather; right, large standing figure (plaster), created following a trip to Rome, 1955–1958

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Left, oak relief, 1957; top right, portrait of Saint Willibrord, founder of the monastery in Echternach; bottom right, my first clay figure, 1955

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Dedicated to the Hungarian conductor, Carl Melles, who conducted the Luxembourg Symphony Orchestra, 1958

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Early washed ink drawing on wrapping paper, approx. 60 × x 80 cm, 1958

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Whipped by the wind Original carved in plaster, 1957; here, a bronze cast

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Statue of the Anglo-Saxon missionary, St. Willibrord, on horseback. He was laid to rest in the basilica in Echternach. Original modelled in clay, 1957; here, a bronze cast.

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Painting experiments; top left, portrait of my brother, Leo; bottom left, Descent from the Cross, 1960

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Early pictures up to 1964; bottom left, an expressionistic stroll from my grammar school years

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Crucifixion, 1958

Crucifixion, reverse glass painting, 1962

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Crucifixion, 1958

The Crucified, torn fragment, 1958

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Western elevation with ramp leading to the gallery; here, the three-way motion of the arch elements dramatically symbolises the Holy Trinity

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CHURCH DESIGN First student research project with Prof. Josef Wiedemann, 1961

Floor plan, east at top, three-way motion towards the south, closed northern elevation

After completing the building survey of the Gothic cathedral at St. Étienne in Auxerre in Burgundy, I immersed myself in my first design as a student. It was to be a sacred building, the realisation of my youthful dream. My 15-year-old brother, Leo, built this intriguing 1:50. TheThe twelve intriguing model model totoa ascale scaleof of 1:50. 12 rhythrhythmically positioned arch elements should symbolise the transcendental character of this architectural idea by creating a three-way motion both in the floor plan and the elevation.

Open arch elements viewed from the east

View towards the altar; the gaps between the arch elements were filled with coloured glass mosaic tiles

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1963, a painted-over triptych from 1958; the original heads still show through at the top

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Christ frees himself from the cross

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The approach lane

The departures hall

The visitor terrace

Floor plan of the departures hall (right) and arrivals hall (left)

Below,luggage luggagetransport transportbands, bands, restaurant restaurant on Below, on the the 1st firstfloor floor

The large hall flanked by administration offices

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AIRPORT FOR LUXEMBOURG Unsuccessful competition design, 1965 I dared to take on this theme, even though, at that time, I had never been in an aircraft. In my youth, my world of architecture was entirely shaped by Le Corbusier, whose building type for La Tourette can be recognised here; the difference is that the centre is dominated by an

enormous open hall. From here, one has a view over the whole airfield. I wanted this hall to be the vantage point from which the spectacle of planes taking off and landing could be experienced. It would have been easily possible in an airport as small as this.

Approach lane, entrance with garage (right), exit (left); on the right-hand side, a hall; on the far left, the hangars for airport vehicles

Model views of the approach lane (top) and seen from the airfield (bottom)

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17.9.1966

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Coloured, geometrical finger exercises, 1966

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Centre: Aerial photograph of the extremely dense development of detached houses – a concept which, in terms of its density, would have been more fitting for a sunny, southern country than for Flanders in Belgium. The important thing is the basic urban development concept; the development over the pedestrian streets can be dispensed with. At the

time of this study, I was still completely taken in by Le Corbusier's living cell concepts and by the 1960s trend for the industrialisation of construction. Frei Otto's contribution to this study was his small-scale structural system, which he had first used in the German pavilion for the World Fair in Montreal.

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MASTER PLAN FOR AALTER Belgium, 1966 Old Aalter is a typical linear village with a main street that widens in front of public buildings, as well as a number of cross-streets. It consists mainly of terraced singlefamily homes. The housing type I proposed matched the scale of the existing structures and was intended to blend into the old fabric. The proposed master plan envisages a grid-like expansion of the town on either side of the curving main street. Each new block would consist of residential units arranged around the perimeter, enclosing an open space. In order to ensure continuity and the

efficient use of space, individual units were conceived as linear, two-storey structures straddling the smaller streets. The effect would not be unlike the medieval passages and vaulted streets that permeate local settlements. At regular intervals, large open squares and greens would act as neighbourhood centres, contrasting with the density of the urban blocks. Within each block, a system of garden walls ensures that residents have a high degree of privacy, while benefiting from the large openings and well-lit courts.

Top: The location plan for the town expansion. Bottom left: Model of a district with pedestrian zones in blue, driveways in red and garages in yellow. Bottom right: model of the very dense development of detached houses – 1 square metre of living space on 1 square metre of building footprint.

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Four coloured panels, 672 possible combinations, Cologne, 1966

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Four coloured panels, 672 possible combinations, Cologne, 1966

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Top: details of the prefabricated elements, based on the Euro-module 1.20 × x 1.20 m; bottom: some of the variable building types that were developed

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COMPETITION FOR HOUSING UNITS made of prefabricated steel elements, tendered by the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), 1966 This competition was tendered in order to promote the France and my university friend, Richard Dietrich, use of steel in the housing construction. It was followed in Germany, whose Metastadt residential complex in by a wide range of efforts all over the world; however, as Wulfen had to be demolished after 15 years. was the case with body construction in the automobile industry, none of these lasted for very long. Aesthetically For For this this study, study, Frei Frei Otto Otto contributed contributed the the structural structural and technically sophisticated experiments were carried system system and andProuvé Prouvéthe theinternal internal external andand external wallwand sysout by Buckminster Fuller in the USA, Jean Prouvé in tems. systems.

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Stele 1 with stylised bust, Cologne, 1966

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Stele 2 with stylised headless bust

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The entrance – a–glazed gridgrid spans overthe thereception receptionhall hall The entrance a glazed spans

The façade facing the square, model to a scale of 1:100

Façade to the canal with the large assembly halls, which swell forth from the shading grids

Reception hall, spanned by a transparent grid

Cross-section through a wing tract with garages and day-services

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NEW TOWN HALL Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1968 This youthful competition project is the only one I developed together with my brother, Leo. It was as though we were hypnotised by the influence of James Stirling, for whom Leo later worked. There are also visible traces of my own employer at the time, Frei Otto. What a stroke of luck it was for the city of Amsterdam that this design was not the prize-winner.

I am showing this project in spite of all the youthful errors we made here. The gargantuan scale was wrong, as it disregarded the existing typology in Amsterdam; the choice of materials in concrete and glass was wrong, as it was a mockery of the Dutch culture of brick architecture; the concept of using

sloped levels to cover the underground parking areas was wrong, as they made urban use of the space completely impossible. It was nothing more than an abstract behemoth, a textbook example of urban destructiveness, which we had deliberately deleted from our oeuvre until now.

Large cloud relief, 200 x 350 x 60 cm, 1968

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Teichen House, Warmbronn near Stuttgart, 1970, house type parallel to the hillside location

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POLITICAL AND CULTURAL CENTRE Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 1970 together with Einar Thorstein. At that time, we were employed by Frei Otto. It is a sure sign of carefree audacity, when one delves into an international competition as a youth, without ever having seen Tanzania, not to mention that I didn't have the foggiest idea about anything to do with its culture. In no other way could such an unrestrained vision have emerged – one which, at best, is still only useful as an exercise in architectural sculpture. As there was no possibility of creating an urban link in the surrounding areas, we

decided on a building type, which – in the manner of a fortress complex – concentrated all activities around an internal courtyard and framed them within a protective outer shell. All offices are inclined towards the interior in a terraced arrangement and provide their own shade. Frei Otto contributed the shade roof over the courtyard. The auditoriums and the parliament buildings are accessed via the courtyard.

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SIEMER HOUSE Stuttgart, Germany, 1968 This was my first big commission after completing my studies. As usual, there was no money for either the architect or the house. But worse still, during the course of construction, the client himself became creative in a negative way, altering important details at awhim. whim.The Theresult resultisisthat thatthe thehouse housetoday today looks looks like like a ruin from the 1920s. The main building material is brick, surfaced with a rough stucco render which was then painted. All the timber work, windows, doors and so on are painted in a deep bottle -green-tone. The paving at the ground level is large-format York stone. In plan, the house is arranged symmetrically on either side of a skylight axis, which contains the vertical circulation space. The building is partly buried in the

sloping site, giving it the air of a precious stone nestled into the surrounding nature. The idea of progression is emphasised both by the linear plan and, vertically across the site, by a series of stepped levels. These levels are echoed in the elevations, which slope in the same direction as the terrain. The wedge-like appearance of the building permits large openings on the upper entrance façade and glimpses of the surroundings through the roof. As a result of the dramatic volumetric rises, the building inevitably appears more imposing when looking up from the lower levels. It is both restrained and emphatic in its composition, setting itself up as a clear architectural statement with contextual sensitivity.

Opposite: plans, elevations and isometric projections of the project; above: colour model and proportional diagrams; below: views of the façades

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Kitchen, dining room, living room and parents' bedroom with bathroom

The children's area below the peak of the gable, with terrace and games platform on the sun-facing elevation

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The proportions of the façade based on the trisection, quadrisection and quintisection of the circle

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My brother, Leo, presented me with this relief in Warmbronn during the winter of 1968; it depicts a male torso wearing a bathing suit

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Here,heheisisseen seenpresenting presentingthe therelief reliefof of Claudia, Claudia, the the landlady Here, landlady in in Schlüterstrasse Schlüterstraße in in Berlin; Berlin;Warmbronn, Warmbronn,1968 1968

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Linear city development on the southern outskirts of Stuttgart, integrating the Stuttgart-Vaihingen university campus; bottom right is Castle Solitude

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Urban development axes in Germany

Urban development axes around Stuttgart

LINEAR CITY Stuttgart, Germany, 1970 Between 1900 and 1970, the population of Stuttgart increased from 175,000 to over 700,000. At the time I was thinking that if this trend were to continue, one would have to turn to linear city systems such as Soria i Mata in Madrid in the 19th century or, later on, Le Corbusier. Taking Stuttgart as an example, I wanted to test this along the main transport routes on the outskirts of the city.

The district structures should be threaded along the central axis in a tree-like arrangement. Using ideal-typical models, I designed sequences of urban spaces, which I then assembled like a collage to create a realistic 5 m-long aerial view. The existing localities were included to exactly match their current situation and topographical location.

These models are urban space prototypes for the aerial view collage shown next to them

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Between heaven and earth, large relief, 200 cm wide, 60 cm high, Warmbronn, 1988

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Winged horse's head, relief, 20 × x 20 cm

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RECONSTRUCTION OF THE INNER CITY Stuttgart, Germany, 1973 The inner city of Stuttgart was traditionally characterised by an interplay of freestanding monuments, churches and palaces, as well as a continuous dense urban fabric. The concept behind the proposed reconstruction of this part of town is to maintain the traditional dialogue, while creating new squares and streets. Buildings are used primarily as defining elements for the urban spaces, which are alternatively landscaped or left as open forums. All the open spaces are connected to one another by a complex system of streets and covered passages, which are designed in such a way as to lead the pedestrian from

one to the other in a sequence of 'discoveries'. Thus, the triangular Charlottenplatz is bordered by a semicircular 'forecourt' with flanking towers. Arcades emphasise the continuity of the street façades and further entice the visitor to explore the urban connections. An extended subway system connects the spaces at a lower level and facilitates commuting. As far as possible, the original pre-war form of streets and squares has been preserved, as with the hoofshaped Österreichischer Platz. The complexity of Stuttgart's old town plan serves as a model throughout the design process.

Opposite: model of the site around the castle; above: aerial view of the model; below: site plan

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From above, left to right: model of the new Österreichischer Platz; view of the hoof-shaped Österreichischer Platz; plan of the new Österreichischer Platz; aerial of the new Österreichischer Platz

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From above, left to right: sketch of the amphitheatre-like forecourt leading onto Charlottenplatz; sketch of the linear square with the entrance to the subway system on Rotebühlplatz; sketch of the triangular Charlottenplatz; model view of Rotebühlplatz

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KOLBEINSSON HOUSE Luxembourg, 1975 In terms of its type, this house is reminiscent of the traditional basilica, with nave and side aisles leading into each other. The hierarchic ground plan affords great flexibility without detriment to the central living area. The upper rooms also have an internal visual relationship to the living room. The glass roof creates an atmosphere similar to that encountered on a stretch of street or in an inner court. Not unlike Dickes House,

this building is meant to be understood as an object with simple, solid façades and limited architectural events. The large arched opening permits outward views, yet allows the exterior to push, or penetrate into the building in the form of an open court. The house can be read both as a solid black and U-shaped plan, thus betraying, as it were, its nature as an exercise in 'controlled' typological complexity.

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WEIDEMANN HOUSE Stuttgart, Germany, 1975 This house was to be built with a graphics workshop on a very steep, terraced northern slope. The design was rejected by the contractor because of its monumentality. It is similar to Kolbeinsson house in terms of its type. The floor on which the living accommodation is arranged has a clear east-west orientation, which continues on the terraces. The steps of the slope are also manifest in the three-storey space (inner court) above the studio. These are linked with various kinds of stairs. As with the Dickes and

Kolbeinsson houses, Weidemann House is chiefly an exercise in simple volumetric composition. Here, too, the plan is symmetrically arranged around a long atrium or skylight court, which contains the staircase into the upper levels. Openings are treated as simple cut-outs that do not interfere with the reading of the solid volumes from which they have been carved. The larger architectural moves are simplified, centralised patterns which emphasise the essential symmetry of each façade.

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Promenade with guardian angel, Cologne, 27.6.1967

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Headless bust with wings, Stuttgart, 22.6.1972

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Cross-section through the rapid transit station with shopping gallery, delivery zone, garage and residential floors above

Top and bottom: the various urban space situations in the project

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LEINFELDEN Germany, 1971 This condensed complex, comprising around 1,000 apartments and extensive office, administrative and commercial facilities, was intended to provide the town of Leinfelden with a new centre – a definite focus for the community. The site of the railway and underground stations was chosen because no inspiration for a spatially considered urban development could be found in the existing heterogeneous residential centre, with its detached houses. The extremely narrow, elongated nature of the site called for a linear development. The func-

tional and spatial focal points of the scheme are the town hall, with its cultural and social facilities, the railway and underground stations, a shopping centre and a weekly marketplace. These are set into a three-part spatial sequence: the town hall square, the shopping gallery providing access to the stations via two small courtyards and the square for the weekly market. The different elements are linked by a single axis, which provides the foundation for any future development of the town centre.

From above: aerial perspective with plans and views of the project; model of the scheme; courtyard views

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Quarrelling numbers, Stuttgart, 31.12.1972

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Recollection of my father's tailor shop, Stuttgart, 1972

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ROYAL MINT SQUARE London, United Kingdom, 1974 This project falls within the London Docklands redevelopment area. The basic architectural fabric is exceptionally rich and adaptable to other urban functions; unfortunately, however, one of the most fascinating features of the area is being lost, as some of the old docks are filled in. My sketches showing an ideal project were based on the assumption that, wherever practicable, existing buildings would be retained and converted to new uses. The old fabric is integrated into the new development. The structure of the blocks themselves could be filled out at a later date. The project plan is cruciform with a large square at the centre from which four streets

branch out with residential blocks arranged to form urban façades. These façades are treated as continuous surfaces with localised openings and architectural events. Entrances are treated as 'inserted' elements in larger voids. Spacious balconies and terraces look out over landscaped gardens at the back of the street houses, not unlike the traditional English terraces. The central square is meant to act as a focal point for the entire project, giving residents a place for social convergence. Continuous arcades line the street fronts and give the complex a traditional urban character, leading, at the same time, into the open square.

Opposite above: street elevation; opposite below: sketches for an architectural interpretation of the urban space inside the block; above: view of the central court with Battersea power station in the distance; below: site plan

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Split torso, Warmbronn, 28.12.1967

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Dressed in the spirit of the times, 1967–1970

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RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX IN FREIBURG IM BREISGAU Germany, with Faller & Schröder, 1972 At the time, I was working at the offices of the Stuttgart architects, Faller & Schröder, who were well known for their terraced hill-house concepts. They maintained a thoroughly jovial relationship with their employees and allowed me to carry outone oneof oftheir theirassignments assignments using ideas carry out using to my my own own ideas. .Here is a first attempt at converting the office's experience in terraced buildings into a spatially closed form, with an

elongated octagonal yard in the centre, onto which all of the residential terraces faced. Garages and circulation areas are arranged in the cavities formed by the terraced structure. Contrary to the hill-house buildings, the side of the complex that faced the city was somewhat uninviting, which made it impossible to integrate it into the overall urban landscape.

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SECOND DESIGN FOR FREIBURG IM BREISGAU 1972 In this alternative design, I attempted to find a way out of the modernistic cul-de-sac of free-floating building complexes. In terms of its scale and structure, the complex was to be adapted to the surroundings. This permitted the development of a prototype for a district with four blocks and two streets, which widened in the centre to create a square. This solution was elaborated on for the first time

during the competition for a housing district at Tower Bridge in London and was then put into practice in the late 1970s at at the the corner cornerof ofRitterstrasse Ritterstraße and and Feilnerstrasse Feilnerstraße late 1970s in Berlin's South Friedrichstadt. In this design, I closed the street entrances like gateways, thus isolating them somewhat unnecessarily from the city. They can be omitted.

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Bustling urban space, 1969

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Disassembled bust, 28.12.1967

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DICKES HOUSE Luxembourg, 1974

In keeping with the client's wishes, this house has few windows apart from the full-height openings oriented towards the terrace and the sources of daylight needed for the staircase and bathroom. The lady of the house had been pestered by a Peeping Tom p in the past and had no wish to repeat the experience here. The powerful architecture emerging from these requirements contrasts starkly with the open plans of the interior. This 'living cell' could also be applied to terraced houses and larger building complexes.

The walls are treated with a stucco render which is then painted. All the timber work, windows, doors and so on are painted in a deep bottle-green-tone. The paving at the ground level consists of large-format York stone. A series of large oak beams are a feature of the ground floor ceiling and, internally, the roof of the hall is all in timber with a series of massive trusses left completely visible. The essence of the building is the simplicity of its volumetric composition.

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The L-shaped house type; view of the terrace and living space

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Views of the interior spaces up to the roof terrace

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The model at a scale of 1:20

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The terrace can be closed off with a folding partition

Ground floor, open between the kitchen, dining room, living room and terrace

Bedroom level, children's room with mobile walls

Glass roof over the terrace

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View of the garden with photomontage of the sculpture on the garden tool shed

Carlo, on the the reception receptionbench benchnext nexttotothe theentrance. entrance. Carlo,the theman man of of the the house, house, on The are still still waiting waitingbeen to bedone, done,even eventoday. today. Thecoloured colouredfaçade façade coatings coatings are

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Design for the never-realised winged torso for Dickes House, fired clay, 1975

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Drawings from the period 1972–1975

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FAREWELL TO STUTTGART NEW BEGINNINGS IN VIENNA 1975–1976

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his compendious monograph on my works needs to take a short breather. To ensure that a few personal notes from my life show through under the avalanche of creativity, I shall insert couple of of autobi-ographical autobiographical memoirs memoirs here. here. insert aa couple Until now, I had earned a crust for myself and my young family (my wife and two feisty daughters) in the employment of O. M. Ungers, Frei Otto, Bodo Rasch, Faller & Schröder and, finally, as an assistant to Johannes Uhl at Stuttgart University. My projects and artistic experiments were pure leisure-time endeavours, nourished entirely by the unbridled creative passion I shared with my brother, Leo. Our dialogue kept me safe from the harm of many an aberration, something to which I was still very susceptible, even as a young adult. I speak about these experiences in great detail detailininmy myJournals, Journals, which are which are also also published by Menges. published by Menges. II had had so so much much scope scope for for development development at at Stuttgart University that that II was was able Stuttgart University able to to colcollate late my my knowledge knowledge of of urban urban development development in I named, Stadtraum [latin aabook, book,which which I named, Stadtraum er published in English as Urban [later published in English as Space]. Urban ISpace]. had planned to use this paper a disI had planned to use thisas paper as sertation. However, it was a dissertation. However, it wasrejected rejected by by Munich University of Technology because it was deemed nonscientific; with the wisdom of hindsight, I can understand their decision. It was an epistemological work that sought to pillory the loss of urban space in modern town planning and, on the basis of example designs, to demonstrate how this void could once again be filled. Karl Krämer was prepared to publish the book, but only on condition that I bore the printing costs. As I didn't have that kind of money available, I decided to learn the fascinating art of printing for myself and, using an old Rotaprint machine, printed a thousand copies of the book in the university basement. Krämer used my plates for several editions, until they gave up the ghost.

This manuscript contributed to my being offered appointment at Vienna University of Technology at the end of 1975. I didn't have any qualms about departing Stuttgart, as Vienna had had aa much much weightier weightier architec-tural architectural heritage as Vienna heritage to to offer. Only later did I realise that, in the relatively intact city of Vienna, I would never have gained the insights into urban development, that were so evident to me in a city as severely damaged as Stuttgart. The challenge I was confronted with at Vienna University was to set up a new professorship for the principles of architectural design and to transmit these to a large number of students. I tried to facilitate their entry into their future professions in the way that I (to no avail) mymy ownown teavail) had hadhoped hopedforforfrom from achers. teachers.I sent I sentthem themout outinto intothe the city city to to look at any high-quality buildings they liked and to conduct analytical research of all the elements they would later need to put a building together: interior space types with floor, ceiling and wall structures, windows, doors and columns, staircase types, building entrances, portals, oriels, loggias, balconies, terraces, roof configurations and so on. I later produced a synopsis of my lectures and the examples drawn by my students, supplemented by a chapter on proportions, in my book, Architectural Composition. Just as my friends had predicted, I only accomplished a small number of projects in Vienna. Whilst newcomers were generally given a hearty welcome, they could not expect to achieve any real degree of integration – especially if they were unable to accent.The The cabaret cabaret artist, artist, to carry carry off offan anauthentic authenticViennese Vienna accent. Karl Farkas, hit the nail on the head, when he remarked that "Austrians and Germans are distinguished by a common language".

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Promenade at Lake Geneva, near Lausanne, 1975

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Travelling through Switzerland, 1975

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Built surprises in the landscape, 1975

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Built surprises in the landscape, 1975

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Bridge spaces in and around Stuttgart, 1975

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Surprises, noted 1975

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PROPOSAL FOR BALLHAUSPLATZ Vienna, Austria, 1976 The basic urban planning concept was to create a new street connecting the Hofburg (the residence of the p Austrian President) with Minoritenplatz. By extending into the inner area of the building, the street also forms a communicating element between the general public and the government buildings. The building form takes into consideration the historical typology, with particular regard for the existing scale and the significance of the site. The new building offers an architectural solution which will maintain an enduring position in the urban composition. The entrance to the government building has been located at its natural focal point at

the street intersection. It is announced by both the large sculpture and column which embody the transformation of the vertical surfaces into freestanding support. The solidity and continuity of the surrounding urban fabric has been maintained in the elevation, employing simple openings and allowing the entrance to dominate as the primary focal point. A complex system of skylights crowns the building and suggests a more open interior than the elevations might imply. Indeed, on the inside, one moves through the columned entrance lobby to discover the main auditorium, semicircular in shape, which is connected to a large rectangular hall to the south.

Opposite: façade studies of Ballhausplatz and the dialogue between old and new; from above, left to right: ground and upper floors of the project; model view of project; axonometric sketches of the project

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Inflamed bust from my father's sewing room, 1977

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Fitting room, 1977

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HOUSING ON RENNWEG Vienna, Austria, 1977 The task here was to restructure and extend a site that was previously developed with barracks. The existing pattern of urban blocks in the area around the competition site was adopted as the correct strategy for subdividing the new quarter. The historical plan was taken into consideration and features of the existing fabric were incorporated so as not to eliminate at a stroke an urban development that had taken shape over hundreds of years. These existing features contribute to the richness and individual character of the area. Another assumption was that, wherever feasible, the existing old buildings would be incorporated into the new plan. The large cruciform plans of the barracks were subdivided with new buildings,

creating new streets leading to a central green space. This square ends at the west with a crescent, five storeys high, upon which tree-lined streets converge. The continuity of the façades around the green provides a high degree of enclosure, broken only by the arched street entrances. The density of the urban blocks is thus ensured, while, at the same time, smaller inner courts, also landscaped, act as more private focal points for the individual housing units. As the small study plans show, the primary concept guiding the design process was the preservation of the traditional urban fabric of Vienna and the incorporation of a sizeable figural open space at the heart of the development.

Opposite, from above, left to right: aerial view of the project; view of the crescent at the end of the green; street view; above: site plan; below: urban development sketches for the project

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Viennese granary on the Danube, 1977

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No longer able to sing or fly, 1977

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NEW COMMUNITY CENTRE Brunn am Gebirge, Austria, 1977 The intention of this complex is to close the courtyard behind the town hall and create a spatially intact figure. The square main hall with surrounding corridors, the stage area, oval stairwell and the old hall form a sequence of spaces which develops from the foyer on the ground floor. The individual parts are geometrically differentiated and linked to the main space and surrounding area. The individual side walls emphasise the orientation and filter the

sources of light. The octagonal support of the oval, glassroofed staircase with its mushroomed capital bears the landing on the upper store. The link between the staircase and the old hall is emphasised; the hall having been enhanced by a gallery. A simple timber roof caps the main space, which is conceived as a geometrically pure volume. Large arched openings on three sides strengthen the symmetrical plan.

From above, left to right: axonometric projection of the project; plan; oval staircase

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URBAN PROPOSAL FOR ALTONA NORD Hamburg, Germany, 1978–1981 This work was based on the following premises: 1. The proposal should complete the historical plan. 2. Urban space should be clearly defined in the geometric pattern of the streets and squares – the only zones of public interaction in modern urbanism. 3. The massing of the blocks should ensure the greatest possible transparency within the urban structure.

The basic principle behind this redevelopment was to subdivide the gigantic old blocks into smaller units, in order to create transparency within the urban structure. This transparency benefits everyone who lives in the city – not only the pedestrian, but also the motorist. Indeed, it is the only means of halting the decay of the inner area of the blocks, which have lost their direct relationship to the public cityscape.

From above, left to right: site plan showing the urban spaces; the new borders for the green next to the opera house with the plan of the four towers accommodating medical surgeries; residential and office block on the former Pferdemarkt with circular court

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Aerial view of the site

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From above, left to right: development sketches for the urban plan; the Schilleroper Youth Centre; the round square at the intersection of the retirement homes; view of the football field

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My dream wardens, 1978

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Dream wardens with steles, 1984

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PROPOSAL FOR WEST BERLIN CITY CENTRE Germany, 1976–1977 The Kurfürstendamm The Kurfürstendamm //TauentzTauentienstraße area developed zienstrasse area was was developed with Leo Krier. The programme invited a variety of approaches to restructuring this area. We decided to focus on two fundamental issues: 1. A critique of the structure of the centre of West Berlin (Leo). 2. A critique of the urban space and architectural quality of the area. The area around Breitscheidplatz

was not conceived as the centre of the city, but was developed as a suburb in the 19th century. Its large block patterns lack the essential features for an urban centre, most notably, transparency and permeability for pedestrians and traffic. We wanted this project to illustrate the potential for creating a human spatial quality within this environment.

Opposite, from above: existing site plan; proposed site plan; from above: existing and proposed plan for Breitscheidplatz; view of the existing site with busy intersection; model of Breitscheidplatz

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From above: existing and proposed plan of Lützowplatz; model of Lützowplatz

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From above: existing and proposed plan of Wittenbergplatz; model of Wittenbergplatz

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Stele for Gerrit, 1978

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Cardboard figures, 1977–1978

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Sketch ofof Leipziger designedby byFriedrich FriedrichGilly; Gilly;opposite opposite, from above, Sketch LeipzigerPlatz Platzwith withthe themonument monumentof ofFrederick Frederick the the Great, Great, designed from above left left to to right: the 19th 19th century, century,site siteplan planinin1975, 1975,site siteplan planinin 1939, new proposal right:site siteplan planatatthe thebeginning beginning of of the 1939, thethe new proposal

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH FRIEDRICHSTADT Berlin, Germany, 1977 The ideal plan for South Friedrichstadt in Berlin was based on the assumption that Berlin would not be divided forever between East and West and that the area between Mehringplatz and Unter den Linden should be treated as a single entity. I have re-adopted the 19th-century city plan, which was largely destroyed during the war and the subsequent rebuilding. An important element of this ideal plan is the landscaped 'ring of culture', which starts some way out from Mehringplatz, extending in a

semicircle from the Museum of the City of Berlin. This 90-metre-wide ring should contain the most important cultural buildings and provide some much-needed green space. Care has also been taken to minimise disturbance of the existing fabric. The new post-war buildings fit in as best they can; later phases of the plan could improve their integration. It is important to limit building heights to a maximum of six storeys and to avoid any further tower blocks.

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Opposite: Plans for the Berlin museum district, South Friedrichstadt; from above: site plan, sketch of the semicircular court at the end of the central axis

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Ideal plan of South Friedrichstadt (Luisenstadt) in Berlin; top: the boulevard, Unter den Linden, bottom: Mehringplatz, 1977, by anticipating the fall of the Berlin Wall

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Various building types in the block perimeter and at a road intersection; model of an urban development concept

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I cannot read, look or hear, 1978

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Like Santa Claus, 1984

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APARTMENT BUILDING ON RITTERSTRASSE Berlin, Germany, 1977–1980 The building marks the centre of the northern edge northern edge of of the the block block on onRitterstrasse. Ritterstraße. The projection of the façade, recessed forecourt and gateway signal the entrance to the interior of the block. As there are plans to run a residential street from this point to the Berlin Museum, the wings facing the courtyard are designed to allow for extension at a later date. I have proposed that the edge of the block is subdivided into manageable plots for a number of reasons, most importantly:

1. To put a halt to fast-track production of housing by a single architect, thus ensuring work for other architects. 2. To reestablish small re-establish small housing housing groups, groups, which which will once more allow people to get to know their neighbours. 3. To create a small-scale architecture that is easy to recognise and orient oneself by. 4. To recognise that housing can only rise above the other functions of the city, if it makes a return to the variety that once characterised, enlivened and enriched the streetscape in the past.

Opposite, from above: proportional composition,elevations, elevations,view viewfrom from Ritterstraße; from Opposite, from above: proportionalsystem systemdetermining determining the the façade façade composition, Ritterstrasse; from above, leftleft to to right: ground project,view viewfrom fromthe thecourtyard, courtyard,view view from Ritterstraße above, right: groundfloor floorplan, plan,first firstfloor floorplan, plan,sketch sketch of of the the project, from Ritterstrasse

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Opposite: lefttotoright: right:plans plansand and interior view of six-room apartment, Opposite:the theivy-covered ivy-coveredfaçade; façade; from from above, above left interior view of six-room apartment, apartment Turkishfloor floorplan, plan,view viewofofthe theentrance entrance façade apartment based on a Turkish façade

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Model of of the Model the winged wingedfigure figureatatthe thebuilding buildingononRitterstrasse, Ritterstraße,1977 1977

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The figure today, with patina. At the time, I didn't think of including a drainage gutter.

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Leaf head, 1982

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Leaf head, 1982

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SCHINKELPLATZ Berlin, Germany, 1977–1987 After examining a number of alternatives, I decided to give the square a regular form, enclosed on all sides. This provided a shield against the still derelict derelict environs environs and, and, at at the the same, same time spatial time,established establishedananimportant important spalink between and tial link betweenMehringplatz Mehringplatz and Oranienstrasse. The public public square, square, Oranienstraße. The measuring 30 metres on each side, can be accessed at the midpoint of all four sides. Additional passages from the corners lead to the landscaped courtyards of the housing area. The courtyards are on a level 1.5 metres above the streets and squares, in order to minimise the length

of the ramp needed to enter the underground parking areas. All the rooms are grouped around a central living space, which is accessible from two sides, allowing the configuration of the apartments to be adapted to any orientation: towards the street, the square or the courtyard. The living room and loggia, or conservatory, are each situated according to the orientation of the building – all that remains is to put the children in the sunniest spot. The central living rooms are varied in shape, in order to give them distinctive character.

Opposite: façade in imitation of Schinkel's Feilner building; from above; plan of the project, elevation of Schinkel's Feilner building, view of the central square, Schinkelplatz

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Opposite: axonometric projection showing the façade compositions with sketches of the residential accommodation around Schinkelplatz; from above, left to right: detail plan of Schinkelplatz, interior sketch of a residential unit, octagonal living room

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Sketchesfor forten 10 sculptural sculptural steles, designed andand Sketches steles,which whichwere weresupposed supposedtotobebe designed erectedon onthe thesquare square by by various various sculptors a symposium erected sculptorswithin withinthe theframework frameworkofof a symposium

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Schinkel had installed a series of medallions with floral patterns below the cornice. I repeated this theme, with the difference that I installed terracotta portraits of architects and friends along the window axes. Schinkel is located in the centre; all other portraits gradually turn their heads to face Schinkel, with the exception of one, looking away disdainfully: Le Corbusier. The others represented are Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Julius and Roswitha Grützke, Susanne Wülfing, my daughter Nadine and – how could it be otherwise? – Leo and me, flanking Schinkel in all our vanity.

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Fromabove, above,left lefttotoright: right:west west portico; portico; east north portico From east portico: portico:entrance entranceform fromRitterstrasse, Ritterstraße,south southportico, portico, north portico

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From above, left to right: house 12 by Brandt, Heiß, Liepe & Steigelmann, house 11 by Bangert, Jansen, Scholz & Schultes, houses 20, 21 and 19 by Brandt, Heiß, Liepe & Steigelmann, Ganz & Rolfes and Möller & Rhode (respectively)

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Watercolour on primed canvas, approx. DIN A4, my themes in Vienna, 1976–1979

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Watercolour on primed canvas, approx. DIN A4, my themes in Vienna, 1976–1979

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Double figure, Vienna, 1981

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Doublefigure, figure,first firstdraft draftfor for the the monument monument at Breitenfurter Strasse, Vienna, 1982 Double at Camillo-Sitte-Platz Camillo-Sitte-PlatzininVienna, Vienna, Breitenfurter Straße, Vienna, 1982

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PRAGER PLATZ Berlin, Germany, 1978 The square still bears the scars of World War II. I would suggest restoring the original ground plan as far as possible. The intention of the projections, where the streets meet the square, is to increase the architectural frontage. Furthermore, the best apartments may be placed at these corners. A large swimming pool is to be built in the interior of the block, together with an adult education centre, a day nursery, library, restaurant etc. Here, too, the buildings are not to be designed by one architect but rather, as in all my urban projects, are to be developed in collaboration with several colleagues. As can be seen in the sketches of the interior, the spaces

are treated as figurally as possible for the sake of architectural clarity. Glazed skylights in the form of domes, vaults and gables have been included above all the primary spaces, thus ensuring a high degree of natural daylighting. Public spaces generally make the transition from solid wall to void by means of semi-solid colonnades and galleries. Spaces are thus enclosed by soft surfaces, which establish an architectural dialogue. As was the case at Royal Mint Square, Schinkelplatz and the housing project on Rennweg, the street-facing façades are treated as continuous surfaces, the continuous surfaces, with with the the intention intention of of maintain maintaining historic urban fabric. the historic urban fabric.

Opposite: sketches for the interior of Prager Platz; above: site plan, axonometric bird's-eye view

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Opposite: elevation and plan of the octagonal house, preliminary design; above: studies of house types at Prager Platz

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Gatekeeper, designed for project my project on Breitenfurter Strasse in Vienna, 1982 Gatekeeper, designed for my on Breitenfurter Straße in Vienna, 1982

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Double figure, a further draft for Camillo-Sitte-Platz in Vienna, 1982

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HOUSE I Berlin-Spandau, Germany, 1978–1981 These two buildings are part of a block on the edge of the medieval centre of Spandau, on the site of the fortifications which separated the city from the Havel River. The living spaces are oriented towards courtyard and street, in order to take advantage of the natural light. The courtyard side overlooks Spandau's medieval roofscape. The project, which provides social housing, was included in the plans of the 1984 Berlin International Building

Exhibition (IBA). The Dutch architect, Herman Hertzberger, was invited to design the infill between the two buildings; other housing in the block is the work of the Berlin architects, Jahn, Pfeiffer & Suhr. The buildings are of the same height, but each has its own character. I attempted to keep the massing simple while concentrating on the development and proportions of the individual elements.

From above, left to right: floor plan, plan diagram, street façade, rear façade

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HOUSE II Berlin-Spandau, Germany, 1978–1981 This design is built on the premise of a clear internal geometry. The organisation of the plan develops outwards from the living room, which takes the form of a compressed octagon. The hallway next to the living room is is hexagonal, hexagonal, the thestaircase staircasehepta-gonal. heptagonal. living room The plan was not however dictated by any fetish for geometry. The form of the adjoining rooms developed from the form of the living room, the

place where the family gathers – the 'heart of the house' (Leon Battista Alberti), which is wide in the middle, but narrower at either end to accommodate windows. This notional axis also gives the room a clear orientation towards the daylight ends. The terrace on the south side of the building provides a conservatory, acting as a good buffer against the outdoor climate.

From above, left to right: floor plan, plan diagram, street façade, rear façade

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Stargazer, for the the east eastportal portalofofCamillo-Sitte-Platz Camillo-Sitte-Platz Breitenfurter Straße in Vienna, 1982 Stargazer, steles steles for onon Breitenfurter Strasse in Vienna, 1982

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Steles Camillo-Sitte-Platzon onBreitenfurter Breitenfurter StraßeininVienna, Vienna, 1982 Stelesfor forthe thenorth north portal portal of Camillo-Sitte-Platz Strasse 1982

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HOUSING ON RAUCHSTRASSE Berlin-Tiergarten, Germany, 1980 An urban-scale block would have been wholly inappropriate for this site on the edge of a wonderful green space in the historically suburban Tiergarten. I therefore chose to accommodate the new housing in individual buildings of a size similar to that of the old villas in the neighbourhood – the matching of scale is most evident in the semi-detached houses on the section of now tion of the the former former Stülerstrasse Stülerstraße now known as known as Thomas-Dehler-Strasse. Thomas-Dehler-Straße. The housing is arranged around

a central green, which is separated from the thebustle bustleofofStülerstraße Stülerstrasse from by a gateway. theopposite opposite side, side, abygateway. OnOnthe on Drakestrasse, similar spatial spatial on Drakestraße, aa similar closure is formed by a pair of matched buildings, one of which the former Norwegian Embassy. The intention is to relate each apartment to the adjacent green space, irrespective of whether it is public or private. The buildings are embraced by an embankment measuring one metre high and four metres wide.

Opposite, above and oppositecentre: centre:view view crescent a busy looking Opposite above andbelow: below:apartment apartment types; opposite ofof thethe crescent on aonbusy day, day, viewview looking away away from thethe crescent; from model,sculpture sculptureatatthe theentrance, entrance, view of the crescent the green from crescent; fromabove: above:view viewof of the model, view of the crescent fromfrom the green

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From above: plan of the crescent, view of the crescent from the street

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From above: sketch study of the plan and elevation for the crescent, view of the crescent building with the flanking towers facing the green

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Bust forfor mymy project on on Rauchstrasse, 1983 Bustwith withveiled veiledhead, head,first firstdraft draft project Rauchstraße, 1983

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gilded mask, designexecuted executedononthe theportico porticoconstruction, construction, Rauchstrasse, BustBust withwith gilded mask, thethe design Rauchstraße, Berlin, Berlin, 1984 1984

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From above: plan of the Krier building, view towards the Krier building

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From above: view down the green towards the crescent, detail of the Krier building

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Tombstone for my son, Gerrit, Vienna, 1982

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Tombstone for my son, Gerrit, Vienna, 1982

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VIA TRIUMPHALIS Karlsruhe, Germany, 1979 The point of this investigation was to produce outline proposals to respond to a broad range of urban planning issues, from paving to building façades. The Karlsruhe authorities were not seeking definitive solutions, but rather, freshideas ideasfrom fromsomeone someonenew newto to the the area, area, in in order order ather, fresh to stimulate discussion about the goals and methods of urban planning in the city. The starting point for the project was was the the idea ideaof ofre-establishing reestablishing the original Via Via project the original Triumphalis, bordered by greens and squares and with a clearly defined square at the primary intersection. An

honorific causeway is thus restored between Karlsruhe Castle and the landscaped gardens at the south end of the site. The urban fabric and natural green space interact as equal partners in a dialogue between solid and void. In place of Weinbrenner's old neoclassical gateway, with its radiating routes leading to the southern parts of the city, we now have a section of the autobahn. I suggest building the small square above this existing, irreparably anti-city nightmare to create a pleasant space for pedestrians.

From above, left to right: existing site plan, aerial view with the train station and zoo in the foreground and castle in the distance, proposed site plan, the marketplace, looking towards the castle

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HOUSING ON BABELSBERGER STRASSE Berlin-Wilmersdorf, Germany, 1981 This housing development is placed on top of an existing two-storey industrial building. My concern was to alter the random arrangement of the complex, so that the triangular playground of the kindergarten – a source of unrestrained noise – is separated from the main garden area for the housing by courtyards containing workshops and studios. The floor plan types for the new building are limited by the need to follow the axis of the existing structure. The corner tower stands in line with an adjoining street, acting as a visual terminal of the same. It contains a deck that can be accessed via a large, open staircase. This tower is, in effect the focal point of the site, rising two storeys above the rest of the project as a solid figural object. It is bordered by a corresponding open space that acts as organiser for the units and leads into a triangular columned court on one side and, on the other, into a long landscaped green, terminating with

a crescent at the far end. Over half of the residential units look onto private gardens or yards at the rear of the site. The project is conceived almost as an 'acropolis' or elevated complex of houses and courts hinging on the polygonal tower, which defines the obtuse corner of the site. Its spatial complexity secures a richness of form for the enjoyment of the residents, who, in crossing from one side of the complex to the other, experience a variety of architectural relationships. These relationships distinguish one group of units from the other, whilst simultaneously binding them together by a system of interconnected passages and gates. The façades at the street level have large, well-lit openings, which become smaller and more regular on the upper floors. The project is thus tied together both in spatial terms and in terms of the consistency of the architectural vocabulary.

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Gagged (for Maurice), 40 cm, terracotta, 1982

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Arm in a sling, 42 cm, terracotta, 1986

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STATE LIBRARY Karlsruhe, Germany, 1979 The geometry and form of the new library, and especially its courtyard elevation, are largely determined by the existing major buildings on the site, which will be retained and carefully incorporated into the new scheme. I believe it is important to create a complete, closed façade opposite Weinbrenner's St Stephen's Church. To achieve this, it will be necessary to modify the façades of the town houses adjoining the complex. The main entry is orientated towards the portico of St Stephen's: the colonnade of the church is echoed in the steles of a gently inclined ramp. The square itself remains open to traffic; only the area between the

library entrance and the church portico is distinguished by means of separate paving. The buildings do not compete with one another in terms of their mass. My proposal develops Weinbrenner's second design for the church, with its provisions for auxiliary public buildings and ordered landscaping. The entrance façade extends the existing façade with the sole interruption being the entrance portico with its octagonal skylight, while façade is is intentionintentionskylight, while the the Blumenstrasse Blumenstraße façade ally broken down into object-buildings, framed on either side by extensions of the other two street-facing elevations.

Opposite: project development sketches, state library, Karlsruhe; from above: elevations and sections, ground floor plan

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Haughty, snobbish ... Terracotta, 38 cm, 1987

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Prudent, sublime ... Terracotta, 45 cm, 1986

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HOUSING ON KURFÜRSTENDAMM Berlin, Germany, 1981 This project is an attempt at discreetly mediating between the so-called marble house and a fine sandstone façade, dating back to the end of last century. The competition was won by a commercial planning office in Hamburg, with a low-rent, post-modern scheme. This being essentially a façade exercise, the building presents a glazed background against which the central element, which includes a gable roof, is to be placed. The attic storey is further emphasised by a row

of circular openings above a balcony that runs the length of the façade. The first, second and third floors are daylighted by a successively increasing number of windows, thereby adding lightness to the glazed balcony and forming a transition to the same. The isolated section of the façade echoes the proportions of the existing buildings on the street and, by pushing away from the rest of the building, allows it to rise unobtrusively above the roofscape.

From above: elevation, plan showing the adjacent units, view of the project with the ruins of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on the left

) is patently evoked here, even if the elevational x has more to do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). y element of this reading is the presence in the hes of Loos's giant Doric column, submitted for hicago Tribune competition of 1922, which is fitransformed here into the columnar hinge-point of orner building. That this proposal was never reis to be regretted at many levels, not only because ty of Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a mental version of one of Krier's most paradigmatic stic works – his canonical Dickes House, which ompleted in the same year.

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lem, since almost no part of the room is undisturbed by the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, the surrounding spaces are both ingeniously situated and appropriately proportioned. The brick-faced polygonal residential towers, such as that which Krier proposed for Fasanenstrasse (1980), are surely the most historicist of these later projects. This scheme, together with Krier's "tower sketches," suggests

ernity versus Tradition Krier has recently moved away from a conception works as abstract masses to a greater preoccupawith architectural form. This is most immediately Figure 28 Figure 29 ent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century an brick tradition, particularly after the realisation Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Ritasse, despite its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" ecture, whereas what follows in Krier's work is traditionally structured and frequently designed in sion brickwork with traditional features, such as d-brick arches and header string courses. LindenPLACE DE L'ÉTOILE 34, infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau 8–1979), represents a clear shift in this direction. Luxembourg, 1982 Figure 30 Figure 31 a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of ad-bearing masonry andPlace the new "curtain-wall" Place de lI'Étoile is the the site de Étoile is site of of the the border border path path that that ular openings and blocks terminate with corner towa growing picturesque cultural landmarks. tration of the living rooms. once passed in front of the fortifications of Luxem- ers, as is often the case ininterest the oldincity of LuxemOne thinks of the on impact of brick water towers on the bourg. Today it still gives a true sense of entry to the bourg. These towers are echoed a grander scale nineteenth-century countryside and of the pregnant, pinndenufer 34, this somewhat awkwardfrom antithesis city. Coming Arlon in Belgium in the west, one by a large tower that projects from the crescent nacle-like forms created by prominent een old and new is eliminated favourwith of a amore is firstinfaced steep descent and then a climb building. In a manner not unlike the Admiralty Arch members of the German Association of Craftsmen during the early years lete adaptation of the Berlin backbrick up totradition. the city.ParaMy project proposed placing a in London, the crescent is punctured by two roads, above all,and perhaps, ally enough, the proto-Expressionist this which is semicircular in which converge of new façadeaspect on theofplaza, at this century; point. The streets boule-of Hans Poelzig's brick-faced water tower built at Zeipau on is most dramatically revealed in point the white plasform. My of reference was the famous Adolphe vards regularise steel-framed the existing and urban fabric. The housin 1922. However, while hydraulics odel, where the low relieving arches helplinks to inflect Bridge, which the areas around the station with ing units are varied in size and typology, but are may well justify thataround which Bruno Taut nostalgically allow, bowed and set-back waysThroughout the project, the generally arranged thefaçades. centre In ofmany the city. a central room, accessedrecognised as the "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general inappropriateone of the most integrated solutionsare thatshown Krier has elevations with rusticated plinths and reg- by a spacious stair tower. ness of such forms for residential stock is disturbing. In the end, one must conclude that they are a mere caprice in Krier's repertoire; a folly that is justified only by the idiosyncrasies of the site.

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Figure 27

Antinomies of Value Krier's work is riddled with curious antinomies: on the one hand, a manifest interest in classical devices of proportional control and, on the other, a discernible and increasing tendency toward the expressionistic use of

From above: plans and elevations of the proposal, sketch of the semicircular plaza, site plan

the C the s face tenan form mode to br self." paten intrin

This haps bility publi simp pagn priva crypt laten pre-w Germ sense archi simu comp evide

Figure

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Head of a female figure at Bettembourg Castle, Luxembourg, plaster, 30 cm, 1988

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Head of the central figure at Bettembourg Castle, Luxembourg, clay, 30 cm, 1988

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HOUSING ON BREITENFURTER STRASSE Vienna, Austria, 1981–1987 The construction of a residential complex in the an enhancement in the living quality. The project outskirts of Vienna implies the clear intention of com- forms part of Vienna's social regeneration programme, bining an autochthonous architectural language with which dates back to the beginning of the 1980s. Varthe functional requirements of a residential space. Its ious competitions were organised in which opposing links with the surroundings must be considered, both solutions were proposed; both the contribution from in terms of communications with the city centre and Richter & Gerngrob, with their surprising and innowith the accidents of topography and pre-existing vative vision, and the residential complex proposed components. The arrangement of the various units of by myself, Wachberger and Gebhart are based on construction is defined by the conditioning factors of traditional classical concepts. The aesthetic suggesthe terrain and the need to create physical and aes- tions are prompted by the natural and architectural thetic interrelationships. Setting out on the basis of surroundings: the detached houses, inns and green certain time-honoured principles, I organised the vol- areas intertwine to form an autochthonous landscape umes in a classical manner as regards their general into which the new project must harmoniously blend the benefit benefit of of the the residents residents of ofBreitenfurter BreitenfurterStrasse. Straße. tone, updating the treatment only in order to pursue to to the

Opposite: plans, sections and elevations of the building; from above, left to right: model of entire complex, sketch study of the tower at the end of the triangular block, sketch study of the round court; overleaf: Camillo-Sitte-Platz

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Entrance to the kindergarten, the stairs at the tower lead to the apartments above

Camillo-Sitte-Platz, bottom left: the portal to the square

Juxtaposition of model and reality: the artificial stone models to a scale of 1:20 (also shown on the next page) are held by the German Museum of Architecture (DAM) in Frankfurt. Only the figure on the square was realised (bottom right).

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Eastportal portalofofCamillo-Sitte-Platz, Camillo-Sitte-Platz, Breitenfurter East BreitenfurterStrasse, Straße,Vienna Vienna

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From above: south façade of finalised project, south portico, Camillo-Sitte-Platz

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Plaster model of the double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz, 180 cm, 1986

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Double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz, terracotta, 55 cm, 1985

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Double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz, terracotta, 55 cm, 1985

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ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS Berlin, Germany, 1983 The task here was to plug a gap on Lietzenburger Straße. Strasse.As Asin inprevious previous projects, projects, II aimed to ensure that the new construction would blend seamlessly into the existing fabric. The building's function and pedagogic character are expressed symbolically in a gigantic relief around the plinth and in two monumental figures designed by Johannes Grützke, while the building's typology and internal spatial composition are an attempt at reflecting the high standards that are justifiably expected of an Academy of Fine Arts. The

project hinges around an amphitheatre-like foyer, which is approached through a long open court. Two large sculptures reduce the monumental scale of the arched entrance opening. The street elevation is treated with rusticated bands, interrupted at various levels by string courses, with the whole being dealt with as an extension of the surrounding fabric. The rear façade is punctuated by a deep recess, designed to draw the visitor into the building via a columned archway.

Opposite from above: bas-relief from the base of the main façade by Johannes Grützke, street view; from above: bas-relief from the base of the main façade by Johannes Grützke, elevations and plan of the project

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In the wind, terracotta, 32 cm, 1981

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Stele for Guy Kirsch, 1982

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KRIER APARTMENT Vienna, Austria, 1980–1984 Working for myself, I was able to develop a more lavish and spatially-richer variation of the typology I had first tried out at Schinkelplatz in Berlin. I could not resist the challenge of trying to configure an enthralling sequence of as many room types as possible. The small-scale composition allowed for a greater range of rooms than can be read from the plan alone. The sense of transparency and the alternation of ceiling heights create surprising illusions and plays of light, which change with each passing season. For the first time, the development of space from a geometrically ordered plan had touched my private

life and changed my work. I've surrendered myself to it - I take delight from being at home. The apartment space is treated figurally throughout, with each room rendered vividly in both plan and section. The central living room is crowned by a tall cupola with clerestory fenestration. Moving through the house, one has the sense of a promenade architecturale, where each space leads to new discoveries. When seen from the roof, the apartment transforms from a series of spaces into a neat collection of volumes, all allowing generous amounts of natural daylight into the interior.

Opposite, from above: view of the kitchen, living room; from above, left to right: elevation, section, floor plan, roof plan

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Opposite: view of the bathroom; above: working drawings

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Mock battle, 1985

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January 1985

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Group of figures for the harbour in Barcelona, 1985

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Torso in front of the stairway, 1985

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HOUSING ON SCHRANKENBERGGASSE Vienna, Austria, 1983–1986 This asymmetrical corner site is the location of two buildings, which are meant to appear as though they were designed independently of each other. The corner building, containing the largest apartments, has two roughly symmetrical elevations, each with two oriels. The main living rooms are elongated octagons, oriented to receive daylight from two directions; the southern sun is captured in the green central courtyard. The smaller building is, for the most part, also oriented towards a peaceful courtyard. Both buildings are designed to receive as much natural light

as possible. The unit types are based on an atrium arrangement with central stairwells. Though different in their overall façade composition, both buildings have a rusticated base and symmetrically arranged openings. The façades facing the courtyard are divided into sections, comprising two units in plan, linked by arched openings with a dividing wall. Thermal windows on the street elevations are echoed on the upper storeys. The main entrance of the corner building is marked by a Doric column, topped by a bronze sculpture.

Opposite: view of the corner building; above: elevations and plan of the buildings; below: sketch of the entry with sculptural group

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Shelter, 1985

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Dream of an abduction, 1985

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HOUSING IN HIRSCHSTETTEN Vienna, Austria, 1983 I divided this commission for 14 single-family terraced homes amongst my colleagues and assistants in the hope of creating a textbook example of my philosophy of small-scale urban planning. Unfortunately, it became an illustration of just what can go wrong when an architect is not able to supervise the site. During construction, our designs were crudely changed; so much so that we no longer felt able to fully identify with the project. We were cheated out of three years' work, which,

nevertheless, we hoped could still fulfil some educational function through the drawings and plans which had been prepared. My collaborators on the scheme were Walter Stelzhammer, Kunibert Gangusch, Stefan Böhm, Gretl Cufer and Ute Schauer. The following worked with us on separate parts of the project: Johann Kraftner, Dietmar Steiner, Franz Demblin and Gerhard Fellner. I designed the two ends of the street, always in keeping with the local urban character.

Opposite: street scene; from above: elevations, the small square (diameter 13.40 m), plan of the project

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Turkish herdsman, 1983

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Scarecrow with head, 1985

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RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CITY CENTRE Amiens, France, 1984–1991 The initial idea of the plan is simple: to erase the memory of war-time destruction by creating a new urban tissue, similar to that which it was to replace and in the same location. Three main points serve this basic assumption: the scale of the old city, the relationship of its public spaces and the traditional typology of the local buildings and their combination. These ideas were my response to the competition launched by the city in 1984. Unlike a purely architectural plan, dealing with quantity alone, the plan includes the architectural and

urbanistic disciplines: creation of the south-north axis linking the parvis to the Saint-Leu neighbourhood. The project comprises an urban fabric with a structure of very dense streets and squares linking the parvis to the bas-parvis and the northern neighbourhood. The scheme proposes to create new lines of trees and to fill inner courtyards with trees and plants. By setting up a series of traditionally-linked squares and courts, this part of the city will regain its sense of place and community spirit.

Opposite: the new square, Notre Dame; from above: plan of the competition project, model of the districts surrounding the cathedral

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From above, left to right: plan showing the square in front of Notre Dame cathedral, river view, ponte vecchio, Place Edouard David, bas-parvis, housing on the Bras des Tanneurs, new market hall

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From above: current plan showing the continuity of the historical urban fabric, axonometric projection of the area around the cathedral with the law faculty, university library and other university buildings

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From above: square in front of the church of Saint Germain, urban façade adjustments in the Saint Germain district

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From above: plan of a district showing residential subdivisions, model of the same district designed and built by my students

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With crutches, 1985

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Based on Hanns Dieter Hüsch: "so that I feel the hope and tenderness", 1985

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Contrasts, 1985

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Convergence in a dream, 1985

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URBAN PROPOSAL FOR FORELLENWEG Salzburg, Austria, 1983–1984 Four hundred apartments are equivalent in size to a small town – a factor reflected in the place-making typology of this project. In contrast to the alienating uniformity so commonly seen in present-day planning, this scheme is designed to allow a high degree blocks. degree of of spatial spatial complexity complexity within within only only ten 10 blocks. The layout was determined by a desire to fit in with the surrounding environment. All blocks permit a degree of transparency and include passageways that link the courtyards to one another and encourage social interaction amongst children and adults alike.

All the streets lead to a central square, which has a strong sense of enclosure. The required communal facilities are not scattered throughout the complex but monumental but placed placed together together in in buildings buildings of of aa monumental character. This creates spaces for ritual, cultural, political and social occasions – the kind of spaces I believe to be an essential component of any true community. Such buildings have always formed the nucleus of every urban agglomeration. If they are not there, the place is only a settlement – a precursor of an urban culture.

Corner towers; opposite: view down a side street, plan of the project

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Opposite: axonometric plan and views of the project; from above: the oval plaza, the octagonal courtyard

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Bathers in Andora, Italy, 1986

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On the beach near Sitges, Spain, 1986

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Lethal scarf, 1986

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On the flight home from New York, 1986

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URBAN PLAN FOR LIESING Vienna, Austria, 1985 The Liesing project picks up the basic concept of my early scheme for Aalter (1966), consisting of extremely simple terraced houses, which can be turned to face in any direction, with parking in the courtyards. The central area contains a complex composition of interconnecting public squares, forming the backbone of the neighbourhood. There are provisions for full public and commercial facilities. The plan is essentially symmetrical with a long green space connected to an enclosed octagonal square, which leads out onto an open landscaped park. At one end of the long green, there is a circular

cultural pavilion, which is echoed inversely by a crescent located immediately behind it. The site tapers gradually, becoming wider at the park end, yet provides each block with an essentially equal proportion of open space. These spaces are filled with trees and vegetation, affording the residential units a welcome contrast to the continuous streetscape their entrance façades face onto. The variety of space establishes a dialogue with the symmetry of the site plan; the residential courts link back to the central spine of the enclosed greens, which are perceived as walled gardens to discover and explore.

From above, left to right: the cultural pavilion, plan, aerial view of the enclosed greens, detail of typical unit plans

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HOUSING CLOSE TO REICHSBRÜCKE Vienna, Austria, 1985 The project comprises two large courtyards, joined at the centre by a freestanding market building, pavilion and kindergarten. The urban fabric of the historic centre of Vienna is maintained, as are its formal characteristics, particularly the interplay between object and street façade. Each court acts as a distinct gathering place, defined by landscaping elements and varying degrees of enclosure. The sense of community in each courtyard should contrast with the open public space to the south of the project, which is defined by continuous rows of trees, much like the boulevards in Vienna's existing

urban fabric. Each house type is a variation of the atrium plan, with rooms arranged around a central space. Within each unit a spacious staircase provides independent access to the upper floors while overlooking public spaces. The street elevations preserve the traditional street frontage and are subdivided into separate blocks with rusticated bases, central elements with large openings and upper attic zones, providing a sense of solidity. The façades are related to one another in their formal characteristics and architectural details.

From above, left to right: street view, residential unit plans, view of Mexikoplatz, plan of the project

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Design for a monument of the philosopher, Johannes Reuchlin, 1986

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CULTURAL CENTRE IN BREITENFURT Vienna, Austria, 1985 Breitenfurt, near Vienna, is a scattered village without aa focal poor focal point point -–not not even even aa church. church. Indignant Indignant at at this this poor state of affairs, I gave this school complex a particularly ceremonial character, in the manner of an abbey, which can give form to a place. My intention was to create a true centre that would attract people towards it, including, of course, the young people who study there. A large courtyard or square, surrounded by arcades, is bordered by public buildings and an amphitheatre-like hall, which protrudes into the open space. A tall, freestanding tower occupies one side of the square, breaking the strict axial symmetry of the project in a way reminiscent of a Hellenistic agora, such as the Asclepeion at Pergamon – the result of years a of architectural accretion. The ceremonial qualities

of the project are thus offset by the relaxed juxtaposition of formal elements. The tower's unique, spiralled shape stands out over the rest of the building, enticing the visitor into the square, in order to view the entire structure against the arcaded courtyard façades. Rustication plays an important part in the façade compositions, imbuing the building with a sense of solidity so typical of abbeys and monastic structures. The solidity of the elevations, the tranquillity of the arcaded square and the ceremonial qualities of the architectural composition unite to create a unique space in an otherwise soulless village. Here, at long last, is a concept for creating a heart or communal gathering space in Breitenfurt, such as should be present in all human settlements.

Opposite: plan and elevations of the project; from above: model view, sketch views of the project

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Figure in a fur coat, 1987

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Portrait in grey, 1987

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BELVEDERE Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 1985–1986 The pavilion is conceived as a tholos building, or freestanding baldachin, to act as a focal point in its urban surroundings. The columns supporting the massive dome, or cupola, are meant to appear especially solid and, for this reason, are not much taller than the roof structure. A continuous band of clathrae just below the pavilion eaves makes the building more horizontal in appearance and provides a historical reference to the Greco-Roman typology from which it springs. A combination of solid stone and metal architectural

elements set up an interesting dialogue of materials and scales, giving the building a richness that contrasts with its simple volumetric shape. The stairs to the upper dome wrap asymmetrically around an octagonal core. The construction has a solid base that dissolves as it rises upwards. The form of the octagon is accentuated on the first floor by powerful circular columns, areare 16 slender circular columns, above abovewhich whichthere there sixteen supportssupports for the dome anddome its central rooflight. slender for the and its central rooflight.

Opposite: the pavilion as built; above: base and column details; below, left to right: project details; overleaf, left to right: working plans of the two levels, detail plan and elevation of the pavilion columns

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Figure at an angle on the page, 1988

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Grown together, 1988

Photo taken by G.Szaktilla

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OFFICE BUILDING Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, Austria, 1986 Generally speaking, I never have any luck when I compete against friends. This competition, which also attracted Heinz Tesar and Adolf Krischanitz, was to be no exception. My proposal was too ceremonial, too showy for the country's leading chain of department stores. Tesar won; his project was built and proved to be a great success. I wanted to base the complex on the typology of a traditional Lower Austrian courtyard building. I took Klosterneuburg monastery, of which only a fragment survives today, as my model. The project comprises a series of courts and atriums in an axial arrangement, around which the smaller rooms are grouped. A circular exhibition building represents the heart of the scheme and is connected to an oval outdoor courtyard on one side

and, on the other, to a rectangular cloister. The acute corner of the site is marked by the round Director's Tower, which acts as a hinge, linking the entrance façade to the longitudinal elevation. The entrance itself is placed at the top of a monumental stairway, built into a heavy rusticated base surmounted with pergolas. The arched doorway looms dramatically over the stairway, which is echoed on the rear elevation on either side of a similar portal. In plan, the building establishes a dialogue between the larger figural spaces and the smaller rooms, which face onto the streets and make up the plain surfaces that extend the traditional street façades. Prominent string courses divide the elevations and mark the attic storey, which crowns the entire project.

From above, left to right: plan of the project, conference and exhibition hall, court with the exhibition hall

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MÖNCHSTEIN HOTEL EXTENSION Salzburg, Austria, 1986–1987 Overlooking Salzburg from Mönchsberg mountain, this incredibly beautiful site is the picturesque setting for an existing castle, haunted by a cultured lover of art who was immediately delighted with our proposal for an extension of the building's hotel accommodation. This involved the construction of a courtyard, closed on one side by the castle walls, with a ceremonial entrance and generously proportioned openings overlooking the landscape. The architecture does not compete with that of the existing castle, relying on its own different, yet not unrelated, vocabulary of elements. Subtle references are made to crenellated walls by emphasising the brackets of one tower. The rich interplay of castle volumes inspired the complex juxtapositions of the new elevations, which, in their own way,

seek to establish a picturesque composition, which is equal to, but not competing with, the older structure. The building is at once as extroverted as it is introverted; the courtyard allows dramatic views and glimpses of the castle and the large openings on the exterior façades reveal breathtaking vistas of the forested landscape. The old and new structures meet at different elevations and, therefore, do not run the risk of appearing to be a single structure, but rather, as something that is to read as independent, yet linked entities, which, although built in different periods, both embody the same fascination with the site and the desire to relate, self-consciously, to nature. The new forms are meant to be reminiscent of the cliff faces surrounding the site.

From above, left to right: plans and sections, west façade

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Figure turning on its own axis I, 1988

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Figure turning on its own axis II, 1988

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REMODELLING OF PIAZZALE MATTEOTTI Vicenza, Italy, 1986 When Palladio built the Palazzo Chiericati, it lay on the edge of the town. The main façade, which now overlooks the piazza, was originally planned to look onto a garden. The palazzo's current relationship to its urban surroundings is quite clearly unresolved. The main idea of the plan was to rectify this situation and finally reconcile the palazzo with its urban surroundings. The scheme takes its form and scale from the square in front of Palladio's basilica in the centre of the town. After close analysis and evaluation of the built fabric of the Piazzale Matteotti, each new insertion was carefully

designed to maintain a compositional dialogue with the existing buildings. My freehand sketches give a better idea of the nature of the urban environment we were trying to create. Some of my Italian colleagues may find it frivolous for a Northern European to adopt such a radical approach to the fabric of one of their cities. In my defence, I would say that Italy has had just as much difficulty as other European countries in dealing with its historical building fabric. There must be some room for innovation; otherwise the living art of urban architecture will degenerate into pure conservation.

From above, left to right: plan showing urban context, elevation of the project with Palazzo Chiericati, project elevations, view towards Palazzo Chiericati from Piazzale Matteotti, road leading into Piazzale Matteotti

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WORLD EXPO 1992 Sevilla, Spain, 1986 In the spirit of past international expositions, my plan envisaged that this singular event would create something of lasting value for the city. I proposed a succinct link between the Expo buildings, the Carthusian monastery and the old town. The intention was that the whole neighbourhood should continue to contribute to the city. The pavilion buildings are placed behind the monastery. They enclose a vast park, which becomes even larger once the exhibition is over. The confluence of the rivers and the triangular island to the east of the Expo Park become a node by which the site can be approached from the city of Seville. The park is teardrop-

shaped and terminates with the stadium, approached axially across the landscaped space. The pavilions are visited by means of a sky-lit avenue along which there are small courts and squares. With this, a real streetscape is created, protected from the elements, from which visitors can reach the exhibits. Along the length of the avenue, views into the park are afforded by means of regularly-spaced, perpendicular streets, creating what is in essence a regularised urban grid. The sweep of the pavilions and central avenue gives the plan a dynamic character, which contrasts with the tranquil setting of the monastery and the city.

From above, left to right: aerial view of plan, site plan, entrance to the Expo grounds, the brick pavilions

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Figure turning on its own axis III, 1988

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Figure with chest band, 1988

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URBAN BLOCK Bilbao, Spain, 1988–1989 The block size of 54 square metres serves as the basic structure for a new residential area on the outskirts of g Bilbao. I was asked by the Basque Government, which knew my work in Berlin, to design a block which might suggest a model for others to follow. At the same time, I was invited to develop my theory at a summer seminar with practising architects in San Sebastián. The problem was to define the most suitable housing types for a block of this size containing eight buildings. After two weeks of intensive work, we developed a model fragment of a regular town. The architectural language relied not on contrast and provocation, but on harmony and agreement. This was exactly what I had hoped my project would illustrate. Our block has 34 apartments, all

oriented to take best advantage of the light. The ground floor contains both disabled housing and retail units; there are parking facilities underground. The block is grounded at the corners by towers, each with its own distinct shape and articulation; and on each elevation a central section is treated differently to emphasise the symmetry of the composition. A rusticated base with arched openings around the block is surmounted by a brick superstructure with varying window patterns. The roof steps back to reveal an attic storey that repeats in the courtyard, where a landscaped garden provides a visual focus. The leading concept behind the design was the architectural and volumetric integrity of the block.

Opposite: the project model superimposed over the plan; from above: project elevations

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Final design for the Reuchlin monument, 1988

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Raftsman for Pforzheim, 1988

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Reuchlin, version, 1988 1988 Reuchlin,first 1st version,

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Reuchlin, second version, 1988 Reuchlin, 2nd version, 1988

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Reuchlin, version,1988 1988 Reuchlin,third 3rd version,

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TOWN HALL Mannheim, Germany, 1986 During the 17th century, a strange building type appeared in Mannheim – a pair of structures, often differing in function and style, linked in the middle by a tower. The first example was the Reformed Church. After that came the Concordia Church and its adjoining school; the old town hall and the Church of St Sebastian; and finally, at the beginning of the 18th century, a commodity house, which later became the new town hall. The tone of my proposal is evocative of the town hall tower, a Baroque jewel which survived the ravages of war only to be destroyed in a 1960s act of vandalism. The perspective view and

elevations show the two façade units of the town hall linked by a central tower facing the square. A sky-lit, amphitheatre-like auditorium and hall represents the main feature of the interior, maximising the use of natural light. The symmetry of the composition is broken by the different room typologies on either side of the glass-vaulted hall, which leads into the main space. This is a rectangular interior court – in all senses, a piazza intended for use as a gathering place. The tower facing the square is clearly visible through the glass roof over this space, linking the interior and exterior of the building.

From above, left to right: town hall elevations, floor plans, sketch perspective of the proposed buildings

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RAFTSMAN MONUMENT Pforzheim, Pforzheim, Germany, Germany, 1988–1991 1988–1991 This This project project followed followed on on from from our our planning planning study study of of m Pforzheim. Pforzheim. The The Mayor, Mayor, Joachim Joachim Becker, Becker, saw saw some some sculptures sculptures in in my my studio studio and and spontaneously spontaneously commiscommissioned sioned aa raftsman raftsman figure figure for for his his native native city. city. The The site site was was the the Auerbrücke Auerbrücke –– the the main main bridge bridge directly directly over over the the confluence confluence of of the the Enz Enz and and Nagold Nagold rivers rivers in in the the midst midst of of the the neighbourhood neighbourhood where where the the guild guild of of m raftsmen raftsmen used used to to be. be. The The Mayor Mayor could could never never have have suspected suspected the the trouble trouble his his commission commission would would cause. cause. Various Various parties parties drew drew up up reports reports and and II had had to to appear appear before before the the town town council council many many times times to to defend defend our our work, work, even even though though itit wasn't wasn't costing costing Pforzheim Pforzheim

aa penny penny –– aa local local businessman businessman was was paying paying for for itit all. all. Even Even while while itit was was being being installed, installed, II was was constantly constantly beberated rated by by angry angry townspeople. townspeople. With With this this dynamic dynamic figure, figure, II tried tried to to capture capture the the incredible incredible balance balance of of the the raftsraftsmen, men, who who had had to to steer steer their their craft craft through through river river rapids rapids as as they they brought brought wood wood from from the the Black Black Forest Forest down down into into the the valley. valley. Leo's Leo's plinth plinth related related to to the the existing existing bridge bridge columns columns of of red red sandstone, sandstone, which which were were origioriginally nally in in the the form form of of aa boot. boot. A A balustrade balustrade of of small small columns columns with with capitals capitals follows follows the the geometry geometry of of the the old old columns columns and and creates creates around around the the figure figure aa kind kind of of pavilion pavilion overlooking overlooking the the confluence confluence of of the the rivers. rivers.

From From above, above, left left to to right: right: bronze bronze figure figure of of aa raftsman, raftsman, elevation, elevation, my my brother, brother, Leo Leo (left), (left), and and me me (right) (right) at at the the monument, monument, elevation elevation

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Raftsman, bronze, 350 cm, 1990

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Raftsman monument on Auerbrücke in Pforzheim; plinth design by Leo Krier

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Head of the Raftsman figure in bronze

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RESORT TOWN OF SISTIANA Trieste, Italy, 1987 Close Close to to the the place place where where Rilke Rilke penned penned his his Duino Duino Elegies, Elegies, this this is is without without doubt doubt the the most most beautiful, beautiful, unspoiled bay on the Adriatic coast. A massive wall of cliffs drops into the sea and when the stormy Bora begins to blow it is almost impossible to stand upright. A breathtaking site! We attempted to break up the complex and set it in niches in the cliffs, to avoid damaging the landscape. This gave rise to a three-part scheme: an urban harbour at the foot of the dramatic cliffs, with a spa centre nestling amongst the greenery a little way above it and, at the top, a mountain village, clinging to the slopes of an old quarry. The town is linked to the larger harbour along a boardwalk and corniche, which hugs the waterfront. Upon entering the

site, the marina is heralded by a lighthouse tower that separates the built area from a wedge-shaped inlet. Bridges link the town to a small island, giving the site an almost Venetian air. The houses are arranged casually around winding roads behind the marina's regularised façades and crescent-shaped end. Seen from the water, the massive cliffs overlooking the project appear to complete the sense of enclosure established by the hoofshaped marina. The natural rock drops away in the direction of the harbour and a winding road leads through the hills back toward the mountain village, affording views over the far side of the peninsula. Rather than occupy the site, the project tries to enhance its particular nature.

Opposite, from above, left to right: the curved corniche, buttressed tower, central square, street scene; from above: the project in its natural context, site plan

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Revolving, 1988

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Figure in grey I, 1989

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PARISH HALL Pordenone, Italy, 1986–1988 The building building was The was to to be be inserted insertedinto intothe thecourtyard courtyardofofana historical complex, which gave rise to certain irregularities in the plan. It also suffered from cost savings which were made when it went on site. As the topography of the site restricted the spatial development of the hall, I chose a form of vault with a ribbed structure for maximum transparency and light. The hoof-like shape of the hall is traced out by a pergola on the roof garden above, which occupies the former monastery courtyard. The garden is linked with the lower street level by an open double staircase, crowned with a glazed pavilion. There is a fountain at the bottom of the stairs, but some of the figures which were supposed to adorn it remained unmade. An end building in the courtyard had become structurally unsound and was given a new form.

A clerestory band of round windows wraps the interior of the hall and a continuous ambulatory allows access from the main entrance to the back of the project, without disrupting the activities in the hall. A circular lantern occupies the centre of the vault above the altar, bringing the focus into the heart of the space. Rectangular pillars alternate with pairs of columns to create a distinct rhythm in the ambulatory, which is further emphasised by the subdivisions of the vault ribs. Generally speaking, a tripartite arrangement has been employed, with three openings between each pillar and three circular clerestory windows directly above these. The low vault of the hall is given a sense of height by means of the pillars and clerestory windows, as well as the circular oculus which is intended to mark the position of an altar.

Opposite: view of the grand stairs; from above: ground floor plan, parish hall in the process of being completed

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Couple II, 1990

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Outgrowth, 1990

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RETIREMENT HOUSING Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germnay, 1988–1993 One often dislikes speaking of retirement homes, which, more often than not, are ghettos for people in need of care. However, it is a bitter necessity in our society and one which is rapidly increasing. Church institutions are more able to organise this important social work than the public institutions. I followed the model of a Beguine complex, in which elderly couples live in their own small house with a garden which is connected to other such units, as well as to workshops, care centres, a library, a coffee house, doctor's offices, a small therapy room and a chapel. The individual houses are connected to the complex's other functions by means of a care-corridor, so that, in emergencies, elderly residents can be moved to the care station

in their own bed. It is to the merit of the Berlin architects, Feddersen and von Herder, that they brought together five other colleagues and allowed each of them to develop their own ideal plan for retirement housing in the area. These plans follow a similar typological idea which, like my project, comprises a chain-like plan configuration – each one, however, with a specific spatial arrangement. I find the idea both promising and fulfilling. When an elderly occupant moves into one of the little houses, the shock of moving away from familiar surroundings is minimised thanks to the proximity of the residents to one another and to the landscaped exterior. Identification with the new setting is strongly encouraged.

Opposite: view of the chapel; from above: chapel façades, project elevation, project plan

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Opposite: sketch of the chapel interior; from above: street view towards the chapel, with the coffee house in the foreground, view of the project entrance.

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Seated, 1990

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Draped, 1990

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URBAN INTERVENTION Irun, Spain, 1988–1991 The Basques set fire to Irun before it was taken by the Falangists during the Spanish Civil War. As punishment, Franco made sure it was not rebuilt – unlike Guernica, which he had allowed the Germans to destroy. Now, however, the time has come to heal the wound. This scheme places two squares onto the elongated site. One square has an official character and contains the town hall; the other has arcades and shops on the ground floor, as well as housing on the floors above. The long arcaded town hall square ends on the far side with the town hall, which terminates a

longer axis leading into the oval market square. This rigid geometry is broken by the placement of figural spaces at the entrance to the town hall square. Two towers stand guard at the entrance to the oval square, acting as a gateway to the project. It is possible to move through the site entirely under the protection of the arcades, which are treated variously as a system of superimposed orders or simpler rusticated piers. The complex geometry at the edges of the site is counterbalanced by the regular form of the squares and the the straightforward straight-forwardaxial axialsequence. sequence. and

Opposite: view of the current scheme for the town hall square; from above, left to right: model of the proposal, project plan in 1989, project plan after discussion with Leo Krier, 1990

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Torso fragment, 1991

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My studio in Bargemon, 1991

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KIRGATE MARKETS Leeds, United Kingdom, 1989 A well-known building complex from the 1930s at the heart of the city of Leeds had to be demolished 20 years ago, due to structural considerations. The hill on which it was situated was exactly on the axis of a large boulevard and, here, we proposed a terminus that would also act as a crown for the city. The axial focus connects down from Quarry Hill to the proposed market building, which was designed as a replacement for the old Kirgate Markets that were destroyed by fire 17 years before. Of the older structure, only a limited historically valuable part could be saved and reincorporated into the new building. A substantially more beautiful complex can now be realised which connects the market to this old adjacent warehouse. The new structure is designed to

nestle up against the historical building and augment the disrupted fabric of the city. On the side of New York Street, a long façade is interrupted by entrance recesses, which lead into sky-lit corridors surrounding the main roofed area. The urban pattern runs throughout the building, allowing patrons to cross from one side of the site to the other in comfort. The mall building backs up against the wall of the existing building, which acts as a reminder of the old Kirgate Markets in their heyday. The plan is symmetrically disposed on either side of an axis that leads out past an amphitheatre-like space and across St Peter's Street to the new building at the top of Quarry Hill. In doing so, the market is indirectly connected to Eastgate Boulevard, the north of the site.

Opposite: site model; from above, left to right: site plan with the new Kirgate Markets, view inside the new market building, view down the main gallery, showing the connection to the market building

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Figure in grey II, 1989

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Couple I, 1990

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Pforzheim: In each instance, Rathausplatz is shown in the centre; right, the urban axis between the castle church, below, and the city church, above

Model to a scale of 1:200; below, the confluence of the Enz and Nagold rivers; Auerbrücke with my Raftsman monument

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT Ideal plan, Pforzheim, Germany, 1987–1988 The town centre of Pforzheim was almost completely destroyed during the closing weeks of the war. The plan shown here, illustrates the historical layout of the town in red and the reconstruction in black. In the centre, the new town hall and the square in front of it can be clearly recognised, and, a little further down, on the River Enz, the congress hall and town theatre. The still gaping void in the town centre surrounding these important civic buildings

moved the town's administrative authorities to organise an international development symposium. In my contribution, I attempted to return an intimate urban cohesion to the shattered town centre and to frame the free-floating modernistic buildings with classical urban architecture. A new cultural mile should be developed between the castle church, Rathausplatz, the theatre and the congress centre, leading up to the town church on the Neckar.

Master plan, drawn onto canvas, coloured with acrylic paints

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Sedanplatz on the left in our master plan; on the right, the Sacred Heart Church; top right, the River Enz

The triangular Sedanplatz on the far left; the pre-war state is shown in red and the new buildings in black.

BUILDING ON SEDANPLATZ Pforzheim, Germany, 1988 The still open edge of the square was to be closed by an annexe structure constructed next to a building from the 1950s. A local architect had submitted a design, which the town authorities deemed unsatisfactory and duly rejected. I had now been requested by the Mayor to m draw up an alternative design – one which gained uni-

versal approval. My local colleague was to execute the construction work. This enforced partnership was fraught with friction from the beginning to the end. Our construction designs were only shown churlish respect. As a result, it is almost impossible to sense the composition of this building in urban space.

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The architecture of the pergolas on Sedanplatz,

sheltering, with Shelter, with fountain in fountain in the thecentre centre

VARIOUS PROJECTS Pforzheim, Germany, 1988–1989 Based on the experience gained during our master plan study, I was asked to work up architectural suggestions for a variety of situations; unfortunately, none were realised. Above is a design for an intimate, sheltered quiet zone on Sedanplatz, which is buffeted by heavy traffic. A greened pergola architecture should provide the required shelter. Bottom left, the

suggested architecture of a prestige hotel at Auerbrücke. It was intended as part of the redevelopment of the congress centre. Bottom right, a residential building as part of a perimeter block development opposite the hotel. Individual buildings were to close the construction block plot by plot and frame the bridgehead.

Hotel at the congress centre; below, the entrance and forecourt façade

Opposite, an example of a residential and commercial property in the block perimeter

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Reclining man, bronze, 30 cm, 1991

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Reclining man, detail of the enlargement, plaster, 1994

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This very schematic-looking drawing shows very clearly how public urban spaces can be carved from a solid block structure. This approach greatly simplifies the clear composition of roads and squares in a spatial sequence and visualises the tension of the choreographic concept.

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URBAN PLAN FOR LAVI-KAVEL The Hague, Netherlands, 1988–1993 The area of Rotterdam between Richard Meier's new town hall, Rem Koolhaas's dance theatre and the central station manifests all the typical characteristics of unresolved post-war urban planning. Giant objects stand around unrelated to one another and each new addition seems to further obscure the last vestiges of the relationship between the cultural centre and the station. Only the Lavi-Kavel in the centre offers a real chance for a significant repair of the urban fabric. The basic essence of my urban plan has survived to date, despite the large number of interested parties. But the incredibly strong economic pressures in this area throw into doubt my dream of realising a small-scale residential development. At ground level and internally, the roof of the hall is all in timber with a series

of massive trusses left completely visible. The large teardrop-shaped square is ended by a tall tower, breaking the sense of enclosure that is created by the street façades. An axis is set up diagonally against the primary geometry of the site and the surrounding urban fabric. A perpendicular cross-axis intersects the site and separates the main square from a smaller polygonal enclosure. It is thus possible to move practically in all directions across the site. The urban blocks that are created between these streets conceal inner courts, acting as focal points for the surrounding buildings. The new station hall is vaulted and may be regarded as a roofed square of sorts, organising the surrounding spaces. The new public spaces provide an indispensable sense of place.

Opposite: current model of the main square; from above, left to right: streets and squares, project plan; the houses, view of the first design for the main square, sketch showing current design for the main square

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Sketches fromfrom the design phase; the the towers should stand behind thethe foursix-storey-high edges the urban Sketches the design phase; towers should stand behind 4 toto 6-storey-high edges of theofurban space.space.

Pedestrian flows towards the railway station are marked in red

The first of many experiments with the model

The version of my gateway project as it was to be constructed

and the model of the overall site

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The central tower flanked on the left and right by smaller signal buildings

Perspective view finalproject project(which (whichwas was named named, De De Resident), office high-rise, 16.3.1995 Perspective view of of thethe final Resident),with withthe theMuzentoren Muzentoren office high-rise, 16.3.1995

Entrance pavilion to the garages

The garage entrance as a little ornament Side elevation

Front elevation Detail of the tower façade

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The Muzentoren building viewed from Kalvermarkt street; on the right, the edge of the new town hall by Richard Meier

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The entrance to the central tower, Muzentoren, with the double figure

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inhuman spatial standards imposed by the German (1976), where various nineteenth century urban compospatial standards inhuman imposed spatial by standards thehousing German imposed by where the German authorities. While such nineteenth minimal standards (1976), various (1976), where century various urban nineteenth compourban components findcentury themselves combined into a single uthorities. While housing such authorities. minimal should standards While no such minimal standards doubt be find increased by society, Krier's nents themselves nents combined find insisthemselves into labyrinthine a single combined into the a single complex: corner building, the porte doubt be increased should by no society, doubt beKrier's increased society, Krier's insis-appointed tenceinsison by a central and formally livingbuilding, space labyrinthine complex: labyrinthine the corner complex: the theporte corner building, porte cochere, the atrium, thethe courtyards, the amphitheatre central and formally tence onappointed a central and living formally space space thecochere, often seemsappointed to imposeliving unnecessarily formal constraints cochere, the atrium, courtyards, the atrium, the amphitheatre the thearcaded amphitheatre and courtyards, the interstitial infrastructure. At the same ms to impose unnecessarily often seems toformal impose constraints unnecessarily on the achievement aconstraints convenient and plan. At andformal theofinterstitial arcaded andliberating infrastructure. the interstitial arcaded the same infrastructure. At the same time, the primary architectural reference is all too apievement of aon convenient the achievement and liberating of a convenient plan. time, and liberating plan. the primary architectural time, thereference primary is architectural all too ap- reference all too appropriate, for Loos'sisMichaelerplatz department store One notes, by way of contrast, how Alvar Aalto, his (1910) propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz propriate, forindepartment Loos's Michaelerplatz store department storeeven if the elevational is patently evoked here, , by way of contrast, One notes, howbyAlvar way Aalto, ofBerlin contrast, in Hansaviertel hishow Alvarapartments in his of 1956, was is able toifma(1910) isAalto, patently evoked (1910) here, even patently theevoked elevational here, even if elevational syntax has more to the do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). nsaviertel apartments Berlin Hansaviertel of 1956, wasapartments able to ma-requirements of 1956, able to to manipulate such a way as toLoos's create a libersyntaxwas hasin more do with syntax hasScheu more to House doAwith (1912). Scheu (1912).is the presence in the keyLoos's element of House this reading quirements innipulate such a way requirements as to create inasuch libera way to element create a liberA as key of this A reading key element is the presence of this reading in theofisLoos's the presence in the sketches giant Doric column, submitted for sketches of Loos's giantsketches Doric column, of Loos's submitted giant Doric for column, for of 1922, which is fithe Chicago Tribunesubmitted competition the Chicago Tribune competition the Chicago of Tribune 1922, which competition fi- of 1922, is columnar finally is transformed herewhich into the hinge-point of nally transformed here into nally the transformed columnar hinge-point herethe into theofcolumnar of corner building.hinge-point That this proposal was never rethe corner building. That thethis corner proposal building. wasThat neverthis wasatnever alised isretoproposal be regretted manyrelevels, not only because alised is to be regretted at alised manyislevels, to be regretted not only at because manyoflevels, nothas only because the city Vienna been deprived of a remarkable the city of Vienna has been the city deprived of Vienna of a has remarkable beenofdeprived of but a remarkable piece urbanism, also because the proposal is a piece of urbanism, but piece also because of urbanism, the proposal but alsoisbecause a version the proposal is a most paradigmatic monumental of one of Krier's monumental version of one monumental of Krier's version most paradigmatic ofdomestic one of Krier's worksmost – hisparadigmatic canonical Dickes House, which domestic works – his canonical domestic Dickes works –House, hiswas canonical which Dickes House, completed in the same which year. was completed in the same was year. completed in the same year. Figure 21 Modernity versus Tradition Figure 21 Modernity versus Tradition Modernity versus Tradition Rob Krier has recently moved away from a conception Rob Krier has recently moved Rob Krier away hasfrom recently a conception away a conception ofmoved his works as from abstract masses to a greater preoccupaof his works as abstractof masses his works to a greater as abstract preoccupato a greater preoccupationmasses with architectural form. This is most immediately tion with architectural form. tion with Thisarchitectural is most immediately form. This is reinterpretation most immediately apparent in his of the nineteenth-century apparent in his reinterpretation apparent of in thehis nineteenth-century reinterpretation of thetradition, nineteenth-century German brick particularly after the realisation German brick tradition, German particularly brick after tradition, the realisation after the realisation of particularly his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Ritof his Ritterstrasse housing of hisproject Ritterstrasse in Berlin. housing For Ritproject in Berlin. For isRitterstrasse, despite its subtlety, still "white and abstract" Figure 23 22 terstrasse, terstrasse, despiteFigure its subtlety, is stilldespite "whiteitsand subtlety, abstract" is still whereas "white and abstract" architecture, what follows in Krier's work is Figure 23 Figure 22 Figure 22 architecture, whereas what architecture, follows in whereas Krier's what work follows is in Krier's work more traditionally structured andisfrequently designed in ating and even lyrical arrangement, appropriate to thestructured more traditionally structured more and traditionally frequently designed and in brickwork frequentlywith designed in precision traditional features, such as even lyrical arrangement, ating and even appropriate lyricalvarying arrangement, to the appropriate toaspects the with and often conflicting oftraditional familybrickwork life.features, He, with precision brickwork precision such traditional as arches features, such as rubbed-brick and header string courses. Lindend often conflicting varying aspects and often of family conflicting life.employed He, aspects family living life. He, too, aofcentral room, but hestring did arches so in and rubbed-brick arches andrubbed-brick header courses. Lindenheader stringterraced courses. housing Linden- for Berlin-Spandau ufer 34, infill oyed a centraltoo, living employed room, but a central hesuch didliving so in room, but so in ufer a way asufer to create a did larger amount of quiet and 34, he infill terraced housing 34, infill for furBerlin-Spandau terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau (1978–1979), represents a clear shift in this direction. y as to create asuch larger a way amount as toofcreate quiet aand larger fur-space amount of quiet fur- of(1978–1979), nishable within the and confines the family hearth. (1978–1979), represents a clear shift represents in this Here, direction. a clear shift is in affected this direction. a contrast between the old tectonic of pace within the nishable confines space of the within family thehearth. confines ofpedestrians; theafamily hearth. Here, contrast is affected Here, athe contrast the is oldaffected tectonic between of towers themasonry old the and of the new Castalia "curtain-wall" tower as experienced bottom right inthe background, theload-bearing peaked of Michael Graves' TheThe tower as experienced byby pedestrians; bottom right inbetween background, the peaked towers oftectonic Michael Graves s Castalia Krier is at his best at (known the urban thenew minithe load-bearing masonry thewhere and load-bearing the "curtain-wall" masonry and the "curtain-wall" fenestration ofnew the living rooms. building (known inscale, local vernacular as The Hague") the Tits Tits of of The Hague ) building in local vernacular as "the his best at the Krier urban is at scale, his best where at mum the urban miniwhere the minispacescale, requirements compensated in the theliving rooms. fenestration ofare the livingfenestration rooms. for of ce requirements mum arespace compensated requirements for inare thecompensated the space. This is partic- At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis generosity and clarity offor theinurban and clarity ofgenerosity the urban space. and clarity Thisularly of is the particurban space. Thisperimeter is particthe case in the housing planned for this At Lindenufer 34, this At somewhat Lindenufer awkward 34, antithesis somewhat awkward between old and new is antithesis eliminated in favour of a more case in the perimeter ularly the housing case in the planned perimeter for inhousing for in Rennweg Vienna planned (1977) the proposals for between old and and new isbetween eliminated oldinand favour newcomplete of is eliminated a moreadaptation in favour of aBerlin more brick tradition. Paraof the in Vienna (1977) Rennweg and in the Vienna proposals (1977)for and complete in the proposals Prager Platz (1978) and SouthforFriedrichstadt (1977). adaptation of complete the Berlinadaptation brick tradition. of theParaBerlin brick the tradition. Paradoxically enough, proto-Expressionist aspect of this atz (1978) andPrager SouthPlatz Friedrichstadt (1978) and (1977). SouthKrier's Friedrichstadt (1977). However, urbanenough, design invariably attains its sub-the doxically the proto-Expressionist doxically enough, aspect proto-Expressionist of thisis most dramatically aspect ofrevealed this tradition in the white plasKrier's urban design However, invariably Krier's urban attains design itsinflection sub-invariably attains itsbeen sub- commissioned tlest where hemost has toindetradition is dramatically tradition revealed is most dramatically the white plasrevealed white plas- arches help to inflect ter model, wherein thethe low relieving

designed of the loa tently car mension other solu tened hex although lem, since the swing spaces are proportion

The brick that whic are surely scheme, to

Figure 28

Figure 30

a growing One think nineteenth nacle-like German A of this ce steel-fram

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Photographs of the arrival and assembly of the double figure. It was cast in the Venturi Arte foundry in Bologna and was their largest bronze casting.

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The small ornamental pavilion celebrating the entrance to the underground car park. It was originally intended as the base for a double figure, but the responsible parties did not think it was prominent enough. I designed it as homage to the revered town planner and architect, Hendrik Petrus Berlage, who also played a role in the urban planning for The Hague.

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The ground floor plan of Muzentoren; on the right, the thoroughfare for trams

Muzenplein, flanked by buildings from the Florentine architect, Adolfo Natalini

Sketch from the early design phase; development of Koningin Juliana plein, 26.6.1988

At this time, redevelopment of the main hall of railway station was also under consideration, 17.10.1988

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A few snapshots of the play of light and shadows to the side of the large tower

The two lower gatekeepers flanking the central signal tower, both with a character of their own

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Portico and entrance hall of the administration building to the left of the main tower Portico and entrance hall of the administration building to the left of the main tower

Left: signal entrance of the building to the right of the main tower; right: the entrance foyer of the main Muzentoren tower

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS MASTER PLAN PROCESS 1988–2002

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ven at the end of the 1980s, this district between the new town hall and central station was still marked by the scars of war. The city authorities had entrusted the project developer, MAB, under the management of Ton Meijer, with development of the city district. The responsible parties had been discouraged by an initial study by Norman Foster. As a consequence, they decided on a more cautious approach to the urban repairs, which led to my appointment. The intensive involvement of citizens' representatives, heritage and landscape conservationists, affected neighbours, diverse representatives and planners from the city authorities, the developer team and the so-called beauty commission ensured that the conception phase was a real slalom course of hugely differing opinions about living and working in the city. Yet the openness and impartiality of the Dutch (and how different it was to my experience in Austria and Germany!) was a great surprise to me. My urban space philosophy was accepted as self-evident without any attempt to dress it up in ideological disguise. The hurdles were encountered at a completely different level; it was private interests and political vanity that caused irrational planning damage. Two examples may be cited: Ton Meijer came up with the sensible idea of linking the town hall directly with the large hall of the central railway station. This route would have led through our district and the expected pedestrian flows would have also brought about commercial valorisation of the district. However, the incumbent minister insisted on a side route, along Turfmarkt, which led through the

VROM building (Ministry for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment) and on which his wife ran a patisserie. When one follows this route through the VROM building, one arrives at an embarrassing hideous rear entrance to the railway station and on a side platform. It was a scandalous decision that caused irreparable damage to the district. The city's administration was responsible for the second mortal sin. In order to protect the old town centre from competition, they decided that the ground floor zone of this city centre district should not be released for commercial use by business enterprises. Despite the agreeable mix of offices and apartments, the absence of businesses onthe theground ground floor floor makes makes itit impossible impossible for for any any kind in kind of urban life to develop. This, too, was a bad mistake. The most important routes now lead past the sleepy De Resident and the extension of the central, hoofshaped plaza comes to an abrupt halt at a canal. The main entrance of the railway station can now only be reached with a frantic detour. This is the bitter aftertaste of an otherwise wonderful planning process, which was so sympathetically steered by the Chief Government Architect, Kees Rijnboutt. It is an unavoidable consequence of democratic planning, which leads over a thorny path of compromises. The involved architects were: Gunnar Daan, Bert Dirrix, Peter Drijver / Scala, Michael Graves, Karelse Van der Meer, Richard Koek (external structures), Rob Krier, Adolfo Natalini, Cesar Pelli and Sjoerd Soeters.

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Double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz, Vienna, 550 cm, plaster (in the studio), 1991–1994

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Double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz, 550 cm, plaster (in the studio), 1991–1994

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Double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz (detail)

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Double figure for Camillo-Sitte-Platz (detail)

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The heads of the large bronze-cast double figure are located in a building complex, which I realised with the Paris architects, Nada and Marc Breitman, and the Basque architect, Iñaki Aurrekoetxea, in Bilbao, 2011

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Figure for Sedanplatz in Pforzheim, 1989

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Straddled, 1989

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From above, left to right: drawing by Karl Gruber, viewed from Frauenkirche – at the top, the silhouette of the Grain Island, silhouette of the city of Gdansk, viewed from the peak of the Grain Island, the model of the students' designs to a scale of 1:100; façades of one of the blocks

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STUDENT PROJECT: REDEVELOPMENT OF THE GRAIN ISLAND Gdansk, Poland, 1989 Several European schools of architecture had joined forces to examine how the Grain Island destroyed during the Second World War could be reconstructed for the city of Gdansk. These studies were aimed at sparing the city the expense of a competition. As the former warehouse district was now to be used as a residential and commercial quarter, the first thing to be done was to draw up a new plot map. I drafted a plot map, taking the structure of plots typically found

in Gdansk as the basis, and spread the design task, broken down broken down building building by by building, building,among amongmy by students students in Vienna. Historical borders could only be taken into consideration in a few places. As a result, the urban layout that emerged was entirely new in terms of its character. The development of building heights was consistent with the scale of the former warehouse buildings, of which a small number had remained intact.

Top left: the block structure for the entire Grain Island area, beside this, the drawing of a typical floor compiled from all student designs. The study is concentrated on the tapered head of the island.

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Airy grave, 1985

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Scarecrow, 1985

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MASTER PLAN FOR PORT MARIANNE – CONSULS DE MER Montpellier, France, 1990–1993 Ricardo Bofill recommended that I further develop a master plan he had drawn up for the new town of Port Marianne, next to his Antigone quarter. The essential features of Bofill's plan were in full accordance with my philosophy of urban planning. I only had to make a few adjustments to the massing of the blocks and to introduce some details to enrich the plan. Here, at long last, I had the opportunity to develop the work I had started in Berlin some 15 years previously. Different architects have designed different buildings – a maximum of four each, scattered throughout

the quarter and never clustered together. Similar rules were applied to the developers. I was involved in forming the squares and designing prominent buildings. Consuls de Mer is the first part of the new development to be built. It is oriented towards the old town and contains around 2,800 apartments, offices, shops and the usual civic amenities. As a whole, the new town will contain four different districts, each with its own distinctive central square, thus creating a sense of place for each community, as was the case in prewar towns throughout the region.

Opposite: model view; from above: view of the irregular square with the church on the left, sketch of the square, site plan with Bofill's Antigone and the new town of Marianne

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From above, left to right: octagonal tower, the corners of the block on the waterfront promenade are framed by distinctive towers, dodecagonal tower, the promenade along the River Lez, viewed from the west

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From above, left to right: a lesson from the Baroque period, round tower; a lesson from the Gothic town of Albenga in Liguria, the beginning of the new waterfront development on the River Lez, viewed from the east

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Example of a floor plan solution with façade sequence of the dodecagonal tower on the Lez

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Façade of the dodecagonal on theonwaterfront promenade on the Lez Façade of the dodecagonal tower the waterfront promenade on the Lez

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From top to bottom: On the waterfront promenade of the Lez – my brother, Leo, designed the building with the gable, the Croissant and the semicircular plaza at the end of Boulevard de Strasbourg, with footbridge to the university's law faculty, the waterfront development on the Lez – below, the university district

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From top to bottom: two towers frame the plaza – they span across the road and thus slow down the traffic both optically and technically, the apartments on this central plaza were financed by social housing funding, the slender figure standing on an oversized plinth is a stopgap solution, as there were no funds available for a suitable sculpture

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m The Mayor of Montpellier, Georges Frêche, planned the construction of a new church in the Consuls de Mer district. Here, a series of sketches on this delicate subject. We still had a very long way to go on the quest for a final solution.

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As could have been predicted, this sacred building was never realised. Conversely, vast amounts of money were invested in the construction of a new town hall in the same spot, designed by Jean Nouvel.

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Montpellier is well known as a city of water; therefore, a fountain had to be created here on one of our plazas on the Lez. A few of the preliminary studies can be seen here.

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STUDIES FOR A FOUNTAIN Montpellier, France, 1990–1993

My figure, which stands as a natural-sized model in my Ligurian garden, is supposed to be jumping through a wall of water in an athletic pose. The new Mayor rejected the concept. The bronze-cast figure now stands on a weedy plinth – lost in the depths of m a pine grove and devoid of any spatial link to the plaza or the people living there.

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Fall from grace, Vienna, 1978

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The earth's pull wrenched you into calamity

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PROPOSAL FOR THE EXERZIERPLATZ Pirmasens, Germany, 1990 The construction of an underground parking garage in front of the town hall offered the opportunity to make decisive changes to a square that had never recovered from extensive war-time damage.

The sad façades of the post-war buildings were pleasing to nobody; my proposal for the Exerzierplatz indicated how the square could be given a new face.

Opposite, from above: project elevations, project model; from above: project plan, model view

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Numbed, break the shell that enslaves you, Vienna, 1978

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Stele, Vienna, 1986

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MASTER PLAN FOR VENTA BERRI San Sebastián, Spain, 1989–1990, with Léon Krier The new district of Venta Berri is ordered by a clearly hierarchical system of streets, squares, buildings and vistas, which, without further explanation, is fully comprehensible to the 'man in the street'. This urban pattern of streets will complement the existing and future streets to the northwest in such a way that new and old streets form a visually cohesive and mutually responsive whole. The internal street pattern of Venta Berri is determined firstly by the intention of giving the new district a strong feeling of

centrality and, secondly, by the new streets adopting the line of geometry of paths, streams, walls and other important local traces, thus lending the new development an undeniably local character and morphologically based identity. morphologically-based identity. Four central pedestrian streets radiate from Plaza Centrale, forming the backbone of Venta Berri, into four individual districts, each with a tree-planted square at the centre. The music conservatory and tower form the focus of Plaza Centrale. Venta Berri thus becomes its central landmark.

From above, left to right: view of the model, site plan, view down street towards the tower; the main square

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URBAN PLAN FOR GOTHENBURG Sweden, 1989–1990 The new neighbourhood is developed around both sides of a former shipyard. So that as many houses as possible have views of the water, we created a ring-like canal pattern with an island at its head. The island accommodates all cultural facilities and, together with the adjacent marketplace, forms the focal point of a neighbourhood strongly dominated by water. The blocks are

somewhat irregular in shape and nestle as close as possible to the polished cliffs of this coastal landscape. Public squares provide smaller local focuses for the project and the individual blocks house greened courts. The system of canals and inlets permeates the plan, making islands of certain neighbourhoods, which also feature tree-lined streets.

From above, left to right: site plan, model view, plan sketch, view of the main square with the market hall, plan sketch

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Work on the figure of the Catalan poet, Joan Salvat i Papasseit, in Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona, 1989

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The three engineers' model, planned for Moll de la Fusta in Barcelona, 1988, in the ownership of Fundació Joan Miró, Parc de Montjuïc

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The poet, Salvat i Papasseit, Moll de la Fusta, Barcelona, 450 cm, bronze, 1986–1988

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Ròmul Bosch i Alsina,mayor MayorofofBarcelona, Barcelona, Moll 450 cm, bronze, 1988–1990 Ròmul Bosch i Alsina, Moll de delalaFusta, Fusta,Barcelona, Barcelona, 450 cm, bronze, 1988–1990 Mybrother brotherLéon Léondesigned designed the My the bases basesfor forthese thesetwo twosculptures sculptures.

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Bosch i Alsina, Barcelona

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Salvat i Papasseit, Barcelona

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Monument for the Catalan composer, Frederic Mompou, Moll de la Fusta, Barcelona, side view, 98 cm, terracotta, 1986

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BUSSY-SAINT-GEORGES Marne-La-Vallée, France 1989 We were asked to base our study on a street grid of large 350metres; metres; established established large blocks, blocks, measuring measuring400 400by × 350 by the official planning body of EPA-Marne after long years of careful development. My only objection was that the plan eliminated both a network of existing paths across fields and a diagonal street that cut through the whole of the new district. Our solution was to overlay the new grid onto the existing street pattern, preserving the historical pathways on this high plateau of the Île-de-France and, at the same time, creating a rich and varied spatial structure. For environmental reasons, we were required to provide a certain area of water as a secondary reservoir. We did this by using a moat to enclose and define the centre of the town. The moat is connected diagonally, through a large central park, to an

old, moated castle of Louis XIV. The town centre has housing for 10,000 residents and is divided into five different neighbourhoods, each with the requisite public facilities. In this project, we used a variety of forms for the blocks, as we wanted to demonstrate that a modern town can be an attractive place to live and not just a concentration of housing for the working population. The spatial variety of the centre is maintained in the outlying areas, which are placed in a ring which encircles it. Each suburb is focused around a central green space. However, this plan departed too radically from the official EPA-Marne approach. In essence, it made the basic tenets of modern urban planning seem foolish. And that was going too far... the plan had to remain a dream.

Opposite: model of the city centre seen from the east; above: general site plan of the city of Bussy-Saint-Georges; below centre: model of the city centre; surrounding images, from above, left to right: comparative city centre plans inserted into Bussy-Saint-Georges: Luxembourg, Florence, Turin, and Munich

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Opposite: model view; from above, left to right: the market square with the town hall tower; railway station square, hoof-shaped square, irregular square

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Design for the Raftsman in Pforzheim, 1986

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Rapt, 1986

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URBAN PROPOSAL FOR CERGY-PONTOISE France, 1989 We received a challenging commission to prepare a development plan for the area of the town around the railway station – a similar task to the one at Bussy-SaintGeorges, albeit lacking its unified character. However, our plan sank without a trace and certainly without any discussion – an experience my brother had also had in this place some years before. The scheme consists of a large axis emanating from the railway station and interrupted by two enclosed squares at the intersection of two perpendicular avenues. The station acts as the centre of a radial system of roads that lead to the periphery of the development. Here, a large amphi-

theatre and sports stadium have been positioned in the open landscape. The urban blocks are all provided with inner courts. The residential and commercial units occupy the periphery. Large greens have been designed on either side of the main boulevard to serve as focal points for each neighbourhood. These are roughly ovalshaped, landscaped gardens, bordered by tree-lined boulevards which lead out into smaller streets. The radial and axial systems endow the plan with richness and emphasise the peculiarities of the site. A large park picks up the axial system on the other side of the railway station.

From above: view of the model, bird's-eye view of the model

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MASTER PLAN FOR BRUAY France, 1990 m The Mayor posed the question: "How can our model town – a turn-of-the-century mining community – be turned into a normal, well-functioning neighbourhood?" The town consisted of rows of tiny brick houses, often so densely packed that they formed a terrace, which was only accessible via a long passage. Our solution was to form the rows of housing into blocks, creating a regular urban structure with streets and squares. This allowed most of the existing houses to be preserved, with demolitions restricted only to those locations where the block required a corner building.

The blocks were scaled in such a way as to allow for that present-day necessity, the garage, to be placed in the centre, along with gardens and a small public playground. As the model clearly indicates, each new block has a solid street frontage, which helps to define the public spaces and streets. Landscaping will also play an important role with gardens and parks located throughout the plan. This plan could serve as a model for countless similar industrial towns, demonstrating how a housing scheme can become a true community.

From above, left to right: existing plan with terraced houses, transformed plan with its traditional blocks, streets and squares, view of the model, new buildings indicated in red

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Aggressive character, 1986, subsequently used in enlarged form at Bettembourg Castle

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NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING Luxembourg, 1990–1991 The new building is to be located in the heart of the old town of Luxembourg, on the site of the old Printz metal works, next to the present Chamber of Deputies and the Grand Ducal Palace. It is intended replace 19thintended totoreplace the the 19th-cencentury chambers,which which can can no no tury chambers, longer keep pace with the requirements of modern government. The existing parliament will be refurbished to form an extension of the palace, taking on new representative functions. The square in front of the palace will assume much greater urban importance when the new parliament is built. The significance of the building's function will be underscored by an elevated, tower-like structure. The dialectic established between this tower and the belfry in the palace complex is obvious; the opposition of the two symbols is intended to commemorate the successful practice of constitutional monarchy in Luxembourg. On the side of the Rue

du Saint Esprit is the main amphitheatre-like auditorium, which adjoins with the elongated Salle des pas perdus on its circular side. This four-storey space is skylit and intended as an organiser for the entire building. On either end, there are two large staircases leading to the upper floors; the elevations of these are differentiated by a system of superimposed structures. The tower elevation consists of a large Palladian arch, accessed by a monumental stairway. Smaller openings perforate the upper floors, which are ·distinguished distinguished by which are by aa vertical vertical ordering ordering system system resting on a rusticated plinth. The two curved arms on either side of the tower tie the buildings into the surrounding urban fabric and isolate the tower, making it a monument in its own right. By straddling the Rue de l'Eau and intersecting the perpendicular Rue du Marché aux Herbes, it becomes a landmark for the entire area.

From above, left to right: existing plan with terraced houses, transformed plan with its traditional blocks, streets and squares, view of the model, new buildings indicated in red

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Grasping ... Bronze, 55 cm, 1990

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Prudent, sublime ... Terracotta, 45 cm, 1986

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Four figures at Bettembourg Castle in Luxembourg, cast in solid iron, 170 cm high, 1988 Wrathful

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Prudent

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Haughty

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Rapt

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NEW COMMUNITY IN EICHE Potsdam, Germany, 1991 This is a proposal for a new community of 500 families close to the gardens of Potsdam Castle, on the northern edge of the Eiche district. The houses are grouped very loosely around a defined centre. The gentle concave landscape of the site and the existing picturesque pattern of streets give rise to a correspondingly soft typological grouping, which avoids strong axes. I also felt it was necessary to avoid

making the all-too-obvious association with the geometric order of the neighbouring classical park. At the end of the main radial road at the south-eastern end of of the the develdevelthe southeastern end opment, a square forms the sole urban element in the scheme. As this marks the main approach to the site, it acts as an organiser from which the different parts of the estate can be reached, assuming the role of a gateway.

Opposite from above: model of the centre of development, as built by my students in the summer of 1992; model view, from above: general plan of the development, plan of the block structure

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Reclining man, bronze, 30 cm, model, 1991

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Reclining man, detail of the enlargement, plaster, 1994

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Abashed Lost into yourself

Listening Washed by the murmur of winds

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Cautioning Bethink the consequence

On guard Be prepared to fly

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KIRCHSTEIGFELD The Making of a Town, with Christoph Kohl, Potsdam, Germany, 1991–1996 In planning this new town for 7,000 to 10,000 inhabitants, our main concern was to establish the strongest possible link with the community of Drewitz to the west and the lowland development to the north. We worked around two important existing features: the Hirtengraben

in the centre of the 56-hectare site and the wonderful Priesterweg, with its ancient oak trees. The motorway is lined by a large, clean trading estate, which serves as both a barrier against traffic noise and a source of employment for the families in the town.

Opposite from above, left to right: bird's-eye view of the city gate seen from the northwest, city gate square, view across the pond; from above, left to right: site plan – Four districts surround an inner centre, organised according to the Cardo-Decumanus system, peripheral boulevards with cross-streets, squares, internal district arrangements – in the centre, the final development plan, flanked by two preliminary drafts. The right shows two districts orientated towards Alt-Drewitz, with a central park in the middle.

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Laying of the foundation stone at the inauguration stele, the base of which was designed by my brother, Leo

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Oil painting of Kirchsteigfeld's various urban spaces, from Torplatz (top left) to Kirchplatz (bottom right), 50 × x 60 cm

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From above, left to right: Torplatz viewed from within, the bronze model of Kirchsteigfeld with Alt-Drewitz and the surrounding areas, Torplatz viewed from the entrance, bird's-eye view of Kirchsteigfeld with homogeneous block structure

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INTRODUCTION TO THE KIRCHSTEIGFELD PROJECT

he Kirchsteigfeld urban development project in Potsdam is one of the largest housing construction schemes undertaken in former East Germany since Germany's reunification in 1990. Until then, the area had remained undeveloped. It thus offered a unique opportunity of meeting the extremely high demand for housing by building a completely new urban district. The name Kirchsteigfeld originally referred to the former pathway leading across the land to the village church in Drewitz. It was the former name of the field when it was still used for agricultural purposes. Today, Kirchsteigfeld is conveniently situated southeast of Potsdam, between the village of Drewitz and the Berlin-Hanover autobahn. It lies on the AVUS autobahn, just 3.5 kilometres from the centre of Potsdam and 24 kilometres from Berlin city centre. The wedge-shaped site runs in a southerly direction, 700 m across and 900 m from top to bottom, giving it a total surface area of some 60 hectares. It is bordered to the north by an East German housing estate dating back to the 1980s. Two features dominate the scenery in Kirchsteigfeld: the Hirtengraben, a narrow stretch of water with vegetation along its banks and an oak-lined boulevard, called Priesterweg, which is listed as a natural landmark and forms a natural border between Kirchsteigfeld and the housing estate. The idea of using the area for housing is not new: East German authorities designated it a development area and there were already plans for it from Heinrich Tessenow during the Nazi-era.

In this respect, Kirchsteigfeld is the continuation of a successful cooperation which began in 1984. It is unusual for a medium-sized firm to take on the risk of so great an investment. Furthermore, there are hardly any comparable cases in Germany where the developer, then in the role of property manager, remains linked to a whole urban district after construction work has been completed. This responsibility guarantees the developer's unreserved interest unreserved interest in in solid, solid, lasting lasting and and aestheticallyaesthetically pleasing buildings. Because of this, the residents of Kirchsteigfeld see the developer not as some anonymous investor or property speculator, but as a firm whose exemplary commitment to an urban development idea could completely redefine the developer's role. Work on the project proved that the rare constellation of business skills and know-how combined with creative architectural visions were directed at the people's needs and, likewise, were able to answer them. For this reason, the basic principles of life-home-work and the city of short distances can best describe the planning aims that pointed the way for the new urban district of Kirchsteigfeld. The precondition for a functioning city district was that shops and restaurants, schools and nursery schools, as well as buildings for leisure and sports activities could grow together alongside housing. The mixing of statesubsidised and privately owned apartments has ensured the development of a heterogeneous population structure. Together with the service amenities, this guaranteed a settlement that exhibits all individual functions of urban life once construction is completed. For many people, the new urban district of Kirchsteigfeld has become home and – thanks to the quality of life created for them – their Kiez or neighbourhood.

Potsdam soon realised that the project should become neither a purely residential area nor a dormitory town, but rather a mixed-use urban district with its own profile. The fact that the large-scale plan could be implemented at all was thanks to the Berlin firm of Groth & + Graalfs, a developer and building contractor rolled into one. They had already worked together with Rob Krier on the In the following texts, Potsdam's City Planning Director, Rauchstrasse development, aa highly highly acclaimed acclaimed IBA IBA the developer, regional planners, landscape architects, Rauchstraße development, project the colour consultant and, finally, the urban designers project in inBerlin. Berlin. and architects describe the project's concept from planAt the time, planning an urban development project ning through to construction. This process of a commularger than Rauchstrasse Rauchstraße seemed larger seemed almost inconceivable. inconceivable. nity emerging is the subject of this book.

PRINCIPLES OF URBAN DESIGN or: How to Build a Town

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century of urban design experimentation, which was unique in architectural history in terms of its magnitude and its distinctive predilection for cold, awesome abstraction, is rapidly coming to an end.

Despite the plethora of architectural utopias produced during our century, the creation of a convincing and committed concept of a viable city of the present, or of a city of the future, was unsuccessful.

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It is striking that all urban visions of the last one hundred years have been based on abstract intellectual theories about the function of urban fabric. These diverse concepts of urban design have, in a negative sense, one thing in common: their intentional departure from the traditional European city – the kind of city increasingly seen as a very desirable place to live or work and which attracts tourists like a magnet. None of these familiar cities and towns originated in our century. century. They or the the products products our They are are not not brain-children brainchildren or of an abstract idea. Instead, they derive from a basic universal principle, namely perimeter block development (in its various forms: open, semi-detached, and closed). This type of development results from the placement of similar individual units in a row on parcels of property with quiet inner courtyards, fronted by commercial streets. The method of sectioning land between four streets can be found on all continents and traces back to the origins of human settlement. The house itself has been interpreted in an infinite variety of ways, determined by living patterns, climatic conditions and the natural availability of construction materials. In the same way, urban design ideas have been influenced by the geological properties of the land to be developed, as well as by the ordering of parcels, the specific functions assigned to them and the distinction between public and private property. We owe the quality of the built ensemble, which is so rich in variety in Europe, to precisely this respect for basic principles. We hold the view that the art of building cities cannot be learned from books alone, but also through the built reality wrought by our cultural history into human settlements in the form of a complex synthesis of the arts. For this reason, we deliberately base our planning criteria on the experience provided by the successful cities of Europe. These are cities, which, throughout the centuries, have demonstrated their ability to be flexible and accommodating, attractive and valuable, by means of their pattern and layout, as well as through their buildings. Hidden behind such ideas is no sacred or nostalgic vision of the aesthetic qualities of urban space, but rather the conviction that the loss or the mistrust of this civic art is partly responsible for the social problems of our day. It is perhaps an undeniable truth that the models of contemporary urbanism that have come unhinged are clearly linked to the manifestations of the decay of modern society. The point of departure for our design methodology is therefore the design of the city, its built fabric and its spatial and functional organisation.

Through this, we attempt to create preconditions for the establishment of an urbanity that will form the foundations for people to live together in harmony. Architecture's history offers us viable models for a city in the form of the classical European city cited above. It is often argued that these cities, together with all of their acknowledged qualities, have grown organically and thus can no longer serve as a precedent for presentday urban design. This is an odd statement, implying that the cities of our ancestors were products of chance and not the result of determined artistic and political activity. It is certainly true that the urban tradition was essentially handed down by many separate families, from the aristocracy, from the upper and middle classes and from the artisan class and that each individual building was the conscious expression of a single builder. Thus, the many different façades reflect, for example, the pursuit of self-portrayal and personal ambition, striving for beauty and, also, healthy competition. However, such achievements are inconceivable in the absence of an overarching concept of urban design – one which is carried out in detail, enhanced and adapted to special situations. Today, the two essential functions of traditional urban design – town planning and architecture – must be quite determinedly fulfilled by all participants in the planning process, since the single private builder is hardly involved anymore. Without question, we are aware that our conceptual ideals tend to be located at the outer edges of that which planners, political authorities, investors, contractors and business people are wont to support. A city that provides good quality of life can only come about, however, where those involved in the building process have reached an understanding about this concept and its inner meaning. In the following section, we will endeavour to explain our most important concepts and enlarge on the portrait of a city that we would like to reclaim: õ– A town differentiates itself clearly from its surrounding landscape. Therefore, the transition from landscape to townscape is not seamless, but is clearly delineated by the buildings at the edges. õ– The main component of any town is the building. Grouping individual buildings into blocks produces smaller neighbourhoods, which, in turn, form residential quarters as an interrelated system.

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–õ Each quarter possesses a central square, which is the focal point of its public spaces. –õ Each building, including its façade and roof, is conceived as an autonomous aesthetic entity. –õ There are binding norms of design for all built elements that form public spaces. This primarily includes the façade materials, the proportion of openings and the profile of the roof. –õ The street space is formed by the accumulation of individual buildings conjoining with one another along the edge of a block. As a public space, the street should be formed in such a way that it can be physically experienced as intensively as possible. –õ As far as possible, street spaces should be enclosed by the buildings flanking them. At the same time, special significance is bestowed upon the corner building or buildings at the corner. –õ The cross-section of the street space should be as narrow as possible. Accordingly, the street should no longer function solely for the purpose of traffic; it should be reactivated as the union of all dimensions of life in the town. –õ The public space of the street must be clearly distinguished from the private space. –õ The public space of the street takes on a spatial, aesthetic and functional meaning in the form of a square. The built development bordering a square should offer the greatest possible variety of uses: dwelling, shopping, services, white commercial (low environmental impact) and an assortment of public amenities. –õ The interconnection of a wide variety of living and activity zones is an important goal. The more dwellings, workplaces and cultural facilities that are brought together in close spatial proximity, the more positive impact will be on the general quality of life. –õ Every opportunity must be taken to locate workplaces, offices, laboratories, shops, communal and public services, recreational activities and restaurants on public squares. To achieve this, built elements must be arranged at logically predesignated sites, so that more of these kinds of uses can be added later. –õ Larger integrated retail spaces and shopping opportunities are to be organised as rows of stores or in market halls. Specialty departments of a supermarket unit should be detached from the inwardly-oriented structure of its spatial organisation and faced towards the public space as attractive individual shops.

–õ Every street or every square should be given an individual and unmistakable formal identity. These urban spaces are not merely unused areas, the leftover residue of built blocks, but are independent spaces with discrete qualities. –õ As a rule, street spaces should be lined on both sides with trees, while squares may be paved exclusively in stone. –õ Streets and squares, i.e. the urban spaces, are to be laid out in such a way that they convey a feeling of closure and openness at one and the same time. In order to achieve this, the spatial transition from squares to streets must be arranged so that the character of enclosure is maintained, by means of tapering, staggering or changes of angle. –õ Every neighbourhood is to be given points of access, other than those designed as major architectural entrances. In this way, the openness of the spatial continuum is guaranteed. This creates a diverse range of alternative paths within the overall street system. –õ On the whole, streets are to be designed as two-way thoroughfares. One-way streets unnecessarily lengthen travel routes, thus producing more traffic and restricting driver-orientation. –õ Central squares are to be primarily reserved for pedestrians only. –õ In order to reduce the amount of signage in public spaces as far as possible, traffic indicators are to be established solely through spatial design. Driving speeds are primarily influenced by spatial geometries and by the design of the road surface. –õ Parking on public streets should be reduced to a minimum and large parking facilities are not generally desirable within the urban space. Instead, larger private car parks are to be arranged in the generously planted courtyard areas, so that vehicles are concealed from view. –õ Access to parking areas is to be provided by gatehouses or other forms of architecturally designed gateway. –õ The courtyard spaces foreseen for parking use are to be designed so that they may be used as children's playgrounds during the day. In a sense this becomes playing in the street, which is more adventurous for children than using specially designed play equipment.

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CITY AND URBANITY

he notions of city and urban character are not to be creative personalities can draw up plans for infill buildconfused with such terms as downtown, service ings and thus provide the foundations for a variegated centre, department store, plaza and shopping mall. streetscape. Instead, the desired character will be guaranteed by relatively small-scale building plots and the greatest possible range of uses. This encompasses the idea of the street as place, just as it includes the possibility of direct voice-contact with the street from the highest storey. Nearly all traditional small towns and even villages welcome us with a greater urbanity and more exciting spatial intensity than we are able to experience in modern city centres. Urbanity is thus not a question of a metropolis per se, nor does it mean a city of stone or the slavish adherence to a single set eaves height. We believe urbanity to be a notion with a positive association, which we understand as the built frame that unconsciously speaks to us through its human scale and which engenders a state of spatial well-being. Our philosophy obviously does not simply aim to reproduce the city of the past. Yet, we are convinced that awareness of public space must be reawakened through the creation of new towns and cities and that, in order to achieve this, the model of the traditional city cannot be brushed aside. For this sensitising process, it is crucial that we first learn to understand the pre-existing model, so that it may be translated to suit contemporary conditions. For the sake of this principle, we must apply wellestablished basic ideas and weigh them up against the needs of today's society. Along with striving in a businesslike manner to bring the greatest possible variety of uses to public space, top priority must be given to the task of achieving the greatest possible architectural diversity. The method that we have employed to create such a lively image elsewhere elsewhere (Ritterstrasse (Ritterstraße and and Rauchstrasse Rauchstraße in image in Berlin; Consuls de Mer in Montpellier; De Resident in The Hague; Kostverlorenvaart and Noorderhof in Amsterdam; Brandevoort near Helmond) worked on the principle that several architects were invited to design individual buildings within the fixed framework of an urban design scheme. In this process, individual design tasks are distributed among the various participating architects, alternating them around a given block, so that these different

Because our architecture schools and the common mode of commissioning architects are increasingly oriented to specialised work as part of a team – no longer a matter of building in ensemble – special procedures are required for the planning process. One aspect of this is the initial selection of the architects. An additional aspect is the design process itself. This kind of design practice allows us to realign ourselves to the city plans of the traditional European city, which is characterised by a multiple array of a common building type, interspersed with prominent buildings and, as a result of the building's function as form-giver, the creation of street and square spaces. The individual buildings are to be treated as individuals from the outset. They must follow specific design guidelines. Through this, public space becomes a relatively neutral, but heterogeneous place – one that is not dominated by a single building or by large-scale complexes. The myth of isolation that came about in our century (the dehumanising art-for-art's-sake attitude of many planners) must be fundamentally challenged. A critical investigation is long overdue with respect to the highly questionable acclaim given to an architecture that will ultimately have to share responsibility for eradicating the a living environment. This planeradicating thecity cityas as a living environment. This ning tendency is reinforced by fashion-oriented archiplanning tendency is reinforced by fashion-oriented tecture journal-ism, favours architecture journalism,which whichconsistently consistently favours precisely the kind of projects that are radically realised as isolated products in a space in which humans are almost entirely absent (effectively replacing the idea of a built environment with the act of publication). In order to continue developing the project of the city, the model of public space handed down through the centuries, and its main elements – building, street, square; dwelling, working, recreation – must be rediscovered. (Trans. note: Stadt in German may be translated either as city or town, which have different connotations in English. The distinction generally refers to their size, as well as their spatial character height, density, etc. – and their perceived consequences.) RK CHK RK -–CHK

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APPEAL TO THE ARCHITECTS PLANNING WITH ME August 1994

DEAR FRIENDS, It may appear to be a wholly impossible undertaking to shape hundreds of buildings, each with its own individual appearance, to form a coherent architectural scene. In the normal growth of our towns and cities, time and the fates of generations have provided for natural regulation of the townscape. Even though their individual messages are unique, there can be little doubt that the secret lies in the harmony of architectural languages down through the centuries. The most important lesson that we can draw from the quality of traditional towns is the way in which the parts are

harmoniously joined, without questioning or blighting one another. Here, time pressure and the economic corset impose a discipline upon us that we must use positively, without becoming cheap and commonplace. I would like to avoid our being accused of following on from construction works of the 50s. The excuses that could still be made with some degree of legitimacy in the post-war years are no longer valid today. These are well-fed times; our offices are well equipped and, even so, our work is characterised by dry, uninspired industriousness. I am not trying to shield my work from this line of criticism, but I do feel that it is high time it was talked about. I am sending each of you my comments and hope that it does not lead to any muddying of our friendship. My focus is my concern for the issue as a whole. The fear of gambling away a unique opportunity has seized me all too firmly by the throat. YOURS, ROB

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THE LANDSCAPING Cornelia Müller and Jan Wehberg

The greened courtyards with parking spaces half concealed below the buildings and half in the courtyard under the pergolas

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Above, hoof-shapedsquare square and and,below, below, examples courtyards Above, thethehoof-shaped examplesof ofthe thegreened greened courtyards

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Detail examples of various districts

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Wood relief of a double axis as a study for façade composition

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GATEWAY SQUARE The gateway square is a space integrated into Kirchsteigfeld's street network. The first project to be completed, it is an expression of the urban and architectural programme

of the new district in Potsdam. Here, is a pathway leading through a portal, which frames the end of the square. It is the shortest route to reach the centre of the community.

AmTorplatz, Torplatz,Ricarda-Huch-Straße Ricarda-Huch-Strasse No. house 1 and 2 2 Am No.6a/b; 6a/b;block block5,5, house 1 and

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TOWER The tower was wasa amuch-loved much-loved motif in 19th Potsdam. The tower motif in 19th-century PotsBelvederes and follies werewere among the specialities of the dam. Belvederes and follies among the specialities of day. Because wewe regarded historical fabric asasa the day. Because regardedPotsdam Potsdam’s historical fabric school to reinterpret reinterpre the the a schoolofofarchitecture, architecture,we wefelt felt challenged challenged to

spirit of its well-preserved details.This building is a clear reference to the Humboldt palace, rebuilt by Schinkel. The difference here is that all independent mass is articulated in the centre of the street elevation, between recessed loggias.

Karoline-Schulze-Straße No.1;1;block block7,7,house house Karoline-Schulze-Strasse No. 11

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ROUNDABOUT The roundabout was designated as one of the special places where a single architect was to design a formal accentuating figure. For this reason, the five buildings making up three different blocks are united to form a monumental frame

around a public space. Two towers crowned in yellow project above Hirtengraben, the reference point of the roundabout, which leads from the gateway square to the elementary school.

Roundabouts, Nelly-Sachs-Straße No.No. 12,12, 14,14,15, house11 11and and12; 12;block block house 9; block 9, house Roundabouts, Nelly-Sachs-Strasse 15,16, 16,and and17; 17;block block 6, 6, house 7, 7, house 9; block 9, house 1 and1 2and 2 View towardsthe theroundabout roundabout Viewfrom fromthe thehoof-shaped hoof-shaped square square towards

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COMPOSITION The composition of a façade should express the organisation of a building's interior. The stair volume of this building is a blue cylinder inserted into the solid red central bay like a screw. The movement

of this circulatory element is projected onto the exterior elevation. The sleeping area, which faces towards the interior, is clearly separated from the daytime living areas and consolidated within a tower volume in the centre of the building.

Am Nelly-Sachs-StraßeNo. No.9;9;block block house AmHufeisenplatz, Hufeisenplatz, Nelly-Sachs-Strasse 10,10, house 6 6

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CUBE HOUSES Cube houses are what we call the little urban villas that make up the loose contour of the blocks in Kirchsteigfeld. This building type is a basic element of the project's typical light-density perimeter block development. The block perimeters are systematically opened up to produce a network of public spaces with semi-public courtyard gardens. In contrast to the block perimeters, in which the ground floor is largely taken up by parking spaces, the ground level of an urban villa is taken up by an apartment with its own garden.

Typologically speaking, this form enhances the range of housing types; as there is only one dwelling per floor, a very private atmosphere is created – not dissimilar to that of a detached single-family home. While the buildings at the edge of the block are seen as an ensemble, the cube houses are designed as special elements. Each elevation is painted in a different colour, making for interesting views around each corner of the building.

Nelly-Sachs-Straße No. 1; 1;block block11, 11,house house Nelly-Sachs-Strasse No. 55

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ZEBRA HOUSE Zebra House is the nickname that was given to this building with its eye-catching coloured stripes. Because the building is located on one of Kirchsteigfeld's major streets, with re-

latively heavy traffic, the elevation was designed to be as closed as possible. The semicircular staircase structure pierces through the roof and dominates the centre of the building.

Ricarda-Huch-Straße No.26; 26;block block11, 11,house house Ricarda-Huch-Strasse No. 1010

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ORIENTATION Orientation must be influenced by buildings and meaningfully expressed in terms of urban design. The view of the city user must be directed and his path guided. This corner building, comprising three parts, is located at the street

intersection at the starting point of the tram line. A cylindrical tower rises from an octagonal base and is crowned by a discus-like roof structure. As a formal statement, it redirects the view toward the southern areas of Kirchsteigfeld.

Ricarda-Huch-Strasse No.2929and and31 31and andMaimi-von-Mirbach-Straße Maimi-von-Mirbach-Strasse No. house 1, 21,and 8 8 Ricarda-Huch-Straße No. No.2;2;block block9,9, house 2 and

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URBAN SPACE Urban space is created by the built mass and its elevations. Buildings are therefore space-forming. The designer of a building is also responsible for the image that is created and expressed to the user. Buildings affect their surroundings

accord-ingly, must must capture capture the genius loci – the spirit spirit and, accordingly,

of the place in which they are situated – and reflect it through their image. In this sense buildings serve their surroundings and the people who move within them.

Maimi-von-Mirbach-Strasse No. 17,17, house 1 1 Maimi-von-Mirbach-Straße No.5;5;block block house

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ITALIAN Slightly Italian in appearance, this building is located away from the busiest streets, favourably oriented towards the sun and situated directly on the green expanse along Hirtengraben. The building formally celebrates its festive

attitude witha central a central volume a rusticated base, attitude with volume on a on rusticated base topped, topped by a columned formation. the floor by a columned formation. By design,By thedesign, floor plan playplan detaches itself inways different from fully playfully detaches itself in differrent fromways the façade the façadeon elevations elevations either side.on either side.

Am Marktplatz, Mathilde-Schneider-Straße No. 14; Am Hirtengraben No. 37; block 20, house 8 block 41

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MAIN SQUARE The space at the main square is framed by our palazzo building, a church designed by Augusto Romano Burelli and a mixed-use building designed by SOM. Above the shops at ground floor level, there is a floor of medical

practices, followed by four floors of apartments. The central atrium is illuminated by a turreted skylight. The perspective effect is reinforced by the upward tapering of the parapets, implying a view of the sky.

AmMarktplatz, Marktplatz,Mathilde-Schneider-Straße Mathilde-Schneider-Strasse No. 4141 Am No.14; 14;block block

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CORNER BUILDING A corner building with a tower marks the transition from the bridge on Hirtengraben to the main square. These dwellings, with their living rooms at the southern corner

tower, facing the waterway with its trees and the panorama of Hirtengraben and Kirchplatz, are a source of joy for those living there.

Am Hirtengraben No. 21; block 24, house 2b

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ROW OF HOUSES A row of houses, which, in our method of practice, is normally designed by different architects, was commissioned as a package in this phase of construction. In spite of this;

Mathilde-Schneider-Strasse No. No. 9; Mathilde-Schneider-Straße 9; block block 14, 14,house house2a 2aand and2b2b

or rather, precisely because of it, we developed this site by designing and executing each building as a functionally and aesthetically autonomous entity.

Am Hirtengarten No. 23; block 14, house 2b, 2c and 2d

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COLOUR A prime device employed in the design of most of our Kirchsteigfeld buildings was the use of colour as a substitute for changes in material. Colour conveys a sense of humour and irony; their cheer provokes comment. It would not be wrong to say that we also desired a theatrical effect. Here, colour plays more or less the role of

a pick-me-up – a shot in the arm. We took it as a challenge to give a special aesthetic quality to an otherwise poor cladding material, Styrofoam. It inspired us to exploit the potential of this technical method and to experiment with the colouring and decoration of the thermally insulated façade. façade.

Mathilde-Schneider-Straße No. block house Mathilde-Schneider-Strasse No. 10;10; block 11, 11, house 10 10

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PROPORTION Proportion, the knowledge of its laws, the application of classical rules of composition and the playful handling of geometries are all part of our handiwork. The cruciform core of this urban villa, housing the stairs, balcony, kitchen and bathroom, endows the cubic form with refined

proportions. The core extends beyond the eaves line and pleasantly conceals the dormers necessitated by the projecting roof. At these cross-wires – which are incidentally oriented precisely to the north – each point of the compass is marked with a primary colour.

Mathilde-Schneider-Straße No. 16; 16;block block40, 40,house house Mathilde-Schneider-Strasse No. 33

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FUN Façades should also be fun. They should make us grin, feel invigorated and be a source of inspiration to the flâneur. Take, for example, the radio building, which was named

after after the the portable portable transistor transistor radios radios of of the the sixties. 1960s. The The spiritual heritage of Piet Mondrian and the influence of 1920s vanguard are unmistakable in its colour scheme.

Lise-Meitner-Strasse No. house 2 2 Lise-Meitner-Straße No.32; 32;block block34,34, house

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DECORATION Decoration was always understood as an integral part of the traditional aspect of of traditional culture culture of of building. building. This This funda-mental fundamental aspect architectural and conservative creation has been widely discredited by ambiguous architectural theories. The current misinterpretation of the meaning of classical mo-

dernism is partly responsible for the neglect of architectural decoration. Until now, our era has not found a manner of decoration that is scale-giving. The fact clearly cannot be denied that the constructional theme – whether structural, technological or playful – must revive the art of building.

Lise-Meitner-Strasse No. No. 30; 30; block Lise-Meitner-Straße block34, 34,house house1 1

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SIGNPOST Buildings may also act as a signpost in the urban fabric. They are urban landmarks or markers, helping to define the space. This apartment tower is intended as just such a signpost. The tower and its twin are located at the vanishing point of the street leading towards Marktplatz from the

south. The north-facing elevation has very little fenestration. The loggias on the southern elevation are located at the side wings in the lower floors. Above the height of the block, the loggias are inserted into the main building mass.

Carla-Schumann-Strasse No. 5 5 Carla-Schumann-Straße No.15; 15;block block45, 45,house house

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FINAL EMPHASIS At the end of this tour of Kirchsteigfeld is the first built section of development, wrapped around a circular public space. As the perimeter development is adjacent to a forested area and it cannot be extended towards the south,

this site was designed as a turning radius for the trams that will commence service March1998. 1998.Here, Here, at at the that commenced service in inMarch the southern point of the project, is the architectural crescendo of the new community.

Marie-Juchacz-StrasseNo. No.1515and andPierre-de-Gayette-Straße Pierre-de-Gayette-Strasse No. 9 and 10 10 Marie-Juchacz-Straße No.18; 18;block block35, 35,house house 9 and

Pictures of all participating architects

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The head of the Kirchsteigfeld figure, still in plaster, in my Bargemon studio, 1992

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Squatting man, bronze, 54 cm, 1994

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Torso fragment, bronze, 60 cm, 1992

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Monument for Joseph Bech, plaster, 230 cm, 1993–1994

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Monument for Joseph Bech, head detail

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Figure cornerofofFriedrichstraße Friedrichstrasseand and Kronenstraße Kronenstrasse (detail), stone, 220 cm, 19941994 Figure onon thethe corner (detail),Berlin, Berlin,cast castartificial artificial stone, 220 cm,

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Figure cornerofofFriedrichstraße Friedrichstrasseand and Kronenstraße, Kronenstrasse, Berlin, 220 cm, 1994 Figure onon thethe corner Berlin,cast castartificial artificialstone, stone, 220 cm, 1994

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The studio in Bargemon (South of France) at daylight, with the large figures, 1995

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A besetting intimacy reigns in the studio: my plaster family in Bargemon at night, 1995

bility betw public spi versus Tradition Modernity versus Tradition Robaway Krierfrom has arecently moved away from a conception simply in h has recently moved conception 470 of his as abstract masses to a greater preoccupapagnon – ks as abstract masses to works a greater preoccupawith architectural form. This is most immediately private int rchitectural form.tion This is most immediately Figure Figure 29 sub apparent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century Figure 28 Figure2829 cryptic his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century Germanafter brickthe tradition, particularly after the realisation Rob Krier latent, vio ick tradition, particularly realisation his Ritterstrasse housing pre-war M erstrasse housingof project in Berlin. For Rit- project in Berlin. For RitOF URBAN SPACES despite subtlety, isCOMPOSITION still "white and abstract" Germany despite its subtlety,terstrasse, is still "white andits abstract" whereas what sense an i e, whereas what architecture, follows in Krier's work is follows in Krier's work is traditionally structured architectu ionally structuredmore and frequently designed in and frequently designed in ropriate to with the traditional precision brickwork withastraditional such as simultaneo brickwork features, such he expansion of urban features, centres worldwide has social security, without which living together in an amily life.and He,header rubbed-brick archesLindenand header string courses.in Lindenframeworkisisim impossible. compensa ck arches string courses. reached unforeseen proportions the last 170 urban framework possible. ut he terraced did so in housing ufer 34, infill Berlin-Spandau evident an nfill for Berlin-Spandau years. Interraced 1830, housing Vienna's for population was 255,000, quiet and fur- a clear (1978–1979), represents a clear shift 164,000, in this direction. 9), represents shift in this direction. Berlin's 353,000, Rome's Amsterdam's Sociologically against aberrant aberrant urban urban Sociologically based based protests protests against Figure Figure 31 familyishearth. Here, a 207,000, contrast is Moscow's affected the oldMadrid's tectonic of Figure Figure3031 ntrast affected between the old tectonic of between 334,000, 200,000, design, such asAlexander Alexander Mitscherlich's Die design, such as30 Mitscherlich‘s Die Unthe the load-bearing masonry and and new "curtain-wall" earing masonry and new "curtain-wall" Paris' London's the Unwirt.lichkeit unserer (Frankfurt 1965) wirtlichkeit unserer StädteStädte (Frankfurt 1965) had no Paris s 1,092,000 1,092,000 and the London s 1,786,000. 1,786,000. In In the a growing interest in picturesque cultu theliving mini- rooms. fenestration the living a growing in picturesque cultural landmarks. nhere of the past, of cities stood rooms. out clearly from their surroundings, had no effect Lasting on urban planning practices. lasting on effect urbaninterest planning practices. The theoOne thinks oftowers the impact ated for in the of the impact of brick water on theof brick water both in terms of outline and in appearance; as well, The ofthinks the of Athens (1933) were remstheorems of theOne Charter of Charta Athens (1933) were too deeply nineteenth-century countryside This34, is particAt Lindenufer 34,antithesis this somewhat antithesis nineteenth-century countryside and of the pregnant, pin- and of the ufer this somewhat awkward their architecture could be awkward unmistakably identified as too deeply entrenched in the minds of the technocrats: entrenched in the minds of the technocrats: the divinacle-like forms created by prominent m gd and planned foreliminated betweenbelonging and new is eliminated in Only favour of a more nacle-like forms–created prominent members of the new is inold favour of more to a specific culture. because of its water the into functional zones living, working, siondivision into functional zones living,-by working, culture, German Association Craftsmen during proposalsoffor complete adaptation ofParathe Berlin tradition. German Association Craftsmen during the earlyofyears daptation the Berlin brick tradition.could boundaries Venicebrick preserve thatParawonderful culture, shopping, traffic, was easy toit was use, shopping, traffic, etc. – wasetc. too-of easy totoo use, and of athis century; all, perhaps, of H hstadt doxically enough, theurban aspect of this of this century; above all, perhaps, Hansabove Poelzig's nough,(1977). the proto-Expressionist aspect ofproto-Expressionist thisform. All the other quality as its cities have been and was com mercially successful. In contrast, aoffunccomitmercially successful. In contrast, functional steel-framed and attainsdramatically its sub- tradition isinmost dramatically revealed in the white plassteel-framed and water builtbrick-faced at Zeipau water tower most revealed the white plas- by profoundly affected rapid growth. tional mixthe like weinbrick-faced find in mediaeval towns mix like onetheweone find medieval townstower necesin potential 1922. ssioned de-relieving ter model, where relieving arches help to inflect incoming 1922. However, while hydraulics may justifyhydraulics m where thetolow arches helpthe to low inflect necessitates to terms with the forwell while sitates coming to terms with the potential for However, social thaturban whichrecognised Bruno Taut rec the shallow, andways set-back In many ways thataWith which Bruno Tautofnostalgically as nostalgically the w,oposal bowedfor andthe set-back façades. In Untilbowed themany Second Worldfaçades. War, good master builders, social conflict. fatalofcult modernism, urban conflict. With fatalacult modernism, plan"city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general ingtheinmost Vienna this is one of the integrated solutions that Krier "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general inappropriateof integrated solutions thatmost Krier has well grounded in a sound building craftshas tradition, planning practices functional separation promotes ning thatthat practises functional separation promotes ness ofstock suchisthe forms for residential stock i ness of suchbecause forms for residential disturbing. In could honourably embellish the development plans social this concept treats the social disintegration, disintegration, because this concept treats the must conclude the end,system. one mustThe conclude they are a mere caprice that they are of new suburbs. Through the conservation of local and city an abstract abstract system. The visionsthat ofend, totalone urban city as as an visions of total urban Krier's repertoire; a folly is justif Figure 32 in Krier's repertoire; a folly that is justified the that regional traditions in Helsinki, Amsterdam, Vienna life freedom of choice andin mobility are only by life –- unlimited unlimited freedom of choice and mobility –- are idiosyncrasies of thenaivete site. idiosyncrasies and Budapest, entire urban districts with their own seduc and nostalgicof the site. seductive tive in in their their deceptive deceptive naiveté and nostalgic distinct identities came into being; as the buildings were appeal. same time, time, we we content content ourselves ourselves with with appeal. At At the the same Antinomies of Value of Value in a natural way embedded in their respective existing aa few few intact intactAntinomies urban situations situations that appear appear like islands islands urban that like Krier's work is riddled on with curious a Krier's work riddled with curious antinomies: cultural milieux, they were not interchangeable. in scape. Theisrare rare neighbourhood atmoin aa harsh harsh city cityscape. The neighbourhood atmothe by one hand, a manifest interest in class the one hand, a manifest interest inthe classical devices of However, the fundamental notions relating to sphere, for Berliners is expressed by the term sphere, which which for Berliners is expressed term proportional control and, on the other, a proportional control and, onneighbourhoods the other, a discernible and function, hygiene and structure that underpinned the Kiez (award denoting the different Figure Figure 27 quickly attained broad of the city, each tendency use toward Figure2627new wave of construction increasing tendency towardincreasing the expressionistic of the express with their own character and identity) dissemination, being easily adaptable to the different thrives particularly in places where the architectural climatic and cultural conditions. This led to a level- fabric is historic, where the streets and squares are ing of urban design and to an architecture that was of human dimensions, with lush greenery and wide similar all all the the world world over over –- and and similarly similarly interchangeinterchange- pavements. The buildings are of moderate size and similar able. The pioneers of the modern age, in their blind differ in their outward appearance in spite of their belief in progress, welcomed this development, typological identity. An urban world of such a density celebrating a universal, rational technology as a benefit cannot, of course, be everywhere in the city. Not to mankind. If the designs that these visionaries everywhere can be a Kiez. But even for quiet residrew up at at the the beginning beginning of of the the twentieth 20th century are dential districts, there are models that show how drew up century still fullfull of of fantasy and are still fantasy andeven evenhave havean anelement element of of the the neighbourhoods can be created through clever spatial poetic about them, then the pallid products of the build- formations. ing trade subsequent to 1945 are all the more disappointing. The formerly complex language of architecture Over the centuries, innumerable models for urban with its regional colour was reduced to a form of living have been tried out; they supply us with an technical expression. inexhaustible store of experience for the solution of future problems. In spite of all the destruction caused Urban design got lost at the same time. In the newly by two world wars, this built encyclopaedia can still to as founded cities such as Brasilia or Chandigarh, nothing be experienced. A A city city that thathas hasbeen beensubjected subject to remains of the traditional network of spatial inter- much decimation as Berlin is particularly instructive connections that we find in the centres of classical cities due to the contrast between old and new. When except yawning voids. The compositional backbone I was still a student, I was already fascinated by urban of streets and town squares has disappeared design, even though I had no knowledge of the from sight in the modern cities. Freestanding rows of enormous complexity of urban logistics. The way buildings or loosely arranged building figures have cities in Germany were rebuilt after the Second World taken their place. They were the result of a lucrative War appeared to me to be only a wretched imitation of building boom that took place to the detriment of the quality of a world gone by.

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The horror that I felt as I travelled through this country of devastation shook me deeply and sparked in me the desire to search for solutions that could compare with those represented by the old models. The following stages of learning came into being in the comparison between beautiful and ugly, desirable and reprehensible. In my teenage years, I had seen Echternach, the little town on the border between Luxemburg and Germany with its magnificent baroque abbey where I went to school being rebuilt after the turmoil of war, becoming more beautiful than it had been before. This experience gave me an unconscious security in comparing old with new. Reading, writing and arithmetic were taught in the school, but to the detriment of seeing and hearing: the world of the fine arts and music was pushed aside in drawing and religious instruction. When at 17 I told the headthemaster I wanted become seventeen I told head that master that I to wanted to an artist,an he disabused me me of of thethedesirability of become artist, he disabused desirability of this venture, speaking contemptuously about the low social standing of this field of endeavour, and forced me to take a special course in mathematics until my school-leaving examination. In spite of intensive study, this world has remained closed to me. The school couldn't extinguish my desire to investigate my surroundings through their outward appearance. The teaching program that I later carried out with students of architecture was strongly oriented towards seeing, assessing the quality of that which was observed and clearly representing it. The towns that have naturally grown over time represent our textbook of urban design and architecture. The secrets of their structures can hardly be grasped through books. One has to travel to research them and make comparisons between cities and from country to country. The network of streets that run through the city in innumerable variations, like arteries, represents the supporting structure that determines the development of the townscape: it is finely meshed in the town centres, widerwidely meshedmeshed in the suburbs. The development around more in the suburbs. The development the periphery of a field is surrounded by streets, around the periphery of that a field that is surrounded by the citythe block, is theiselementary component of every streets, city block, the elementary component of evurban structure. Tight andand homoge neously formed in ery urban structure. Tight homogeneously formed thethe centre, it itloosens in centre, loosensupupand andwidens widensout out towards towards the the outskirts. The of of thethe block structure, outskirts. Thenarrower narrowerthe themesh mesh block structhe more transparent, porous penseful the the ture, the more transparent, porousand andsus suspenseful town is. is. This This is is true true mainly mainly for for town town centres centres that that have have town developed over over time, developed time, founded founded hundreds hundreds or or thousands thousands of years ture of years ago. ago. The The dimensions dimensions of of the the block block struc structure

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were always proportionate to the size and height of the buildings. buildings. The bility of of the the the The speed speed and and manoeuvra manoeuvrability carriages and carts and the volume of traffic determined the width of the streets. In Barcelona's old town, whose Roman ground plan is still clearly recognizable, the adaptability of such a structure appears particularly surprising in view of the dramatic changes in social structures over the course of the centuries. The network has functioned well without interruption, and life in this wonderful chaos is becoming ever more appealing. The old town, until a short time ago still a place of refuge for the poor, has intrepidly changed into a chic address for the wealthy. Only Barcelona as a whole can afford the luxury of such an urban jewel. Without the dynamics of a big city in the background, Barcelona would have come to a standstill, remaining in the same state as Aigues Mortes, the romantic little town on the French coast of the Mediterranean, though this would not have been a tragedy. This comparison illustrates just two of the different standards and worlds that were supported by a spatial and architectural concept that has continued to maintain its validity. City Block and Building From a purely geometrical perspective, the city block is the original cell of every urban design structure. lt defines round its its edges It defines the the networks networks of of routes routes aaround edges and the building plot structure in the middle. The latter determines the rhythm of the buildings at the perimeter of the block. The building plots mirror the relations of property ownership and in so doing, the relations in the society that has adopted them. In the towns of Flanders and the Netherlands, a mature and self-assured bourgeoisie developed very early. The architecture of their houses testifies to their culture and wealth. Berlin, on the other hand, developed into a city of tenants in the period between 1850 and 1940. The town houses were often built on huge, ungainly blocks. As a consequence of the intensive exploitation of building space, cramped inner courtyards with bad hygienic conditions came into being. Even though there was an enormous qualitative drop between the flats at the fronts of the buildings and those at the backs, the different social classes nonetheless lived in immediate proximity to each other: the councillor of commerce, the teacher, the clerk at the post office and the kitchen maid. They all profited from this community of utility. At the same time, factory workers lived in Wedding (a district in

constraints ent and liberating andplan. interstitial arcaded infrastructure. At the same time, primary architectural reference is all too apectural tionform. with This architectural isthemost immediately form.the This is most immediately rating plan. time, the primary architectural reference is all too appropriate,offor Michaelerplatz department store einterpretation apparent inofhisthe reinterpretation nineteenth-century theLoos's nineteenth-century ow German Alvar Aalto, intradition, his propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department (1910) is patently here, even ifstore the elevational adition, particularly brick after the particularly realisation afterevoked the realisation 473 Aalto, his f 1956, was able to ma(1910) patently evoked if the syntax has more toBerlin. doeven with Loos's Scheu House (1912). sse housing of in his Ritterstrasse project inisBerlin. housing For project Ritinhere, For Rit-elevational totomaway as create a libersyntax hassubtlety, more toelement with Loos's House (1912). Aand key of this reading is the presence in the eable itsterstrasse, subtlety, isdespite still "white its abstract" isdostill "white andScheu abstract" eate a liberA key this reading is the presence in the sketches of isLoos's giant Doric submitted for hereas architecture, what follows whereas inelement Krier's whatof work follows in Krier's work iscolumn, sketches ofthe Loos's giant Doric column, forwhich is fiChicago competition y structured more traditionally and frequently structured designed and frequently inTribune designedsubmitted in of 1922, the Chicago Tribune of such 1922, finally transformed here into the columnar of e precision work with traditional brickwork features, with traditional suchcompetition as features, aswhich ishinge-point transformed herestring into the columnar of never retheheader corner building. ThatLindenthishinge-point proposal was , rubbed-brick ches and headernally string arches courses. and Lindencourses. the corner building. this proposal never alised is toThat befor regretted at manywas levels, notreonly because nerraced ufer 34, housing infill for terraced Berlin-Spandau housing Berlin-Spandau alised isin to this be at many levels, not only because theregretted of Vienna been deprived of a remarkable -presents (1978–1979), a clear shift represents acity direction. clear shift in has this direction. the city ofold Vienna has been ofbecause aofremarkable piece offor urbanism, butin also the quarters proposalthat is a .is affected Here, a between contrast is theaffected tectonic between of thedeprived old tectonic Berlin), example, mass living of urbanism, but also the proposal is paradigmatic a monumental version of Krier's most g masonry the load-bearing andpiece the new masonry "curtain-wall" thepeople newbecause "curtain-wall" »could kill people«, asone the Berlin caricaturist and couldand kill , ofas the Berlin caricaturist and monumental version of one of mostaccusingly paradigmatic domestic works – Krier's his canonical Dickes House, which - living he fenestration rooms. of the living rooms. social critic Heinrich Zille asserted in domestic works – his canonical Dickes House, which was completed in the The same year. e drawings and verses. people called the buildings was completed in the same year.inner - this 34, At Lindenufer somewhat awkward 34, this somewhat antithesis awkward antithesis with this ghetto-like life Mietskaserne (tenement Modernity versus Tradition rnew between is eliminated old andinnew favour is eliminated of a literally: more in favour ofbarracks). a more The second basic blocks; rental Modernity versus Tradition Rob has recently moved away fromblock a conception rtioncomplete of the Berlin adaptation brick tradition. of theKrier Berlin Parabrick tradition. Paraelement of urban design – after the city – is the Rob Krier has recently from atoconception of his works as abstract masses a greaterdimensions preoccupa. the h, doxically proto-Expressionist enough, thebuilding proto-Expressionist aspect ofititself. thismoved aspect of this self. must have human dimensions building ltlt away must have human of hisdramatically works as abstract masses towhite atall greater preoccupation with architectural form. This is mostotherwise immediately -dramatically tradition isrevealed most in the white revealed plasin the plasand should not be too or too lang, otherwise its and should not be too tall or too long; its tionarches with form. This apparent in his the should nineteenth-century e- theter low model, relieving where the architectural low help relieving toisinflect arches helpistomost inflect effect that ofreinterpretation a barracks. Noofimmediately city be erected apparent inusing his reinterpretation of nineteenth-century German brick tradition, particularly the the realisation e and wed the shallow, set-back bowed façades.and In set-back many ways façades. In the many ways oversized components – this after is what urban German brick tradition, particularly after the of Ritterstrasse housing in amost this integrated is one of solutions the most integrated thathis Krier has solutions that Krier has realisation design of the last decades hasproject shown us.Berlin. For Ritof his Ritterstrasse in Berlin. For Ritterstrasse,housing despite project its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" e 22 terstrasse, despite itsthe subtlety, is stillwhat "white and abstract" architecture, whereas follows in Krier's work is Around perimeters of many historic city centres, architecture, whereas what follows in Krier's work more traditionally structured and frequently designed in rigidly functional residential areas have ais arisen. rigidly functional residential areas have risen. The The ent, appropriate to the more traditionally structured andwith frequently designed income precision brickwork traditional features, such as goals have been achieved, but towns didn't of it, priate the precision ects oftofamily life. He, brickwork with traditional features, such as Lindenrubbed-brick arches and header string courses. not even suburbs, at most Siedlungen (housing estates ily life.but He,he did oom, so in or rubbed-brick arches string courses. Lindenufer 34, and infillheader terraced housing Berlin-Spandau subdivisions). These terms havefor a pejorative conhe did of so quiet in ufer mount and fur34, infill terraced housing Berlin-Spandau (1978–1979), representsfor a clear shift in this direction. notation. The Siedlung (in this case, settlement) is a uiet es ofand thefurfamily(1978–1979), hearth. primitive represents clear shift in this direction. Here, a contrast is affected between the tectonicthe of forma of land occupation. In old contrast, mily hearth. Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of before the load-bearing masonry and the new »place "curtain-wall" place German ward Vorort (suburb; literally: German ward (suburb; literally: before scale, where the theminiload-bearing masonry andliving the place«) new "curtain-wall" fenestration of another the rooms. Figure 26 Figure 27 Figureof 27 ) does or in front front of another place or in does imply imply aa higher higher e the mini- for ompensated in the stage fenestration of the rooms. and at any rate, one can feel the of living development, dn for in the space. This is partic- link At Lindenufer 34, thisThe somewhat antithesis to a town nearby. French awkward term faubourg, the his is partic-planned r housing for ltalian At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat antithesis between old and newthe is awkward eliminated in favour of a more suburbio and English suburb, however, are planned d in the for proposals for old between and new is eliminated in for favour ofun-urban a more complete adaptation of the Berlin tradition. Paraclearly deroga tory terms thisbrick form of oposals for complete Friedrichstadt (1977). adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. Paradoxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this settlement. adt (1977). variably attainsdoxically its sub- enough, aspect of traditionthe is proto-Expressionist most dramatically revealed in this the white plasits sub- tradition nains commissioned to de- isWith most dramatically revealed in theand white plaster model, where the arches help we to inflect the elements of low city relieving block building, have oned de- terfor n his to proposal the the model, where thetolow relieving arches help to the tools shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many complex urban structures. Myways dithe tools todesign design complex urba ninflect structures. My osal for the inthe nt building Vienna shallow, bowed and façades. In manyengl. ways this is publications one of set-back the most integrated solutions that Krier has dactic Stadtraum (1975, ed.: Urban didactic publications Stadtraum (1975, engl. ed.: Urban g in Vienna this is one Space, of the most integrated solutions thatKomposition Krier has (1985, 1979) and Space, 1979) andArchitektonische Architektonische Komposition (1985, engl. Composition, 1988) engl. ed.: ed.: Architectural Architectural Composition, 1988) form form the basis for this book, which deals with the composition of entire towns and their neighbourhoods. Knowing all the conceivable urban space typologies and the variety of possible façade designs in public spaces are further necessary prerequisites. An intelligent urban ground plan on which ugly buildings have been erected will be unattractive for both residents and visitors. e 25 Figurethe 26 other Figuregrid 27 pattern On On the other hand, hand, aa simple simple grid pattern Layout layout Figure 26 Figure 27 without spatial suspense can be made into an architectural event through the use of beautiful building façades. Indeed, the greatest enjoyment is derived from the combination of both qualities. A full register of urban architecture can only assure the external shell. Life then has to take root of its own accord, filling it to completion over the course of generations, breathing a kind of soul into the abstract structure. lt is only in such a cultural medium that unique towns with a heady variety come into being.

Figure 28

Figure 28

Figure 30

Figure 30

other solutions. balanced proportions tened The hexagonal central room a private interiori tened hexagonal central room are particula although furnishing such a spac Figure 29 Figure 29 cryptic subjectiv although furnishing alatent, space still rem lem, sincesuch almost no part of the violencelem, since almost no part of ofpre-war the room is und the swinging doors. Neverth Magica the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, the spaces are both ingeniously situ Germany and B spaces are proportioned. both ingeniouslysense situated and a an insati proportioned. architecture to The brick-facedsimultaneously polygonal resi The brick-faced polygonal residential towo that which Kriercompensation proposed for that which are Krier proposed for Fasanenstra surely the most historicist of t evident and lim are surely the most historicist of these later"top scheme, together with Krier's scheme, together with Krier's "tower sketche Figure 31 Figure 31

a growing interest in a growing picturesque interest cultural in picturesque landmarks.cultural landmark One thinks of the impact One thinks of brick of the water impact towers of on brick thewater towers on th nineteenth-century countryside nineteenth-century and of the countryside pregnant, and pin-of the pregnant, pin nacle-like forms created nacle-like by prominent forms created members by prominent of the members of th German AssociationGerman of Craftsmen Association duringof theCraftsmen early yearsduring the early year of this century; above of this all, century; perhaps, above of Hans all,Poelzig's perhaps, of Hans Poelzig steel-framed and brick-faced steel-framed water and tower brick-faced built at Zeipau water tower built at Zeipa Figure 28justify Figu in 1922. However, in while 1922. hydraulics However,may while wellhydraulics may well justif Figure 28 Figure 29 that which Bruno Taut that nostalgically which Brunorecognised Taut nostalgically as the recognised as th "city crown", or Stadtkrone, "city crown", the general or Stadtkrone, inappropriatethe general inappropriate ness of such forms for ness residential of such forms stockfor is disturbing. residentialIn stock is disturbing. I the end, one must conclude the end,that one they mustare conclude a mere that caprice they are a mere capric Figure 32 in Krier's repertoire;ina Krier's folly that repertoire; is justified a folly onlythat by the is justified only by th idiosyncrasies of theidiosyncrasies site. of the site.

Antinomies of ValueAntinomies of Value Krier's work is riddled Krier's with work curious is riddled antinomies: with curious on antinomies: o Figure 30 Figu the one hand, a manifest the one interest hand,ina manifest classical devices interest in of classical devices o Figure 30 Figure 31 proportional controlproportional and, on the other, control a discernible and, on theand other, a discernible an a growing interest in picturesq increasing tendencyincreasing toward thetendency expressionistic toward use the expressionistic of use o a growing One interest in picturesque cultural thinks of the impact of bri One thinksnineteenth-century of the impact of brick water toa countryside nineteenth-century countryside and ofbythe pr nacle-like forms created pro nacle-like forms created by prominent mem German Association of Craftsme German Association of Craftsmen th of this century; above during all, perh of this century; above all, of wa Ha steel-framed andperhaps, brick-faced steel-framed brick-faced water tower bu inand 1922. However, while hydra in 1922. However, while hydraulics may that which Bruno Taut nostalgi that which "city Bruno Taut nostalgically recog crown", or Stadtkrone, the "city crown", orofStadtkrone, in ness such formsthe forgeneral residentia ness of suchthe forms stockthat is d end, for oneresidential must conclude the end, oneinmust conclude that they arethat am Krier's repertoire; a folly in Krier's repertoire; a folly is justified idiosyncrasies of that the site. idiosyncrasies of the site. Antinomies of Value AntinomiesKrier's of Value work is riddled with c Krier's work riddled curious anti theisone hand, awith manifest interes the one hand, a manifestcontrol interestand, in classica proportional on the proportional control and, on the other, increasing tendency towarda dis the increasing tendency toward the expression

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The prerequisite for this is the evolutionary capability of their structure. The road network as the support of the public supply system can not be varied much. The buildings, however, should be easily adaptable and replaceable at need. Buildings that are too large would significantly Limit limit this flexibility. significantly this flexibility. The Urban Order – The Centre, its Districts and the Suburbs Although city blocks and buildings are the basic components of a town or city, it is not the act of merely adding them together that will result in an exciting place. The city is subject to a hierarchic order with the space being subdivided into clearly discernable areas depending on its size. In the growth process, the centre and its districts must repeatedly readapt. When drafting a new plan – like our proposal for the town of Brandevoort in Brabant in the Netherlands – well-tried urban models are to be the inspiration for the dimensions to be established for the centre and the suburbs. The The middle 800 metres, suburbs. middle of of Brandevoort, Brandevoort, 600 600 × x 800 metres, with its houses, is is divided divided like like the with its 1,700 1,700 detached detached row rowhouses, the model of a Roman castrum into four quarters by a street crossing – Cardo and Decumanus. At the points where they meet the boundaries of the town centre at the north, south, east and west sides, gateways form, each one differently designed. A broad belt of green surrounds the town centre, so that its form is clearly visible. Like a network of arteries emanating from the heart of the village, the main axes of the suburbs develop from the city gates. The re-establishment of Bussy-St.-Georges, east of Paris in the Departement Marne-la-Vallée, found its starting point in a different geometry. The coordinating body, Établissements Publics d'Aménagement de Marne-la-Vallée, had prescribed a regular street grid of 400 × x 350 metres. At the time of our planning, it was already completed. We supplemented this grid, which ignored the topography of the Île-de-France, by all those givens that the technocrats had eliminated from the maps: old country lanes, important location routes for the plots of land, which had also left their traces in the topography, streams, old stands of trees and a Route Napoléon, which ran diagonally across the plateau. This unobtrusive archaeology has significantly enriched our plan. Here too, the middle of the town has been clearly worked out. The body of water that the ecologists wanted as a reserve basin is laid around it like a garland and accompaied by sports and leisure areas. An old road between two villages passes through the centre, as Broadway cuts through New York. We used

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the existing grid square as a Cardo-Decumanus system for the centre. The urban quarters with their centrally placed squares are clearly arranged around the main town square. Every quartier has its own layout and German (1976), wherethus various nineteenth century urbanidentity. compo- The suburbs acquires an unmistakable andards where various nineteenth components find century themselves intocentre a single are less urban clearlycombined oriented to the than it was possible r's nd insisthemselves combined into a corner single building, labyrinthine complex: the the porte access grid. to do in Brandevoort, due to a pre-existing ng inespace complex: the corner building, the porte cochere, the atrium, thestreet courtyards, thelinks amphitheatre Our new structure up naturally with the nstraints the atrium,and thethe courtyards, the amphitheatre interstitial arcaded infrastructure. the same old country lanes and tries toAtcover up the wide-mesh ng plan. arcaded nterstitial Atsystem the same time, theinfrastructure. primary architectural reference is all toolosing ap- the orientaboulevard elegantly without primary architectural reference is allthe toocentre. ap- department store propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz tion towards o, in his , for Loos's(1910) Michaelerplatz store is patentlydepartment evoked here, even if the elevational epatently to ma- evoked even thewith elevational syntax here, has more do Loos's House The size ofofaScheu town andand the(1912). administrative apThetoifactual actual size a town the administrative e amore liber-to do as Scheu House (1912). A with key Loos's element of this is themodated presence in the paratus to reading be be accommodated determine the the sizesize of the apparatus to accom deter mine of ement of this reading isdistricts. thedistricts. presence inexample, the sketches of Loos's giantFor Doric column, submitted for example, thethe district in the For districtof ofKreuzberg Kreuzberg in of Loos's giant Doric column, submitted forof the Chicago Tribune competition 1922, which is fiBerlin as residents as has Berlin has has as many many residents as Luxembourg Luxembourg hasinin ago Tribunenally competition of 1922, which fi-geographically, transformed here into theiscolumnar hinge-point of country habitants, although geographically, that country is is as as habitants, although that nsformed here the columnar hinge-point theinto corner building. That this proposal neverofre-this enormous big as the whole ofofBerlin.was In spite er building.alised That isthis proposal was never reto be regretted atinmany not only difference size,levels, the number of because public authorities per o be regretted many levels, not theatcity of Vienna hasonly beenbecause deprived of aconstant. remarkable resident remains relatively Schools, kinderof Vienna has been deprived ofbut aplaygrounds remarkable piece of urbanism, also because thesports proposal is ayouth centres, gartens, and fields, urbanism, monumental but also because theofproposal is cultural a most and version one of Krier's paradigmatic meeting facilities, commercial facilities ntal versiondomestic of one of Krier's works his paradigmatic canonical Dickesdistributed House, which all –most have to be sensibly in the districts. works – his Dickes which centre is adapted to the size of wascanonical completed theHouse, same year. A in church community pleted in the same year. the parish and is always a manageable unit. Formerly, Modernity versus Tradition the church had to be reachable on foot, and the size of ty versus Tradition Rob Krier hasthe recently moved away from atoconception building corresponded the importance of the r has recently moved away fromasawell conception of his works as abstract masses to the a greater parish as to reachpreoccupaof the preacher's voice. orks as abstract toEven a greater preoccupation masses with architectural most immediately withform. theseThis moreisimportant urban units, the human architectural form. in This is most immediately apparent hisdimension reinterpretation nineteenth-century playsof anthe impor tant role. Technical innovain his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century German brick tradition, realisation tions may particularly change our after livesthe ever so much, but at some brick tradition, particularly afterwe thefall realisation of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. Fornotice Rit- that we are point on our feet again and tterstrasse housing initsBerlin. For terstrasse,project despite subtlety, is Ritstill "white and abstract" bound to these physical limitations. And the more tech, despite itsarchitecture, subtlety, is still "white gives and whereas whatabstract" follows in Krier's work they is will gain nology us wings, the more ure, whereas what follows instructured Krier'ssignificance. work is more traditionally and frequently designed in in emotional significance. inemotional te to the structured ditionally frequently designed in features, such as precisionand brickwork with traditional life. He, rubbed-brick brickwork with traditional suchstring as arches courses. Linden- movement, It is features, notand by header chance that the New Urbanism did in ufer ricksoarches and header string courses. Linden34, infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau which propounds many of my theses, is widespread and fur-terraced infill housinginrepresents for (1978–1979), a clear shift this direction. theBerlin-Spandau United States, theincountry that has reached the y hearth. 979), represents shift this Here,aaclear contrast isin affected between the development. old tectonic ofWe have now highest leveldirection. of technical ontrast is affected between the old tectonic ofsubject: the load-bearing masonry the new "curtain-wall" arrived atatthe real subject: How do we arrived theand real »How doplan we and planbuild and he mini- masonry bearing and the newliving fenestration ofabuild the rooms. lt sounds as ifasitifwould bebechild‘s city? a "curtain-wall" city?« lt sounds it would child'splay. play. In In oroninofthe the living rooms. actual fact, ininthe theurban urbandesign design striving actual fact, thatthat wewe are are striving for, s partic- At Lindenuferfor, awkward antithesis aresomewhat concerned withelementary elementary things that that the we34,we a this reconcerned with things the nned nuferfor 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis between old and new is eliminated in favour of atechnical more modern city has repressed. High and elecosals fornew old and is eliminated in favour ofBerlin a more complete adaptation of the brick tronic standards allow us tradition. to forget Paraurban buildings as (1977). adaptationdoxically of the Berlin brickthe tradition. Paraenough, proto-Expressionist aspect the protective shell around ourof this daily activities. s enough, its sub- the proto-Expressionist aspect of this tradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plasPerson-to-person communication without physical ed to de-dramatically is most in the plas-arches ter model,revealed where the lowwhite relieving help to inflect movement has long been possible. Rapid locomotion thethethe l,l for where lowshallow, relieving arches help to inflect bowed façades. In many can noand langer be ignored. We can ways live in seclusion, o set-back Vienna ow, bowed and many ways this set-back is one of façades. the mostIn integrated solutions that Krier has comfortably acquire the necessary and forget the e of the most integrated solutions village, that the Krier town has and the city. All this seems to have 18

19

designed to date, for not only is the tectonic art designed to date, forof notthe only is the tectonic articulation load-bearing masonry and fenestration disjuncti of the load-bearing tently masonry andthrough, fenestration consiscarried the plans themselves most evh tently carried through, the plans themselves have di- there mension of spaciousness and aresolve that is is a mension of spaciousness and resolve thatbalanced is absentproportions in regulatio other solutions. The of other solutions. Thetened balanced proportions the flathexagonal centralof room are particularly lateral a tened hexagonal central roomfurnishing are particularly although such astriking, space stillthis remain orde although furnishinglem, suchsince a space stillno remains probalmost part ofathe room In is undist Linde lem, since almost nothe partswinging of the room is undisturbed by the of doors. Nevertheless, theCorb surr the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, the surrounding spaces are both ingeniously situated and appr the splen spaces are both ingeniously situated and appropriately face for proportioned. proportioned. tenance The brick-faced polygonal residentialform"; towersa The brick-faced polygonal residential towers, such as model th that which Krier proposed for Fasanenstrasse that which Krier proposed forthe Fasanenstrasse are surely most historicist(1980), of these later proje to bring are surely the most historicist of these later This sketches," scheme, together with projects. Krier's "tower self." T scheme, together with Krier's "tower sketches," suggests patently intrinsic

Figure 28

Figure 30

Figure 28

Figure 30

Figure 29

Figure 31

Figure 29

Figure 31

This app haps the bility be public s simply in pagnon private i cryptic s latent, vi pre-war German sense an architec simultan compen evident a

a growing interest in picturesque cultural lan a growing interest in picturesque cultural landmarks. One thinks of the impact of brick water towe One thinks of the impact of brick water towers onand theof the pregn nineteenth-century countryside nineteenth-century countryside and ofcreated the pregnant, pinnacle-like forms by prominent membe nacle-like forms created by prominent of theduring the ea German Associationmembers of Craftsmen German Associationof of this Craftsmen during theall, early years of Hans century; above perhaps, of this century; above all, perhaps, Hans Poelzig's steel-framed and of brick-faced water tower built a steel-framed and brick-faced towerwhile built athydraulics Zeipau may we in 1922. water However, in 1922. However, that while hydraulics justify recognis which Bruno may Taut well nostalgically that which Bruno Taut recognised the as the "citynostalgically crown", or Stadtkrone, general inapp "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the forms generalforinappropriateness of such residential stock is distu ness of such forms for stockconclude is disturbing. In are a mer theresidential end, one must that they the end, one must conclude that they are aamere in Krier's repertoire; folly caprice that is justified on in Krier's repertoire;idiosyncrasies a folly that is of justified only by the Figure 32 the site. idiosyncrasies of the site. Antinomies of Value Antinomies of ValueKrier's work is riddled with curious antino Krier's work is riddled with curious antinomies: the one hand, a manifest intereston in classical d

monumental version monumental of one ofversion Krier'sof most oneparadigmatic of Krier's most paradigmatic domestic worksdomestic – his canonical works –Dickes his canonical House, Dickes which House, which was completed was in the completed same year. in the same year. 476

Modernity versus Modernity Traditionversus Tradition Rob Krier has recently Rob Krier moved has recently away from moved a conception away from a conception of his works as of abstract his works masses as abstract to a greater masses preoccupato a greater preoccupation with architectural tion with form. architectural This is most form. immediately This is most immediately apparent in his reinterpretation apparent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century of the nineteenth-century German brick tradition, German particularly brick tradition, afterparticularly the realisation after the realisation of his Ritterstrasse of his housing Ritterstrasse projecthousing in Berlin. project For Ritin Berlin. For Ritterstrasse, despite terstrasse, its subtlety, despite is still its "white subtlety, and is abstract" still "white abstract" made the town superfluous. and In many places, it exists e 23 Figure 23 Figure 22 Figure 22 architecture, whereas architecture, what follows whereas in what Krier's follows work in is Krier's workoristhe backdrop only as the setting for bank holidays more traditionally more structured traditionally and vacations. frequently structureddesigned anddevelopable frequently in designed for As land isinnot available g and even ating lyricaland arrangement, even lyricalappropriate arrangement, to the appropriate to the precision brickwork precision withbrickwork traditional with features, traditional such as features, such as at the same in unlimited quantities, we have to think ying and often varying conflicting and often aspects conflicting of family aspects life. He, of family life. He, arches rubbed-brick rubbed-brick and header arches string and courses. header Lindenstring courses. Lindentime about how existing urban structures can be employed too, a central employed livingaroom, centralbut living he did room, so inbut ufer he did in ufer 34,soinfill terraced 34, infill housing terraced for Berlin-Spandau Berlin-Spandau condensed inhousing order tofor conser ve the necessary agrarian h a way as tosuch create a way a larger as toamount create aoflarger quietamount and fur-of quiet and fur- represents (1978–1979), (1978–1979), a clear represents shift in a this clear direction. shift in reserves and to care for this the direction. ecologically valuable able space within nishable thespace confines within of the family confines hearth. of the family Here, hearth. a contrastHere, is affected a contrast between is affected the oldbetween tectonic ofinold ofthe extensive regions. A few years ago,the the tectonic context of the load-bearing themasonry load-bearing and the masonry new "curtain-wall" and the new "curtain-wall" case study »Brabant Brabant 2050 2050«,, the the government government of that er is at his best Krierat istheat urban his best scale, at the where urban thescale, mini-where the mini-of the fenestration fenestration living rooms. of the livingasked rooms.us to analyse the behaviour of province m space requirements mum spaceare requirements compensated arefor compensated in the for in the the development axes in the southern Netherlands erosity and clarity generosity of the and urban clarity space. of the This urban is particspace. This is partic- At At Lindenufer 34,Lindenufer this somewhat this awkward antithesis awkward antithesis and34,how tosomewhat increase the density of the villages and ly the caseularly in thethe perimeter case in housing the perimeter planned housing for between planned old for andbetween new is eliminated old and new in is favour eliminated of a more in favour of a more towns. This was to be done in detail for an exemplary nweg in Vienna Rennweg (1977) in Vienna and in the (1977) proposals and in for the proposals complete for adaptation complete of the adaptation Berlin brick of the tradition. Berlin brick Paratradition. Para- being engrid square, without the whole landscape ger Platz (1978) Pragerand Platz South (1978) Friedrichstadt and South (1977). Friedrichstadt (1977). doxically enough, doxically the proto-Expressionist enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of sprawl. this aspect of thisa map sector cumbered with urban We chose wever, Krier's However, urban design Krier's invariably urban design attains invariably its sub- attains its subtradition is mosttradition dramatically is most revealed dramatically in the white revealed plasin the white plasthat also included our new plan for Brandevoort. inflection where tlest inflection he has been where commissioned he has been to commissioned de- ter model, to dewhere terthe model, low relieving where thearches low relieving help to inflect arches help to inflect n a piece of sign urban a piece infill, of as urban in his infill, proposal as inforhistheproposal for thebowed the shallow, the shallow, and set-back bowed andof set-back In façades. ways waysthat the first Thefaçades. size themany blocks hasIntomany be such wer Austria Lower State Government Austria Statebuilding Government in Vienna building thisinisVienna one of thethis most is one integrated of the most solutions integrated that Krier solutions has that Krier development with single-family houseshas can be replaced with multi-storey buildings. This way, the population density can density can be be increased increased within within the the same sametown townLimits. limits. lt is somewhat strange that we have to plan within a short time a development that formerly took place gradually over centuries.

e 21

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Figure 25

Figure 25

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Figure 26

Urban planning advances in spheres where control over adequacy and scale quickly gets lost. The search for visionary solutions prevails again and again. Figure 27 Figure 27 Helplessly, designers illustrate their fantasies with shrill new creations creations from bstract new from the the store store of of images images from from aabstract art. Things are built and tried out. That which is created causes a considerable media spectacle for a short time and very quickly sinks back into the banal requirements of everyday use. Let us leaf through the last decades' publications about new towns and find out what has become of Chandigarh or Brasilia in the meantime. The plans for these cities were designed by Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, strong personalities in the arts world who strove to attain an an idealised idealized and and symbolical symbolical figuration figuration in in the the ground ground plans. They therefore therefore designed designed the the most most im important plans. They portant monumental ever, aa new monumental buildings buildings themselves. themselves. How However, new city planshould shouldnot notcontribute contribute simply toartist's an artist‘s city plan simply to an selfselfactualisation, no matter important he she or she actualization, no matter howhow important he or is. is. lt has to emerge outthe of store the store of experience of lt has to emerge out of of experience of local local and regional architectural fit and regional urban urban architectural cultureculture and fit and seamseamlessly intocultural this cultural landscape. lessly into this Landscape. In the case of Brandevoort, the district council of Helmond, which was in charge of the planning for this re-establishment, explicitly specified this objective.

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s reinterpretation apparent of the nineteenth-century in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century k tradition, particularly Germanafter brickthe tradition, realisation particularly after the realisation trasse housing of project his Ritterstrasse in Berlin. For housing Rit- project in Berlin. For Rit477 pite its subtlety,terstrasse, is still "white despite andits abstract" subtlety, is still "white and abstract" whereas what architecture, follows in Krier's whereas work what is follows in Krier's work is nally structuredmore and frequently traditionally designed structured in and frequently designed in priate towith the traditional ckwork precision features, brickwork such withastraditional features, such as mily life.and He,header arches rubbed-brick string courses. archesLindenand header string courses. Lindenhe did so inhousing ll terraced ufer 34, for infill Berlin-Spandau terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau uiet and fur- a clear represents (1978–1979), shift in this represents direction. a clear shift in this direction. mily ast is hearth. affected between Here, a contrast the old tectonic is affected of between the old tectonic of ing masonry and the the load-bearing new masonry and the town new "curtain-wall" A »classical Brabantian town« to come A "curtain-wall" classical Brabantian waswas to come intointo bere theliving mini-rooms. f the fenestration ofIn the living rooms. being. In ordertoto makeititclearer, clearer,the thepoliticians politicians organorganing. order make d for in the ized bus trip trip to to those those towns towns in in the the surrounding surrounding area ised aa bus area his34, is particer this somewhat At Lindenufer awkward 34, antithesis this somewhat awkward antithesis that they considered exemplary. Normally, that they considered exemplary. Normally, muchmuch skill planned and new isforeliminated betweeninold favour and new of a more is eliminated in the favour more skill is required to convince dientof the rightness of is required to convince the client ofofathe rightness of roposals ptation offor the Berlin complete brick adaptation tradition. of Parathe Berlin brick tradition. Para- we were our planning philosophy. With Helmond, tadt ugh,(1977). the proto-Expressionist doxically preaching enough, aspect theof this this regard to toproto-Expressionist the converted, asaspect muchofwith tains its sub- tradition ost dramatically revealedisthe inmost the white dramatically plasin the white politicians as torevealed the developers. Weplaspresented the ioned de-relieving ere thetolow ter model, arches where help the to inflect lowusing relieving arches help inflect final concept a model made bytothe students I had osal for owed andthe set-back the shallow, façades. In many and set-back In students many ways in bowed Vienna atways the time. façades. Over 900 participated gheinmost Vienna integrated this is solutions onein of athe that most Krierintegrated has solutions has to that of design seminar on a town that planKrier similar Brandevoort. The combined models at a scale of 1:100 resulted in a wonderful whole. During the design phase, every student had to take into account the plans of his neighbour, so that a minimum of coordination was ensured. The student model sparked off a discussion on questions of detail. The project was given the green light at an almost festival-like event. In order to win clients, the Brandevoort developers presented the building plans and models in the context of a trade round town town Figure Figure26 27 fair Figure 27 industry, fair for for the the construction construction industry, on on aaround square square like like aa theatrical theatrical backdrop. backdrop. 700 700 potential potential buyers buyers registered their interest for the 50 buildings of the first block, so that a notary's office had to be entrusted with carrying out a selection procedure. The developers had regarded the closed block figures of the town centre with great distrust, because they were afraid that they would be difficult to complete. The opposite happened: the attraction of being able to live once again in a normal neighbourhood proved to be an absolute hit. The buildings could hardly be erected as quickly as people wanted to move in. Canon of Elements A glance back into cultural history shows that long periods of time were necessary to unfold and round off an epoch. The Egyptians lived several thousand years with an astonishingly static image-world. The Greeks needed almost a thousand years to develop the design of their temples to completion. The architectural language of classical antiquity continued to survive a further two thousand years on all continents, right up to the present time. This was only possible because the canon of the elements in architecture, sculpture and painti painting sculpture and ng had had developed developed up up to to aa point point where it gained universal validity. Despite regional peculiarities and individual artistic temperaments, the rules of design allowed for optimal adaptation and variation. With the revolution in the arts at the century movement beginning of beginning of the the twentieth 20th century and and the the movement totowardsunrestricted unrestrictedfreedom freedomof of personal personal expression, wards expression,

Figure 28

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Figure 29 subje cryptic

Figure 30

Figure Figure30 31

Figure 31

latent, violen pre-war Mag Germany and sense an ins architecture simultaneous compensatio evident and l

a growing interest in picturesque a growing cultural interest landmarks. in picturesque cultura One thinks of the impact ofOne brickthinks wateroftowers the impact on theof brick water to nineteenth-century countryside nineteenth-century and of the pregnant, countryside pinand of the p nacle-like forms created by nacle-like prominentforms members created of the by prominent me German Association of Craftsmen German during Association the earlyofyears Craftsmen during th of this century; above all, perhaps, of this century; of Hansabove Poelzig's all, perhaps, of Ha steel-framed and brick-facedsteel-framed water tower built and brick-faced at Zeipau water tower b in 1922. However, while hydraulics in 1922. However, may well while justifyhydraulics may that which Bruno Taut nostalgically that which recognised Bruno Taut as nostalgically the recog "city crown", or Stadtkrone,"city the general crown",inappropriateor Stadtkrone, the general in ness of such forms for residential ness of stock suchisforms disturbing. for residential In stock is d the end, one must conclude that the end, they one are amust mereconclude caprice that they are a Figure in Krier's repertoire; a folly that in Krier's is justified repertoire; only by a folly the that is 32 justified idiosyncrasies of the site. idiosyncrasies of the site.

Antinomies of Value Antinomies of Value Krier's work is riddled with Krier's curious work antinomies: is riddledon with curious ant the one hand, a manifest interest the one in classical hand, a manifest devices of interest in classic proportional control and, on proportional the other, a discernible control and, and on the other, a dis increasing tendency towardincreasing the expressionistic tendency use toward of the expressio

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the validity of the classical repertoire was seriously put to the test. The unsettling thing about today's world of artistic expression is the mania for uniqueness that keeps museums and galleries on tenterhooks. Architecture and urban design are not spared this. lt remains to be seen when the protests that we know from opponents of the global market economy will reach the art scene. lt is depressing and sad at the same time to meet with almost exactly the same collections in the new museums right across the continents. After Germany's reunification, we saw that the museums of the former German Democratic Republic could not manage any longer without Andy Warhol, Mario Merz and Joseph Beuys. Even the renovated concrete slab constructions in the new lands of Germany look like Western products now. In today's artistic production, the attachment of the product to the person of its creator or inventor is restrictive. The soughtafter uniqueness of the artistic object lives in a world of its own; it cannot be handed down. Bacon and Beuys, Kiefer and Merz are worlds that simultaneously live next to each other: each one a very intense experience in itself, they sparkle together in a collection like spirits of the time that will remain basically irreconciliable. In museums, they stand as if in aapanopticum, panopticum,degraded degraded to to Punch Punch and and Judy in Judy figures. figures. They have nothing to speak of beyond their own selves. If we compare Le Corbusier's work with the late work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank 0. Gehry's with Norman Foster's or two of the same deconstructionist tendency, Coop Himmelb(l)au and Daniel Libeskind, then we will get the same result – disharmony. In past times, the art of composition using pictorial means could be taught. Theoretical approaches were based on a tradition that had given rise to products that lasted hundreds of years. They had gained general recognition and one did not have to be the representative of a philosophical tendency in order to find access to them or even to understand them. What can I teach students nowadays about the form of the modern building? They have seen a lot of things in the built world, discovered fantastic leaps of joy in modern construction. They want to be just as revolutionary. How can a teacher rein in such a comprehensible desire to create one's own world wonder? lt is a question of opening their eyes for critical viewing and understanding, of showing them the anomalies such ego trips can lead to. lt is a thankless task to teach the virtues of restraint.

man ile such minimal standards (1976), where various nineteenth century urban components find themselves combined into a single ecently er has recently moved away moved from away a conception from a conception ards ased society, Krier's insisthemselves combined into a the single labyrinthine complex: corner building, the porte abstract orksby asnents abstract massesfind to masses a greater to apreoccupagreater preoccupansismally appointed living space labyrinthine the cornerthe building, cochere, atrium,the the porte courtyards, the amphitheatre ectural h architectural form. This form. is complex: most This immediately is most immediately 479 pace necessarily formal constraints atrium, courtyards, the amphitheatre and the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. At the same einterpretation t in his cochere, reinterpretation ofthe the nineteenth-century of the the nineteenth-century aints onvenient and and theliberating interstitial arcaded infrastructure. the same reference is all too aptime, the primaryAt architectural adition, brick tradition, particularly particularly afterplan. the after realisation the realisation plan. time,housing the primary architectural is allMichaelerplatz too appropriate, department store sse itterstrasse housing project in project Berlin. in For Berlin. Rit-reference Forfor Rit-Loos's how Alvar Aalto, in and his propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department (1910) is patently evokedstore here, even if the elevational etrast, e,its despite subtlety, its subtlety, is still "white is still "white abstract" and abstract" nture, his of ments 1956,follows was able ma(1910) iswhat patently evoked here, even ifisthe elevational syntax more to do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). hereas whereas what follows intoKrier's inwork Krier's ishas work mauch a way as tohas create a to libersyntax more dodesigned with Scheu A Loos's key of this(1912). reading is the presence in the aditionally y structured structured and frequently and frequently designed in element in House berA key element of this features, reading theLoos's the column, submitted for sketches of giantinDoric work n brickwork with traditional with traditional features, such as is such aspresence sketches of Loos's giantcourses. Doric column, submitted for the Chicago Tribune competition of 1922, which is fiches brickand arches header andstring header courses. string LindenLindenChicago Tribune competition 1922, in which is the fi- columnar nally here of Wefor deal withtransformed ourofthemes theinto domain of urban hinge-point design ,erraced infillthe terraced housing housing for Berlin-Spandau Berlin-Spandau nally transformed here into columnar hinge-point of corner building. That this proposalfrom was all never resuch athe manner as to distance ourselves 1979), presents represents a clear shift a clear in in this shift direction. inthe this direction. the building. That thistectonic proposal was never re-tolevels, is to beof regretted at like many only because spectacu lar effects. We would movenot towards contrast is affected is corner affected between between the old tectonic thealised old of alised is to regretted atthe many not because citylevels, of Vienna has beenlife deprived of a remarkable »normal« solutions thatonly protect life with quiet quiet and g-bearing masonry masonry and thebeand new the "curtain-wall" new "curtain-wall" normal solutions that protect with and city ofrooms. Viennacomfort has been deprived of a remarkable piece ofleave urbanism, but because the proposal is a and room foralso daydreams, solutions he tion living of the therooms. living piece of urbanism, butare also the proposal isofaKrier's monumental version of onethat mostcan paradigmatic that sobecause filled with poetry mistakes be version ofantithesis one of Krier's most paradigmatic domestic works his canonical Dickes endured painlessly. The –discipline attached to theHouse, plan- which 34, enufer thismonumental 34, somewhat this somewhat awkward awkward antithesis works –ning hisinof canonical House, which was completed in the same may often appear strict andyear. artificial, from a n new old and isdomestic eliminated new is eliminated in favour favour a more of Dickes a more completed intradition. the same year. single mold asasititParawere, tion e adaptation ofwas the Berlin of thebrick Berlin brick tradition. Parasingle mould were, but but itit always always leaves leaves gaps gaps for for Tradition inconsistencies planning uncertainties – even outh, y enough, the proto-Expressionist the proto-Expressionist aspectModernity ofaspect this and ofversus this versus Tradition Krier hasanyone recently fromfor a conception right failure. Hardly is moved called toaway account bad ndramatically is mostModernity dramatically revealed revealed in the white inRob the plaswhite plasRob has recently moved away from a conception of his works as abstract masses to a greater preoccupaplanning in urban design. However, these decisions eel,the where low relieving theKrier low relieving arches help arches to inflect help to inflect of hisand works as abstract to aarchitectural greater preoccupation with form.– This most immediately have amasses stubborn life of their own wholeis generations wed ow,and bowed set-back set-back façades. façades. In many In ways many ways tion with architectural form. This is his most immediately apparent in of theof nineteenth-century are to live with the consequences planning ne most of the integrated most integrated solutions solutions thatforced Krier that has Krier hasreinterpretation apparent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century brick tradition, particularly afterathevery realisation errors. German Politicians and businessmen have German brick tradition, particularly after thetorealisation of hisrelationship Ritterstrasse housing project ambivalent plans: they areinaBerlin. graphicFor Ritof his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Ritterstrasse, despite subtlety, still "white and abstract" and spatial medium theitseffects of iswhich can easily Figureterstrasse, 22 despite its subtlety, "white and abstract" architecture, whereas whatnurture followsfalse in Krier's beguile andis still seduce. Plans can hopeswork is architecture, whereas what in Krier's work is more traditionally structured and frequently in that make afollows bitter awakening unavoidable. Becausedesigned so angement, tomuch the precision moreappropriate traditionally structured and frequently designed in brickwork withastraditional unknown is inherent ferment features, in urbansuch as theaspects ing of family life.planning, He,withrubbed-brick precision brickwork traditional features, such arches and header string courses. the decision-makers, theaspoliticians are toLindenHe, room, iving but he did so in rubbed-brick arches andextent header courses. Lindenufer 34, infill terraced housing for design Berlin-Spandau some atstring the planners' mercy. Urban is o in amount arger of quiet ufer 34, infilland terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau (1978–1979), represents a clear shiftNo in this direction. afurdomain with outstanding moral primacy. artistic fur- (1978–1979), confines of the family hearth. represents ashould cleara contrast shift this direction. Here, is affected between the oldbasic tectonic of Figure 27 Figure 27 vanity takeinprecedence over human arth. Here, a contrast isneeds affected the oldmasonry tectonic of Zille: thebetween load-bearing and theZille: new "curtain-wall" needs here. Let Heinrich »ArchitecArchihere. Letususremember remember Heinrich urban scale, where the minithe load-bearing masonry and thepeople new "curtain-wall" of the ture canfenestration kill people«. . living rooms. tecture can kill miniare compensated in living the rooms. fenestration for of the hethe urban space. This is particAt Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis The applied arts of architecture and urban design rtic- At rimeter housing planned for Lindenufer 34,work this somewhat awkward between newantithesis is eliminated favour of a more with a setold ofand objective theorems in that do not forandbetween 77) in the proposals foristoeliminated old and new in favour of more complete adaptation of athe Berlin brick have be reinvented by every generation. Thetradition. staging Parafor Friedrichstadt South (1977). complete adaptation of the Berlin brick Paradoxically enough, proto-Expressionist aspect of this of spatial sequences intradition. anthe urban architectural structure 77). invariably sign its can subdoxicallyattains enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect ofstore thisrevealed tradition is most dramatically in the white plasdraw upon a gigantic of know ledge. subas beentradition commissioned toTheir de- geometrical is most dramatically revealed in the plaster model, where thewhite loware relieving arches help to; inflect parameters infinitely variable, de-as interhis ll, proposal forthe the model, where low relieving arches helpand to set-back inflect the shallow, bowed In many ways the opportunities for innovation basedfaçades. on a secured the thebuilding ernment Vienna shallow, in bowed and set-back façades. many ways solutions thisare is one of the In most integrated that Krier has repertoire boundless. The adherence to rules that enna this is one of the most integrated solutions Krier has are tried and true is notthat tainted the way copying is. A profound knowledge of history enables us to confront emanations of the times critically and to hold alter native models models up up to to the the modern modern city. city. The The theme theme alternative of the composition of urban spaces will be explained with the aid of typological projects that I have compiled since 1965. Figure 25 Figure 26

We are on such lonely guard duty with the defence Figure 26urban design that I findFigure of traditional it is 27 a wonder that Figure 27 in the Netherlands of all places, one of the most progressive and modern countries in Europe, this theme is not only openly and seriously discussed, but also put to the test.

designed to date, for not only is the tectonicinsimply articul of the load-bearing maso simply his sk of the load-bearing masonry fenestration tentlyand carried through, tho pagnon –pagnon and,co tently carried through, the plans themselves have mension of spaciousness private interiori private mension of29spaciousness and resolve thatThe is abse other solutions. bala Figure 28 Figure 28 Figure Figure 29 cryptic subjectiv cryptic other solutions. The balanced proportions of therv tened hexagonal central latent, violencelatent, tened hexagonal central room are furnishing particularly strik although such pre-war pre-wa Magica although furnishing suchlem, a space remains a Bp sincestill almost no part Germany German and lem, since almost no partthe of the room isofundisturbe swinging doors. sense an sense insatiN a the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, theingeniou surroun spaces arearchitecture both architec to spaces are both ingeniously situated and appropri proportioned. simultaneously simulta proportioned. compensation compeno The brick-faced evidentpolygon and evident lim The brick-faced polygonal towers, suc thatresidential which Krier propose that which Krier proposed Fasanenstrasse (19 arefor surely the most historic Figure 30 Figure 30 Figure 31 Figure 31 are surely the most historicist of these later projects. scheme, together with Kri scheme, together withcultural Krier's landmarks. "tower sketches," sug a growing a growing interest interest in picturesque in picturesque cultural landmarks. One thinks Oneofthinks the impact of theof impact brick of water bricktowers wateron towers the on the nineteenth-century nineteenth-century countryside countryside and of the and pregnant, of the pregnant, pinpinnacle-like nacle-like forms created forms by created prominent by prominent membersmembers of the of the German German Association Association of Craftsmen of Craftsmen during the during earlythe years early years of this century; of this century; above all, above perhaps, all, perhaps, of Hans of Poelzig's Hans Poelzig's steel-framed steel-framed and brick-faced and brick-faced water tower water built tower at Zeipau built at Zeipau in 1922.inHowever, 1922. However, while hydraulics while hydraulics may well may justify well justify that which thatBruno whichTaut Bruno nostalgically Taut nostalgically recognised recognised as the as the 28 "city crown", "city crown", or Stadtkrone, or Stadtkrone, the general the inappropriategeneralFigure inappropriateFigurefor 28 residential Figure ness of such nessforms of such forforms residential stock is disturbing. stock is disturbing. In 29 In the end, the oneend, mustone conclude must conclude that theythat are they a mere arecaprice a mere caprice Figure in Krier'sinrepertoire; Krier's repertoire; a folly that a folly is justified that is justified only by the only by the32 Figure 32 idiosyncrasies idiosyncrasies of the site. of the site. Antinomies Antinomies of Valueof Value Krier's work Krier'sis work riddled is with riddled curious with curious antinomies: antinomies: on on the one hand, the one a manifest hand, a manifest interest in interest classical in classical devices of devices of proportional proportional control and, control on the and,other, on the a discernible other, a discernible and and Figure 30 use of increasing increasing tendencytendency toward the toward expressionistic the expressionistic use of Figure 30

Figure 31

a growing interest in pic a growing interest in picturesque landm One thinkscultural of the impact One thinks of the impactnineteenth-century of brick water towers on countr nineteenth-century countryside and of the pregnant, nacle-like forms created b nacle-like forms created German by prominent members o Association of Cr German Association of Craftsmen during the earlyaly of this century; above of this century; above all, perhaps, of Hans Poel steel-framed and brick-fac steel-framed and brick-faced waterHowever, tower builtwhile at Ze in 1922. in 1922. However, whilethat hydraulics may well which Bruno Taut ju no that which Bruno Taut nostalgically "city crown",recognised or Stadtkroa "city crown", or Stadtkrone, general inappropr nessthe of such forms for res ness of such forms for residential stock is disturbin the end, one must conclud the end, one must conclude that they are a mere ca in Krier's repertoire; a fol in Krier's repertoire; a folly that is justified only b idiosyncrasies of the site. idiosyncrasies of the site. Antinomies of Value Antinomies of Value Krier's work is riddled Krier's work is riddled the withone curious hand, aantinomies manifest the one hand, a manifest proportional interest in classical controldevic and, proportional control and,increasing on the other, a discernible tendency towa increasing tendency toward the expressionistic u

the city of Vienna has been deprived of a remarkable piece of urbanism, but also because the proposal is a monumental version of one of Krier's most paradigmatic 480 domestic works – his canonical Dickes House, which was completed in the same year. Modernity versus Tradition Rob Krier has recently moved away from a conception BRANDEVOORT of his works as abstract masses to a greater preoccupation with architectural Helmond, Netherlands, 1996-2008form. This is most immediately apparent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century German brick particularly after the realisation A town for some 20,000 residents is being built on As thetradition, property developer, Community of of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. Rit- for a a 365-hectare site on the outskirts of the town Helmond specified that they wantedFor a design terstrasse, despite its Brabantian subtlety, is still "whiteInandspite abstract" of Helmond in the Dutch province of Brabant traditional town. of the 50 Figure 23 since 1996. The Eindhoven-Düsseldorf Figure 22 architecture, whereas follows in Krier's is rail transit apartments perwhat hectare required by thework development frequently in flight corridor crosses the site, so that the new townmore will traditionally plan, the structured buildings and were to slowdesigned down the ating and evenitslyrical to theside precision with traditional suchvillages, as have own arrangement, train station.appropriate The northern of of brickwork the wealthier classes to thefeatures, surrounding if varyingthe andsite oftenisconflicting aspects of family life. He,linking rubbed-brick arches header string Lindenbounded by a dual carriageway not halt it and entirely. Louiscourses. Jansma, the project too, employed a central living room,Ten but kilometres he did so in further ufer 34,developer infill terraced housingfor for it,Berlin-Spandau Helmond and Eindhoven. responsible said that his most such a way as to create a larger amount of quiet and fur- (1978–1979), represents a clear direction. south is the motorway to the Ruhrregion. The important planning goalshift wasintothis seduce people into nishablesite space the confines of the family hearth. Here, a moving contrast to is aaffected between the oldnot tectonic of have isis within the refore outstandingly located for interplace that they would otherwise site therefore outstandingly located for interand the new "curtain-wall" moved tomasonry becauseof ofthe Helmond s image, regional connections. In addition, a waterwaythe thatload-bearing moved to because Helmond's image,which which was was Krier isruns at hisacross best at the the urban scale, where the minithe livingatrooms. southern part of the site willfenestration be still ofnegative the time. The community of mum space requirements compensated for in theA high- Helmond awarded the brief to the planner Maarten reconstituted for are recreational purposes. generosity and clarity of the urban space. This is particAt to Lindenufer thisthe somewhat antithesis tension power line and a gas pipe have also had Ouwens34, from Wissingawkward urban planning office, to ularly the case in the perimeter housing planned for betweenthe oldlandscape and new is eliminated favour a more be taken into account. planner Paulin van Beekofand to us. Rennweg in Vienna (1977) and in the proposals for complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. ParaPrager Platz (1978) and South Friedrichstadt (1977). doxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this However, Krier's urban design invariably attains its sub- tradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plastlest inflection where he has been commissioned to de- ter model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect sign a piece of urban infill, as in his proposal for the the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways Lower Austria State Government building in Vienna this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier has Figure 21

Figure 24

Figure 25

Selection of historical towns in Brabant

Figure 26

Figure 27

Sketches of the design process for the centre

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Layout Layout Layout plan plan plan ofof the ofthe town thetown town ofof Brandevoort ofBrandevoort Brandevoort with with with centre centre centre and and and suburbs suburbs suburbs

s tothe impose unnecessarily formal constraints on achievement of a convenient and liberating andplan. the interstitial At the same time, thearcaded primaryinfrastructure. architectural reference is all too apevement of a convenient and liberating plan. time, the primary architectural is all too appropriate, for Loos's reference Michaelerplatz department store One notes, by way of contrast, how Alvar Aalto, in his (1910) propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department is patently evoked here, even if store the elevational 482 by way of contrast,apartments how AlvarofAalto, hisable(1910) Berlin Hansaviertel 1956,in was to ma-is patently evoked if the elevational syntax has more here, to do even with Loos's Scheu House (1912). saviertelrequirements apartments ofin1956, able nipulate suchwas a way astotomacreatesyntax a liber-hasA more do withof Loos's keytoelement this Scheu readingHouse is the(1912). presence in the quirements in such a way as to create a liber- A key element of this reading is the presence in submitted the sketches of Loos's giant Doric column, for sketches oftheLoos's giant Dorictocompetition column, submitted Chicago Tribune of 1922,forwhich is fi- in order to stress the This project gave us the unique opportu nity a single designer is desired Tribune competition ofsituation, 1922, which finally transformed the columnar hinge-point of the city gates and for design an urban bodytheasChicago a whole, which is to here say into for is example, for nally transformed herebuilding. intoto theit. columnar hinge-point ofwe the corner Thatthe proposal was rea centre and the neighbourhoods attached wenever designed. the participating thethisroundabout roundabout designed. The participating the corneralised building. That this proposal never is toshow be regretted atarchitects manywas levels, not reonly because The sketches of the Brabantian towns some therefore design many individual alisedthat is toinspired be regretted atdesign. many levels, not only because the city ofour Vienna has been deprived ofbasis a remarkable of the Dutch town types parcels on the of key features in the planning. city ofgive Vienna been deprived a remarkable piece of has urbanism, but also of because the proposal is a The following designthe phases some indication piece of urbanism, butversion also out because theKrier's proposal isparadigmatic a subdivided in sensible units on monumental of one of of the many avenues of approach that were tried Every blockmost will be monumental version works of one –ofhis Krier's most paradigmatic domestic canonical Dickes House, which before we arrived at the final design. the basis of typological ground plan studies that domestic works – his canonical Dickes House, which as many framing conditions as was completed in the same year. took into account completed in the same establishment ofofwas the was The establishement the road road network network the year. first possible. In conjuction with the image quality plan, Figure 21 Modernity versus Tradition act in founding Brandevoort. As the initial starting this parcelling serves as a working basis for the ModernityRob versus Tradition Krier hasthat recently away from conception points, we sought topographic features we moved architects. The a specifications formulated in it has recently moved away from atoconception his works as abstract masses a implementation greater preoccupa-of the planning idea in linked together so thatRob the Krier mainof roads were centrally guarantee of his works abstract masses aaccordance greater tionasstation with architectural Thispreoccupais most positioned. Without question, the was to betoform. withimmediately the master plan, even over long tion form. mostofimmediately apparent in his reinterpretation the placed at the top end ofwith the architectural centre. Thus the This ir- isperiods of nineteenth-century time; this is one of the most important inGerman his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century tradition, particularly after regular form of the apparent centre fitted intobrick the narrow instruments in the therealisation supervisory responsibilities of German line, brick tradition, particularly the realisation of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Ritspace between the railway the high-tension aafter master planner. of spring his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For Ritterstrasse, despite its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" power line, the glacial and the subterranean Figure 23 terstrasse, is still "white and architecture, whereas what follows inofKrier's work is gas Figure pipe.22An old country road despite runs initsasubtlety, soft curve At the startabstract" the design phase, every individual Figure 22through the centre from architecture, whereas follows in and Krier's traditionally structured frequently in he or she is designing east tomore west. Thewhat marketdesigner is work madeisdesigned aware that ating and even lyrical arrangement, to the traditionally structured frequently designed in The precision brickwork traditional features, such specified as place was appropriate situated more perpendicular to it in and thewith within an ensemble. programme has even lyrical arrangement, appropriate the life. varying and often conflicting aspects family He, brickwork precision with traditional features, as Lindenrubbed-brick arches and to header stringsuch courses. town centre,ofto therefore resulting in a classic Cardobe fulfilled as exactly as possible, and at the same doo, often conflicting aspects of family life. He, employed a central living room, but he did so rubbed-brick and header courses. Lindenuferarches 34, terraced housing Berlin-Spandau Decumanus situation; thein blocks areinfill organized s string time, the for planning of other design partners is not to yed a way central butamount he didof soquiet in aand such as toliving createroom, a larger furufer 34, manner infill terraced housing Berlin-Spandau (1978–1979), represents a clear shift in thisIndirection. concentrically in radial around the for be constrained. a representive comparison as to create a larger of quiet furnishable space withinamount themarketplace. confines ofand theThe familysupermarket, hearth. Here, (1978–1979), represents a isclear in this13 direction. a contrast affected between the old VINEX tectonic between VINEX regionsof (city expansion location other shops, a shift between thirteen regions (city expansion pace within the confines of the family hearth.theHere, a contrast is affected the of theNota the masonry andold thetectonic new Vierde Ruimtelijke Ordening the "curtain-wall" covered market, church andload-bearing the schoolbetween are following location following »Vierde Nota Ruimtelijke Krier is at his best at thesituated urban scale, theminiload-bearing masonry and the Extra new "curtain-wall" fenestration of the living rooms. , issued in 1993 ministry VROM) here.where the Ordening Extra«, issuedbyin the 1993 by the of ministry of his best at the urban scale,are where the mini- forfenestration mum space requirements compensated in the of the living rooms. presently coming into beinginto in the Netherlands, only VROM) presently coming being in the Nethere requirements are compensated for in This thewas generosity and clarity of This the urban is particAt Lindenufer 34, this somewhat antithesis Brandevoort was able towas achieve theachieve best marks in mainspace. square to be flanked by irregularly lands, onlyawkward Brandevoort able to the best and clarity of theinurban space. is particularly the case the perimeter housing planned for between At Lindenufer thisand somewhat awkward antithesis old in favour a more all categories –categories for of example, residential angledThis lateral façades. Along the34,view axisnew tois eliminated marks in alle - forsustainable, example, sustainable, case in thein perimeter housing for between Rennweg Vienna (1977) andplanned inthe thecovered proposals for old and new is eliminated in Berlin favourtolerablity ofmarket, a more complete brick tradition. Paramarket, for the countryside Hans van the north, market catches theadaptation eye; to theof the residential tolerablity for the(cf. countryside in Vienna the proposals Prager Platz(1977) (1978)and andinsouth, South Friedrichstadt (1977). of the Berlin brick tradition. doxically the aspect ofFrank this Rossum, Frank van Wijk, Lodewijk Baljon,Lodewijk De stad towardsfor the complete sun, theadaptation church enough, forms theproto-Expressionist (cf. Hans vanParaRossum, van Wijk, tz (1978) Krier's and South (1977). However, urbanFriedrichstadt design invariably attainsdoxically its sub- important enough, proto-Expressionist aspect of this traditionthe is most dramatically revealed the plas-- Verkenningstocht in uitersten –in Verkenningstocht naar Vinex-land, naar Rotperspective point. Two functions, Baljon, De stad in white uitersten Krier's urban design attains its sublest inflection whereinvariably he the has mercantile been commissioned to de- ister most dramatically revealed in the2001). white plasmodel, the lowterdam relieving arches help to inflect or and thetradition religious, from thewhere respective Vinex-land, Rotterdam 2001). tion where beeninfill, commissioned to de- ter sign a pieceheofhas urban as in his proposal for the where thefigure. low relieving arches help to inflect the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways concluding accents ofmodel, the spatial The ce of urban infill, as in his proposal fornoth-south the in the Lower Austria State Government building Vienna shallow, bowed and set-back façades. Insolutions many ways this is one of the most integrated that Krierishas canal flows along the marketplace. However, Brandevoort not only the product of stria State Government The building Viennafacing this isin onethe of thefour most directions integrated solutions Krierbut has also the result of a new planning cityin gates clever that staging, each have different geometrical compositions in culture (cf. Frank Bertolt Raith, Lars Hertelt and order to facilitate orientation. Rob van Gool, Inszenierte Architektur. Wohnen jenseits des Standards, Munich 2003). Normally, The neighbourhoods – there will be five by the the planning process in residential construction time the last development stage is reached – are also takes place in successive working phases: from the designed as clearly bounded urban districts, each establishment of the planning to the urban design plan architect begin to design. Howwith a network of hierarchically arranged streets –- only only then thendoes doesthethe architect begins to design. many stepssteps havehave to take place in parallel. parallel. and centres in the form of the town common. The ever, However many to take place Figure 24 Figure 25 street is more densely Figuredeveloped, 26 Figureunusual 27 central main while It was that in this project simultaneous Figure 25 Figure 26 free-standing Figure 27engineering took place. Urban designers, landscape the surrounding blocks blocks with freestanding duplexes duplexes the surrounding with or single-family houses are more wide-spaced and planners, architects and civil engineers worked generously planted. together with economists as well as advertising and marketing consultants. Thus Brandevoort is the One aspect of our urban design philosophy is the result of a new planning culture that focuses on the conviction that individual, differently designed citizen. The building, development and marketing of buildings create a lively streetscape. Therefore, the houses were taken over by Bouwfonds Eindhoven along a series of blocks there should never be two and De Compagnie Brandevoort, a merger between buildings by the same planner standing next to several local building enterprises. Both followed each other. Conscious exceptions form particular to the letter the image quality plan drawn up by the urban design figures in which the handwriting of team of master planners.

other solu tened hexa although f lem, since the swing spaces are proportion

The brick that which are surely scheme, to

Figure 28

Figure 30

a growing One think nineteenth nacle-like German A of this cen steel-fram in 1922. H that which "city crow ness of suc the end, on in Krier's idiosyncra

Antinomie Krier's wo the one ha proportion increasing

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Plan Plan Plan ofofthe of thethe city city city centre centre centre

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The composition of the various spatial figures in the centre. The Cardo-Decumanus system.

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Views of the façades. Parcel structure of a block with the distribution to different architects

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EXPANSION THE TOWN PLAN EXPANSION OFOF THE TOWN PLAN 2004 2004 rapidandandsuccessful successful TheTherapid development town, development of of thethe town, especially of the town centre, especially of the town centre, to considerations to plan ledled to considerations to plan a district north of the station a district north of the station would as large as the thatthat would be be as large as the centre itself. Thus, centre centre itself. Thus, thethe centre takeson onthetheshape shapeof ofa a takes butterfly, with railway butterfly, with thethe railway in the middle. sketch lineline in the middle. TheThe sketch points main roads points outout thethe main roads (black)thatthatconnect connectthethe (black)

centre outskirts. centre to to thethe outskirts. TheThe plan below emphasises plan below emphasises thethe perimeter block development perimeter block development centre, contrast of of thethe centre, in in contrast to to building density with thethe lowlow building density with single family houses single family houses in in thethe well-greened outskirts. well-greened outskirts. TheThe areazoned zonedforforeconomic economic area activities is located in the activities is located in the far far north,along alongthethehighway highway north, connectingHelmond Helmondwith with connecting Eindhoven. Eindhoven.

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The twin centre and the topography

The second twin, the station district

Block structure of the western outskirts and their implementation as individual houses in a sketch, 2004

Perimeter block housesininthe themiddle middleand and freestanding houses at the edges Perimeter blockdevelopment developmentwith with row houses free-standing houses at the edges

Model on a scale of 1:500

Brandevoort, aerial photograph, Secureinair 2008

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View of of thethe centre, called Veste, from outside; sketch View centre, called Veste, from outside; sketchand andrealisation realisation

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Residential road and square with individually designed houses

Near the market hall, the town canal widens to a small lake

Quadratic square at the southern gate

Round square at the eastern gate

Greened street in the outskirts

Sketchesofofthe themost most important important spatial – November 1996 Sketches spatialsituations, situations,September September–November 1996

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TheThe marketplace with above,a aview view south church; below, view the market marketplace withitsitsdiverse diversebuildings; buildings, above toto thethe south andand the the church, below a viewa of the of market hall hall

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These drawings were for my project in Amiens in 1987. They show in an exemplary way the composition of a These drawings were for my project in Amiens in 1987. They show in an exemplary way the composition of a

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6 m wide brick row house that could also be a model for the houses in the northern part of Brandevoort. 6 m wide brick row house that could also be a model for the houses in the northern part of Brandevoort.

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Two blocks towncentre centreofofBrandevoort Brandevoort with designed by by 16 Two blocks (18 &(18+22) 22) of of thethe town with aatotal totalofof8484houses houses designed 16 students the American University of Notre in Rome, following intensive studies students from thefrom American University of Notre DameDame in Rome, following intensive studies on site. on-site. Ourstaff Berlin staff elaborated the plans so that could realised technically.Block Block 18, 18, with Our Berlin elaborated the plans so that theythey could be be realised technically. with48 48 houses,was was built built between thethe financial crisis. It isItthe realisation of stu-of houses, between2006 2006and and2009, 2009,just justbefore before financial crisis. is only the only realisation works of this magnitude I witnessedininmy mywhole whole time time as students‘dents' works of this magnitude thatthat I witnessed as aa university universityteacher. teacher.

Above: guest professor Ettore Maria Mazzola with his 16 students from Notre Dame. Samir Younés was the principal of the architecture school in Rome.

16 students worked onon the 16 students worked theproject. project ((2007) 2007) Joanna D. Bea, Tricia M. Bertke, Noemie A. Brand, Laura C. Bresnahan, Christopher R. De Chiaro, Krista L. Dumkrieger, Melissa Grisales, Christopher P. Huffer, Kevin J. Kelly, Chun-Li Lin, Thien-An Nguyen-Vu, Kaitlin M. O'Brien, Jonathan M. Olvera, Christopher C. Reidy, Rebecca A. Sigman, Laura A. Van Batenburg-Stafford

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The photos above show the contributions of my own students at the Technical University in Vienna, whom I let work on the same subject, Brandevoort, in their second term (around 1997). Above: wood model on a scale of 1:20; below: model on a scale of 1:100, which was shown on the occasion of the first presentation in the town hall in Helmond. It was so convincing that the deputies asked for the price of the houses.

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Corner Corner building building with with fourfour storeys storeys

Eastern Eastern gategate with with connecting connecting bridge; bridge; sadly, sadly, thethe latter latter waswas notnot built built

Corner Corner building building with with twotwo storeys storeys

Platform Platform canopy canopy

Railway Railway station station with with connecting connecting bridge bridge

Railway Railway station station building building

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Design Design variants variants of two-family of two-family homes homes for the for suburbs, the suburbs, withwith atticattic storeys storeys thatthat can can be upgraded be upgraded to have to have more more living living space space and and withwith garages. garages. Façades Façades are brick are brick

design sketches for the in the onaain scale of1:200, 1:200, December 2004 Below Below left left andand right: right: design sketches for façades the façades in marketplace, the marketplace, in scale a scale of of 1:200, December December 2004 2004

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The three-winged market hall – an English company was able to fabricate the cast iron profiles in old moulds

Station clock

Sketch in the marketplace Sketchof ofaabuilding building on the marketplace

Sketches for other lamps

Façade sketches, seen from the courtyard

Bell tower for the sacred building

Proportionstudies studies of Proportion of aa façade façadeon inthe themarketplace, marketplace, based on on the based the Golden golden ratio ratio

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Façades on the marketplace a scaleofof1:200, 1:200,in in the the middle, side, 12.12.04 Façades in the marketplace onon a scale middle,the thegate gateatatthe thewestern western side, 12.12.04

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The marketplace with shops on the ground floor, seen from the south. All houses have different façades and bay windows in the living rooms.

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Impressions of the surrounding town spaces

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Village on the marketplace.The TheDutch Dutchknow knowhow how to to party, party, and invites them to do Village fairfair in the marketplace. andthe theurban urbanspace space invites them to so. do so. Village fair on the marketplace. The Dutch know how to party, and the urban space invites them to do so.

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The marketplace, seen from the north (above) and from the south (below)

The marketplace, finished, with canal, nicely trimmed trees and many bicycle stands in front of the shops

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The marketplace, in the early morning.

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My figure watches the events at the marketplace .

Eastern side of the marketplace

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Mysculpture sculpture was was erected of of thethe inauguration of the My erectedon onthe theoccation occasion inauguration of marketplace. the marketplace. Whenconstruction construction work worksbegan, began, there there had celebrating the the town’s founding. The Dutch were too sober suchfor a such When hadnot notbeen beena aceremony ceremony celebrating town’s founding. The Dutch were too for sober thethe citycity of Helmond, which had initialised the planning of Brandevoort, considered the placethe as aplace mere as new district. Howathing. thing.Perhaps Perhaps of Helmond, which had initialised the planning of Brandevoort, considered a mere new district. ever, I had always believed thatthat a district for 20,000 inhabitants must bemust conceived as an autonomous body. Mybody. figureMy wasfigure cast inwas the cast in However, I had always believed a district for 20,000 inhabitants be conceived as an autonomous neighbouring town, bellbell foundry Eijsbouts, where, after after the Second World World War, the big the bellbig for the the neighbouring town,Asten, Asten,ininthe thefamous famous foundry Eijsbouts, where, the Second War, bell for the

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Romanesque basilica St. Willibrordus in my hometown of Echternach had been cast. In the 7th century, this saint had crossed from England via Utrecht, where he founded his first abbey, through this region heading for Luxembourg. In the neighbouring village of Geijsteren on the Meuse, a Willibrord fountain commemorates his passage. There, he is said to have started the flow of a miracle-working spring with his staff. Was it perhaps my connection to Willibrord that mysteriously led to my nomination as the town planner of Brandevoort?

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same figureasasthe theone oneshown shownhere here decorates decorates aabeautiful building thatthat hadhad beenbeen spared fromfrom TheThe same figure beautifulold old building spared ravagesofofwar war in in Berlin, Berlin, at andand Kronenstrasse thetheravages atthe thecorner cornerofofFriedrichstrasse Friedrichstraße Kronenstraße.

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Another cast, also made in Asten, is located in a housing estate in Versailles, built by my Paris architect friends Nada and Marc Breitman.

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HOUSE OF CHANGE HOUSE OF CHANGE

Eberhard Blum (†) and Ann Holyoke, Brandevoort, Netherlands, 2008 Eberhard Blum (†) and Ann Holyoke, Brandevoort, Netherlands, 2008

Eight ornamental reliefs, each 210 × 65 cm Brick,ornamental glazed and unglazed Eight reliefs, each 210 × 65 cm Brick, glazed and unglazed Our HOUSE OF CHANGES was the logical result of Eberhard Blum’s years of working theresult ancient Our HOUSE OF CHANGES was thewith logical of Chinese oracle I-Ching, of with Changes”, in his Eberhard Blum’s years or of “Book working the ancient musical and visual art, and close I like to Chinese oracle I-Ching, or the “Book of attention Changes”, in his pay to theand givens of art, an art-for-a-building context.I Indeed, musical visual and the close attention like to its eight seemed to context. all but Indeed, spring, pay to theornamental givens of anreliefs art-for-a-building naturally fully formed, from the façade of the its eight and ornamental reliefs seemed to all but Brandespring, voort building whichfrom they naturally and fullyfor formed, the were façadecommissioned. of the BrandeAs expressions factwhich and fate in the livescommissioned. lived behind, voort building offor they were andexpressions before, theof Dutch of lives that lived façade, they As fact andclinkers fate in the behind, reproduce from the I-Ching rhythmsthey of and before,figures the Dutch clinkers of in thatthefaçade, its brickwork: figures, of three divided reproduce figures fromthat the is, I-Ching in and the six rhythms of andbrickwork: undivided horizontal lines. its figures, that is, of three and six divided and undivided horizontal lines. Actually, the plural “façades” gives one a better idea of the building’s spatial“façades” orientation, sinceone thea structure faces Actually, the plural gives better idea of bothbuilding’s north andspatial west, forming a corner main market the orientation, sinceon thethe structure faces square, at and a bend the canal that runs to both north west,offorming a corner on thefrom mainnorth market south through Brandevoort. The that following is a short square, at a bend of the canal runs from northtext to we composed to be inscribed, in Dutch isand English, south through Brandevoort. The following a short text on two brass plaques into the in pavement, one English, in front we composed to be let inscribed, Dutch and of each façade. Together, they the provide residents, on two brass plaques let into pavement, one passersin front by,each and the town’s many international with clues of façade. Together, they provide visitors residents, passersto the origins: by, andwork’s the town’s many international visitors with clues The of the ornamental reliefs on this façade to thesymmetries work’s origins: are derived from of anthe ancient Chinesereliefs oracle, The symmetries ornamental onthe thisI-Ching. façade Thisderived “Book of Changes” is based on eight trigrams, figures are from an ancient Chinese oracle, the I-Ching. of three divided or undivided lines, stand forfigures ideas, This “Book of Changes” is based on which eight trigrams, elements, and objects; for example: heaven earth, of three divided or undivided lines, which standand for ideas, points of the compass, members,heaven animals,and qualities, elements, and objects;family for example: earth, and situations. These eight cananimals, be combined to points of the compass, familytrigrams members, qualities, formsituations. sixty-four hexagrams, figures of combined six lines, and These eight trigrams can be to variously interpreted to representfigures all natural form sixty-four hexagrams, of and six human lines, phenomena. variously interpreted to represent all natural and human phenomena.

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Like all oracles, the I-Ching must rely on divination and interpretation to have any purpose – other than the largely decorative one its symbols fulfil here – or to make any sense at all. Construals of it have varied widely in character and content (as well as in the degree of their obscurity) throughout its three-thousand-year-long history; and it has, of course, come to mean many different things to many different people. We found ourselves concentrating on just a few of the most fundamental attributes ascribed to the eight trigrams: ☷ (three divided lines) “Yin”, earth, north, female, mother; ☴ (two undivided lines above a divided line) eldest daughter; ☲ (one divided line between two undivided lines) second daughter; ☱ (one divided line above two undivided lines) youngest daughter; ☰ (three undivided lines) “Yang”, heaven, west, masculine, father; ☳ (two divided lines above an undivided line) eldest son; ☵ (one undivided line between two divided lines) second son; ☶ (one undivided line above two divided lines) youngest son.

Suggestive of and, in fact, suggested by the building’s principal role as a hub of domestic life, this very limited reading of the oracle’s primary symbols plays upon the structure’s geographic orientation, as, needless to say, we have placed the signs for female family members on the building’s northern front and those for the male on that facing west. The eight trigrams and eight of the I-Ching’s 64 hexagrams have been rendered in glazed and unglazed black brick that punctuates the red-brown klinker of the eight slightly recessed fields straddling the lower two of the building’s four upper storeys. Each of these fields is three bricklengths wide and thirty-five bricks high; each trigram is two brick-lengths wide and five bricks high; and a hexagram is two brick-lengths wide and eleven bricks high. One brick measures 6 × 21 × 10 cm and each relief with its surrounding field 210 × 65 cm overall. In the centre of each field, one of the trigrams is laid out in glazed black bricks that extend beyond the surface plane by 5 cm, or half of a brick’s total depth. Each of these central trigrams has then been doubled to create a hexagram from the I-Ching, with one such six-line character worked above the trigram and another, identical one below it. Laid in lower relief, the raised rows of these twin figures protrude by only a third of a brick’s depth; and, although made from the same black clay as those of the trigrams, the bricks here have not been glazed, so that their surfaces are of a dull dark grey. Literally of a piece with the fabric of the town, our HOUSE OF CHANGES is thus happily caught up in the grand sweep of Rob Krier’s humane and hospitable architectural vision.

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The Thefour fourreliefs reliefson onthe thenorth northfaçade façade

The Thefour fourreliefs reliefson onthe thewest westfaçade façade

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Around thethe market hall Around market hall Around the market hall

View from market hall acrossthe thelake lake View from thethe market hall across View from the market hall across the lake

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The houses shown thephoto twophotos photos below arethose those designed the students from the American University of Notre Dame The houses shown ininin the belowbelow are those designed by by theby students from the University of Notre Notre Dame The houses shown the two are designed the students from theAmerican American University of Dame ......... The houses shown in the two photos below are those designed by the students from the American University of Notre Dame ...

......ininSouth elaborated onon thethe plans until construction waswas ready to begin. SouthBend, Bend,Indiana. Indiana.Our Ourstaff staffcontinuously continuously elaborated plans until construction ready to begin. ... in South Bend, Indiana. Our staff continuously elaborated on the plans until construction was ready to begin.

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At At the southern endend of thethe marketplace, thethe location ofof the planned clearly southern marketplace, location plannedsacred sacredround roundbuilding buildingis clearlyrecognisable. recognisable.Some Sometrees treeskeep keepwatch. watch. At thethe southern end of of the marketplace, the location of thetheplanned sacred round building isisclearly recognisable. Some trees keep watch.

The marketplace with view markethall halland andthe theespalier espaliertrees treesininfront frontofofthe theline lineofofshops shops The marketplace with view ofof thethe market The marketplace with view of the market hall and the espalier trees in front of the line of shops

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Thenorthern northernside sideofof ofthe themarketplace marketplace shows richly ornamented façades . The shows richly ornamented façades The northern side the marketplace shows richly ornamented façades

Small shops conceal the supermarket lying behind them. Small shops shops conceal conceal the the supermarket supermarket lying lying behind behind them them Small

Looking eastward through a gate building at the marketplace, one has a view of one of the most harmonious and well-balanced architectural street compositions . .

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Through this gate, we catch a glimpse at the street shown opposite. Some sculptural details are still missing on the façades.

The town canal, which runs along the marketplace, widens near the market hall to form a pretty, inner-city lake. A wooden boardwalk on the level of the lake allows dabbling in the water. Only some pedal boats are missing.

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The flight of houses on the eastern side of the marketplace, seen from the north and south

The western side of the marketplace, in the shadow of my sculpture

Details of the gate building

Some more surprising insights into the variety of architecture at the marketplace

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The marketplace, where the church was supposed to be located. Church services now take place in the auditorium.

Shops along the canal

O yes, the lake also invites you to go fishing.

The inner-city lake at the market hall

Passage through the eastern town gate to the round square

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At the southern side of the marketplace, the intended church square

The corners of the houses are particularly accentuated.

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The church square in the evening sun, seen from farther away

office building theeastern easternside side of of the the church free-standing building AnAn office building atatthe churchsquare squareisisthe theonly only freestanding building.

The marketplace, seen from the south, with the market hall in the background

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The eastern town gate

View of the marketplace, from the east

Town festival and street market

Let's go to Christmas market! Young families populate the place.

Music can be performed in the market hall in any weather.

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The canal seen from the south, in the direction of the marketplace

The canal seen from the east, in the direction of the market hall

The views of Brandevoort's streets are rich in variety ...

… often narrow and mysterious, never boring!

The round square behind the eastern town gate

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Row of houses at the edge of the town centre, along the eastern canal, seen from the south. Each house has been designed by a different architect.

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Similar situation at the eastern town canal, with a corner tower by the Paris-based architects Breitman, seen from the north

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AllAll roads areare accessible totovehicles roads accessible vehicles.

The curved roads provide varied points of view. The curved roads provide varied points of view

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Guestsand andvisitors visitorsfind find parking space public roads . Guests parking space onon thethe public roads

Gateway from the eastern roundabout to the marketplace Gateway from the eastern roundabout to the marketplace

View from the marketplace to the roundabout at the eastern gate

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The buildings designed by the American students

From the pond near the market hall, the water flows eastwards. At one of the bridges, the municipality has erected a wonderful, poetic figure, the author of which remains unknown to me.

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Street leading to the eastern round square

View from the end of the canal at the eastern border of the centre, with the market hall in the background

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It is still a professional miracle to me how seriously the many architects respected the master plan ...

... and how the local developers supported the accurate realisation of the aesthetic master plan (beeldkwaliteitsplan)

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We were thus able to develop an architecture which, in its overall image, fits seamlessly into the tradition of the country.

This spot was originally meant for the church. Instead, trees have been planted. Church services take place in the auditorium of the adjacent school. I hope that the municipality will some day fund this sacral building that the bishop refused.

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Festive mood from thethe marketplace Festive mood from marketplacetotothe theoutskirts outskirts– –

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a wonderful proof of how much the inhabitants identify with the new town and a wonderful howand much thearchitecture inhabitantsenhance identifythe with the new town and how good proof urbanof space good quality of life how good urban space and good architecture enhance the quality of life

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TheThe church square without church, at at thethe southern church square without church, southernend endofofthe themarketplace marketplace

The railway station of Brandevoort, with bridge connecting to the future station district The railway station of Brandevoort, with bridge connecting to the future station district

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Festiveevening eveningmood mood pond behind market Festive at at thethe pond behind thethe market hallhall

International connections! Trains between Düsseldorf and Amsterdam stop here, representing a great opportunity for the newly founded town. International connections! Trains between Düsseldorf and Amsterdam stop here, representing a great opportunity for the newly founded town.

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Houses in the suburbs

The routes, main routes, following historic paths, directly thetown towncentre centrewhich which is is clearly shaped gates. The main following historic paths, leadlead directly toto the clearlymarked markedwith withdistinctly distinctly shaped gates. on the rightwhich whichreflects reflectsthe the stage stage of See See planplan on the right, of development developmentinin2008. 2008

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De Veste with the three villages Schutsboom, Brand and Stepekolk (clockwise) De Veste with the three villages Schutsboom, Brand and Stepekolk (clockwise)

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The hope that this newly founded town would not be laden with stigma of “stale novelty” has been miraculously fulfilled. Although Brandevoort is barely half finished, it promises to become urban in character. This expectation is heightened when one comes to know the residents personally; their decision to settle here is bound up with the desire to participate in the adventure of founding such a town. The buildings that have been erected in Brandevoort to date, some of which are illustrated on previous pages, were built according to the designs of the following architects: Peter Bedaux, Mieke Bosse, Nada and Marc Breitman, Hans Coppen, Franz C. Demblin, Frans Dirks, Hans Kaashoek, Jo Knoups, Rob Krier, Christoph Kohl, Hans van der Laan, Rob Lanfermeijer, Ton and Kok Mulleners, Tom Senders, Mark Tuerlings, Cornelis van de Ven, Gerard van de Vliet, Paul Verhorst, Leo Versteijlen, Wilfried van Winden, Paul van Beek (external structures).

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EXPERT OPINION BRABANT 2050 Netherlands, 1998

The purpose of the expert opinion drafted in 1998 for the province of Brabant in southern Netherlands was to determine how to control the growth of towns and villages until the year 2050, assuming that the current rate and density of development continue, using the example of a grid square. The politicians feared – justifiedly – that the most valuable reserves of land would soon be exhausted if supra-regional growth went uncontrolled. The sketch above shows how the density of Brabant may increase in a linear fashion along the main thoroughfares between the larger towns such as (from right to left) Helmond, Eindhoven, 's-Hertogenbosch, Tilburg, Breda, Rosendaal and Bergen op Zoom. The reasons for this are obvious: more oneperson households, more holiday homes, more second homes – a typical development in today’s society. For the detail study, we chose a grid square at the southern edge of Helmond that included our master

planning for Brandevoort, for it was this design for an autonomous urban unit as a cell in a supraregional network that was to supply a model. The first plan shows the region with its network of routes and developments, currently still sparse, between the existing housing estates. The second plan simulates a situation in about 2025; and the last plan, the possible situation in about 2050. The fully developed density shows how the villages present themselves in a well-rounded form. We have assumed that the road network gradually becomes denser along the main routes in a hierarchical manner. A landscape planner and an ecologist drafted plans for the green zones and agrarian zones to be protected. However, we did not have any economists at our disposal, disposal, although althoug it is only only the the im immediate our it is mediate proximity or even combination of residences and workplaces that will result in a sensible urban structure.

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Currently existing buildings south of the town of Helmond

First development phases up to 2025

Development of the town of Helmond up to 2050. Above left, the new town of Brandevoort

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LEIDSCHE RIJN LEIDSCHE RIJN

Utrecht, Netherlands, 1996 Utrecht, Netherlands, 1996

Illustration of the block structures – right, thethe centre ofof Utrecht with Illustration of the block structures – right, centre Utrecht withstation stationand andthe thewestern westernsuburbs suburbsextending extendingtotothe theRhine; Rhine; leftleft of of thethe Rhine, thethe new town Leidsche Rhine, new town LeidscheRijn Rijnfor for100,000 100,000residents residents

u with 1996, were invited urbanplanners plannerswith with The Thegroup groupwe weled ledwas wasentrasted entrasted withthe thecentral centralarea, area, In In 1996, wewe were invited as asurban MaartenSchmitt SchmittandandEdwin EdwinSanthagens Santhagenstotoa a which whichweweillustrate illustratehere. here.We Wewere wereable abletototranslate translate Maarten summer seminar Community Utrecht.InIn the thezoning zoningplan planinto intoprecise precisespatial spatial figures. figures. The The summer seminar byby thethe Community of ofUtrecht. context a charette, were examinewith with archeaologists’ archeaologists’plea pleathat thatthe theformer formerbed bedofofthe theRhine, Rhine, thethe context of of a charette, wewe were to to examine support a group experts Leidsche Rijn,thethe which whichmeandered meanderedthrough throughthe thesite, site,should shouldbe bemade made thethe support of of a group of of experts Leidsche Rijn, enormous developmentarea areaononthetheleft leftside sideofof usable usableagain againhad hada aprofound profoundinfluence influenceon onour ourplan. plan. enormous development River Rhinewest westof ofUtrecht, Utrecht,following followingthethe The TheRoman Romanremains remainsthat thatwere werefound foundthere thereand andthese these thethe River Rhine preparatory urbanplanning planningwork workdone donebybyRiek Riek location locationroutes routesformed formedthe thebasis basisfor forour ourplan planofofthe the preparatory urban Bakker Rients Dijkstra. district. Bakker andand Rients Dijkstra. district. whole region Leidsche Rijn designedtoto InInour ourproject, project,two twocentres centresstructure structurethe thenew newdistrict, district, TheThe whole region of of Leidsche Rijn is isdesigned incorporate 30,000 residential units, 220 hectares of taking the train stations as the starting point. the incorporate 30,000 residential units, 220 hectares of taking the train stations as the starting point. InInthe industrial estates and 700,000 square metres of office same way as the old course of the Rhine was to be industrial estates and 700,000 square metres of office same way as the old course of the Rhine was to be and services. It is to house 100,00 residents. The incorporated, all the other country lanes and traces and services. It is to house 100,00 residents. The incorporated, all the other country lanes and traces ofof north-south motorway (A2), which traverses side parcel parcelboundries boundrieswere wereadopted adoptedinto intothe thenew newplans. plans. north-south motorway (A2), which traverses thethe side near the present course of the Rhine, is to be partially near the present course of the Rhine, is to be partially sunken reasons noise protection. sunken forfor reasons of of noise protection.

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The Leidsche Rijn project with its development structure The Leidsche Rijn project with its development structure

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SDO SDO VIA VIA TIBURTINA TIBURTINA Rome, Rome, Italy,Italy, 19961996

On the Onarterial the arterial roadroad between between Rome Rome and Tivoli and Tivoli northnorth of Via of Tiburtina Via Tiburtina is a piece is a piece of fallow of fallow land land the size the size of of classical classical Rome; Rome; its urban its urban design design redevelopment redevelopment was was oftenoften underunder consideration, consideration, but nothing but nothing was was ever ever undertaken. undertaken. In 1990, In 1990, in theincontext the context of Rome’s of Rome’s projects projects for the fornew the new millennium, wasresuscitated resuscitated district development millenium, millenium, was was resuscitated a district aa district development development plan,plan, the Sistema the Sistema Direzionale Direzionale Orientale Orientale (SDO), (SDO), that that had first had first seenseen the light the light in 1962 in 1962 as theasAsse the Asse Attrezzato Attrezzato (supply (supply axis).axis). It is aItplan is a plan for afor town a town of bureaucrats of bureaucrats between between the eastthe eastern district ern district of Pietralata of Pietralata and Torre and Torre Spaccata, Spaccata, on a on plota plot of about of about 800 800 hectares, hectares, and it and was it was to contain to contain almost almost all the all capital’s the capital’s public public authorities authorities and and institutions institutions which which untiluntil then then had been had been scattered scattered throughout throughout the the innerinner city. city. The main The main idea idea of theofproject the project was to was free to the freehistorical the historical city city core core fromfrom the choking the choking traffic traffic and and to return to return the old the buildings old buildings buildings to their to their their original original resitential resitential use, use, the old to original residential use, because because decades decades of alienation of alienation through through office office and and administrative administrative uses uses had led hadtoled thetoold theresidents old residents beingbeing forced forced out and out aand marked a marked decline decline in urban in urban quality. quality.

Planning Planning northnorth and south and south of ViaofTiburtina; Via Tiburtina; on the onleft, the the left,district the district around around the Piazza the Piazza Bologna Bologna

occasion aa workshop by the The The The occasion occasion for afor for workshop workshop was was was givengiven given by the byneed the need need to plan central rail station for high-speed to plan to plan a centra aacentra rail station rail station for the forhigh-speed thethe high-speed traintrain be-train bebetween Milan Naples, which the tween tween Milan Milan and Naples, and and Naples, which which crossed crossed thecrossed top theof top the of top the land. This was provide pieceof piece ofthe land. ofpiece land. ThisofThis station station is tostation isprovide to provide thetomain the main ac- the acaccess for district, the which new which district, which was to aassimcess main cess for the for new the new district, is to is assimilate to assimilate a highhighilate a highcalibre of functions together calibre calibre mixture mixture of functions ofmixture functions together together withwith the new the with new the new quarter. government government government quarter. quarter. Together Together withwith architects architects like like CarloCarlo Aymonino, Aymonino, Alessandro Alessandro Anselmi, Anselmi, OriolOriol Bohigas, Bohigas, PaoloPaolo Portoghesi Portoghesi and and Franco Franco Purini, Purini, we were we were to carry to carry on with on with a a precending precending planplan plan south south of the Tiburtina theTiburtina Tiburtina to the north. thenorth. north. preceding south ofofthe totothe The The mainmain sequences sequences of the ofdistrict’s the district’s composition composition are are explained explained in theinexcerpts the excerpts illustrated illustrated on the onfollowing the following pagepage fromfrom the general the general plan.plan. TheyThey havehave beenbeen givengiven a black a black background background in order in order to show to show the the mostmost important important experiential experiential spaces spaces moremore clearly. clearly. A boulevard A boulevard ring ring circumscribes circumscribes the the entire entire area,area, the north-south the north-south and and the east-west the east-west axesaxes havehave beenbeen worked worked out and out the anddistricts the districts havehave beenbeen formulated formulated in in of allofofall Rome of Rome with with the new the district new district on Via onTiburtina Via Tiburtina (in black) (in black) a geometrically a geometrically precise precise fashion; fashion; eacheach has its hasown its own Plan Plan centre centre withwith an unmistakable an unmistakable square. square.

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External ring

North-south axes

Layout plan; below left, the new station, in the middle, the government centre

Types of squares

Ring north-southaxes axes Ringand & north-south

East-west axes

Model

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View of the different square variants; below left, the station concourse

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Sketch with emphasis on the supporting urban space compositions

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SPREEINSEL WITH CITY PALACE Berlin, Germany, 1996 Berlin lost much of its substance in the destruction during the Second World War, and political despotism inflicted after the war left a gaping wound where the old castle had been blown up in 1950. Our study from 1996 represents an attempt to answer the question as to how this hole in the heart of the city can be sensibly filled. Reconstructing the palace in such a way as to integrate at least part of the

Palace of the Republic is only one of many possibilities. If the city planners had had any courage for innovation, the situation could have been turned to advantage so that a new quality of urban space could have been gained. The city ran ran in in aa southsouthThe main main street street of of the the mediaeval medieval city west-northeast direction, starting from the square in front of the palace, running past the town hall and

The new palace area with its open courtyard, seen from the loggia of Karl Friedrich Schinkel's Old Museum, the cathedral on the left, September 1996

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across Alexanderplatz towards Weissensee. In the layout of the southern part of Friedrichstadt, the establishment of the boulevard Unter den Linden as an east-west axis perpendicular to Friedrichstrasse, which runs runs north-south, north-south, played Friedrichstraße, which played an important role. Unter den Linden started out from the garden of the palace, the Lustgarten, and ran westwards towards the Tiergarten. When Karl Friedrich Schinkel designed the Schlossbrücke, the cathedral and the Altes Museum, the Schlossgarten was promoted to the status of a town square without a connection to the parts east of the River Spree.

A few years ago, the baroque palace façade, painted like stage scenery on huge expanses of canvas stretched on scaffolding, showed that the mass of the -high building had enormous presence and a 32-metre strong impact on the townscape, in spite of its rather unfortunate position in relation to Unter den Linden. The boulevard would actually have run right into the façade of the palace, which literally diverts it towards the city centre.

The Lustgarten (pleasure garden) in front, the simplified reconstruction of Andreas Schlüter's tower, the Alte Kommandantur (old headquarters), the Kronprinzenpalais (crown prince's palace) and the Zeughaus (old arsenal), also from Schlüter, on the right side

Boulevard Unter den Linden with Humboldt University, Staatsbibliothek (Berlin state library), Staatsoper (Berlin state opera), St. Hedwig's Cathedral, below the Gendarmenmarkt

The Spreeinsel (Spree island) with the museums, the Cathedral, and, in the axis of Schinkel's Altes Museum (old museum), my proposition for the new palace area, which will be called Humboldt-Forum. All four sides of the Schlüterhof (central courtyard of the Zeughaus) would have been reconstructed, the GDR Palast der Republik (palace of the republic) saved and restructured. N.B.: I also propose to rebuild the area in front of Rotes Rathaus (red city hall).

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In our considerations, the starting In point our considerations, the part starting was that the usable of the point was that the usable part of be theinPalace of the Republic would Palace of theThe Republic be integrated. height would of the building tegrated. The height of the building is is the the same same of as the the old old castle. castle. If If the the is the same of is thetoold castle. Ifand thethe Schlüterhof be restored Schlüterhof be restored and the at Palace of isthetoRepublic integrated Palace of the Republic integrated the same time, then its positionathas thetosame time, then its position be shifted. Moving it into thehas axis to be shifted. Moving it into the axisthe of the Altes Museum offers of opportunity the Altes Museum offers the for a completely new opportunity for a completely new composition. composition. Other reference elements from the Other reference elements thethe building history should from enrich building history should enrich planning process step by step. the planning process step by step.

The new palace area with The new palace area with Schinkel's museum above Schinkel's museum above

Friedrich I commanded Andreas Friedrich Andreas Schlüter Itocommanded build an enormous Schlüter to build an enormous tower, the Münzturm, which was to tower, the Münzturm, which wasden to dominate the view axis of Unter dominate the view axis of Unter den Linden and overshadow all the Linden overshadow all strata the church and towers. Shifting sand church towers. Shifting sand strata in the subsoil caused the tower to incollapse the subsoil caused tower to shortly beforethe completion, collapse shortly before completion, and the imprisonment of its and the imprisonment its architect. The foundationof issue architect. The foundation issue would not be a problem nowadays. would be a problem nowadays. We not adopted the idea of the We adopted the idea of the tower, placing it just beyond the tower, placing itatjust Schlossbrücke the beyond bend in the the Schlossbrücke at position, the bendtogether in the boulevard. This boulevard. This position, together with the projecting edge of the with the projecting edge of the

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Palace of the Republic would result Palace of the Republic would result in the formation of a U-shaped forein the formation of a U-shaped forecourt on the axis, with dimensions court on the axis, withofdimensions corresponding to those the Altes corresponding to those of the Museum. A spatial response toAltes the Museum. A spatial response to the museum building is thus procured. museum building is thus isprocured. The bend in the boulevard picked The bend in the boulevard picked up at this point, creating a issort of up at this point, creating a sort niche like the one opposite theof niche likeUniversity. the one opposite the Humboldt Humboldt University. The whole composition could be The whole composition could vested in the baroque façade. How-be vested in the baroque façade. ever, it is also conceivable that a Hownew ever, itfor is also conceivable new design the façade wouldthat do ajusdesign for the façade would do justice to the situation and deal with the tice to the situation and deal with relicts in an innovative fashion. the relicts in an innovative fashion.

Model of the palace area Model of the palace area

The buildings on the waterfront that The buildings on the waterfront that had formerly been obliged to yield had formerly been obliged to yield to allow the castle façade to come castle to come to totheallow fore the could be façade rehabilitated to the fore could be rehabilitated again. This way, the monumental again. This the monumental ensemble wouldway, be livened up with ensemblefunctions. would beHowever, livened up with residential this residential functions. However, seems to make sense only if thethis seems on to make senseside only if the building the other – the building on the other side – the Schinkelplatz Schinkelplatz with with the the BauBau Schinkelplatz with the akademie and the houses aroundBau akademie and church the houses Friedrichwerder – bearound reFriedrichwerder church – be restored. The residential buildings stored. The the residential buildings could describe form of a square, could describe the form of square, which, as the counterpart to thea west which, as the counterpart to the portal of the castle, would create west a portal spatial of the response. castle, would create a sensible sensible spatial response.

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From the courtyard in the middle, two diagonal openings lead to the old palace square, which was in former times the main square.

SKETCHES OF THE CITY PALACE

Old palace square

Berlin, Germany, January 1998

Schlüter's courtyard Spree

Schlossbrücke

After several competitions had failed, f the Federal Parliament decided to rebuild the Stadtschloss (Berlin city palace) which is now under construction. Three historic façades are to be reconstructed. To date, the palace remains a topic of heated discussion. For once, politicians have been wise and noticed that building professionals have been unable to come to a satisfying decision and that modern architecture didn't have an answer to this sensitive location full of history. Wilhelm von Boddien has significantly pushed this development with his fundraising group Förderkreis Berliner Schloss e. V. and with the launching of the initiative of a full-scale palace

The Palace of the Republic is maintained,; Schlüter's courtyard is reconstructed on all four sides.

These sketches don't show how Schlüter's courtyard could be integrated .

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simulation in 1993/94. Illuminated at night, across from Schinkel's similarly illuminated Old Museum, the effect was so lifelike that reality and simulation couldn’t be distinguished from one another. I am convinced that the decision of the Parliament was right, even if in my own designs I couldn't resist the temptation to seek a new urban building solution with classical architecture instead of Schlüter's baroque one. My entry for the palace competition in the autumn of 2007 was rejected due to a formal error. With my urban design concept and my architecture, I wouldn't have had a chance, anyway.

Schlüter's courtyard is cut off from the GDR Palace of the Republic.

Schlüter's tower A complex urban structure with diagonal connections to the old palace square

These widely opened piazzas in the middle are too monumental.

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I noted this idea during the last days of December, at an altitude of 2,000 metres, on the Moosalp above the Valois village of Törbel, and would have elaborated on it in case I had been admitted to the competition for the Berlin City Palace. All four historic façades should be reerected, just as the pharmacy wing and all four façades of the Schlüter courtyard have been. They were designed by the architect and sculptor Andreas Schlüter and

are a masterpiece of German baroque architecture. A sketch by Leonardo da Vinci led me to an octogonal solution, a crowned by a dome, for the former Eosander courtyard. The historic dome that once rose out of the western façade of the palace was relocated to a more central position, and thus given an authentic function. Future visitors will be able to enjoy this ample space with its exciting visual relations from all storeys.

Sketch by Leonardo da Vinci

A first quick vision

Törbel, 27.12.07

The da Vinci solution

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Reading Valais folk tales, which go so well with my pairs of figures

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Thomas Bernhard's novel Woodcutters (Holzfällen), about a soirée at the Auersbergers, was also with us in Törbel. It fits so well in the depressing atmosphere of the mountains.

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CULTURAL CENTRE Echternach, Luxembourg, 1992/1996 This assignment was of particular importance to me as it was located in my mother’s parents’ birthplace. At the same time, a new concert hall was to be built for the summer music festival, near the former baroque Benedictine abbey where I had attended grammar school for six years. The original choice of a site in a poor district, destroyed during the war, was inauspicious. In the same year as the first planning (which is shown here) was completed, the area called “Kack” was struck twice by the flooding of the river Sauer. This was a warning for the municipality, and it decided to relocate the site to the secure town centre, which is situated higher. There, the happy opportunity arose to convert a freestanding Redemptorist monastery across from the Romanesque basilica. This new plan is presented on the opposite page. The spatial concept is inspired by the Roman basilica in Trier Trier.

My first plan for the cultural centre in Echternach. It was to have been a gateway to the town at the border between Luxembourg and Germany.

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I wanted to preserve the most valuable parts of the Redemptorist monastery, especially the Neoc Romanesque Chapel with its vault made of tuff and its delicately chiselled ridges, columns and capitals. This intimate room, directly linked to the large hall, would have been ideally suited for chamber music performances. Unfortunately, the municipality had decided against the preservation of the chapel, just like the chief monument conservator – a former classmate from grammar school. They brought forward the flimsy argument that there were hundreds of worship spaces of minor cultural value in the country. Besides, the municipality, following an intervention by my mother, had already invested a lot of money for nothing in order to rescue a chapel in the old hospital, which a great-uncle of mine had built.

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The irreverence towards the so-called epigonal architecture of the 19th century was known to me from my history lessons in school. As a young person I had already considered the misjudgement of this culturally rich era as unfounded and wrong. Hadn't the excellent music of Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms originated in the same spirit, as well as the gigantic evolution in the sciences, in the performing and applied arts, and even in town planning?

In a meeting of the local council, I defended my point of view, angrily, but supported by factual arguments. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince them. I soon realised that the process had sunk to the level of pub debates and that my former classmate wanted to monopolise the project out of an irrational jealousy. Such experiences also belong to cultural politics. In addition, the municipality put forward

The Romanesque basilica, on the right, with its dependencies, as it has been reconstructed after the damage caused by the Second World War, on the left the porch of the entrance to the cultural centre, February 1996

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their desire to have a concert hall similar to the one Ricardo Bofill had realised in the Arsenal in Metz. All due respect to this noteworthy œuvre from my Spanish colleague and friend (who had recommended me to the mayor of Montpellier as a town planner) – but I'm not available to copy it. Neither am I prepared to apply theorems which I mark wrong when they come from my students. Filled with indignation, I bid the project farewell.

The chapel was destroyed, and a shamefully cheap and distasteful imitation of Bofill's concert hall was built. Trifolion is the name of the new centre for culture, society and conventions.

Frontal viewview of the basilica, reconstructedunder understate state architect Hubert Schumacher; Frontal of the basilicawhich whichhad hadhappily happily been reconstructed architect Hubert Schumacher, onon thethe right, thecultural culturalcentre, centre,February February 1996 rightthe theentrance entrance to the 1996

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PASSAGE DEUTRICH’S HOF Leipzig, Germany, 1996 Everybody arriving in Leipzig by train experiences a first shock in Europe's biggest dead-end station. Gigantic arches 300-metre-long entrance Gigantic archesframe framethethe 300m long entrance hall. The way to the city centre is flanked by further stately buildings. And just at the formidable site

Left,St.St. Nicholas church; in background the background, Deutrich’s Hof, Left Nicholas church, in the Deutrich’s Hof, 20.1.96 20.1.96

across from the St. Nicholas church, a new shopping gallery with offices and flats is to come into being. I tried to do justice to the high-quality architecture of the surroundings, but my proposal couldn't convince the client.

the Deutrich’s left, Deutrich’s Hofthe with the entrance to the19.1.96 gallery, On On the left Hof with entrance to the gallery, 19.1.96

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A glass-covered shopping arcade is a wonderful architectural theme. Here is a similar proposal for Hamburg, 20.10.94

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VERKADE-TERREIN Zaandam, Netherlands, 1997 When ships were still built of wood, Amsterdam's shipbuilding docks were located here. The workers of those times used the superfluous materials from the shipyards to build their own houses. The characteristic wooden houses have brought into being a town that is unique in the Netherlands. These workers’ houses were very small, richly embellished with wooden carving and, as is usual in shipbuilding, richly painted in bright colours. The gardens were hardly bigger than the ground plans of the houses they belonged to. The houses were built in parallel rows in long block figures, yet without giving rise to urban spatial accents.

A biscuit factory at the northern edge limited the growth of this working class town until recently. Now that this obstruction is no langer there, in our design for Het Oosten from 1997 we proposed to continue the existing parallel parallel block block arrange arrangement open the existing ment and and to to open it in the the middle middle to to create create aa square square that that links links all all the the it in alleyways space for for alley waystoto each each other other and and to to supply supply space more important functions. Parts of the factory will be integrated. The design for the ground plan and the façades is also inspired by the old models. On the parcels of 100 square metres are house units of two to three storeys with a floor area of 7 × x 7 metres.

Residential street

The central sequence of squares

Square

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Bird's eyeview viewofofthe thecentral central succession Bird‘s-eye successionofofsquares squares

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RESHAPING THE FAÇADES OF THE MARKETPLACE Groningen, Netherlands, 1997 This is a very quick study which shows how the façades of the Grote Markt in Groningen, North Holland, could be embellished with traditional craftsmanship. My proposition did not find the approval of the town council.

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Grote Markt

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SES ASTRA NEW HEADQUARTERS Betzdorf, Luxembourg, 1997

SES (Société Européenne des Satellites) is the second largest operator of telecommunication satellites worldwide. It controls a fleet of 54 geostationary satellites capable of reaching 99 %of ofthe theworld’s world’spopulation. population. 99% The headquarters can be found in Betzdorf C castle. This background is almost scary and induced me to develop this

provocative, post-revolutionary design. I wanted to test whether the toplofty visions which the builder during the the builder pleaded pleadedforduring meetings would support an equivalent poser architecture. But as I had feared, it had only been idle talk. In the end, a decent, grovelling version was built which mercifully disappears in the landscape. The new headquarters, with possible extensions, should be seen as a symbol in the landscape.

The entrance to the new headquarters, 9.10.97

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This recallsaLedoux Boulléearchitecture architecture. This image image recalls Ledoux or or Boullée

The entrance lobby as a negative cone space, with a dramatic supporting structure, 9.10.97

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Images NicolasLedoux Ledouxatin background Imageswith withetchings etchings by by Claude Claude Nicolas thethe background

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The entrance situation

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CENTRUMGEBIED VLEUTERWEIDE Utrecht, Netherlands, 1998 In Rijn, Vleuterweide is In the the western westernpart partofofLeidsche Leidsche Rijn, Vleuterweide has been realised realised as It is being as aasubordinate subordinatearea areasince since1998. 1998. is to to form thethe cultural andand commercial centre of the lt is form cultural commercial centre of old town of Vleuten, de Meern andand the the newnew town of the old town of Vleuten, de Meern town Veldhuizen. TheThe area area is being planned for thefor GEM of Veldhuizen. is being planned the Vleuterweide and will 50,00050,000 residents. GEM Vleuterweide andhouse will house residents.

Although an express bus route already in existence and the intention to place an expanse of water at the south side of the centre made an alternative plan almost impossible, we nonetheless sought the best possible solutions. Like fingers, the streets reach from the centre towards the main routes to the adjoining village centres; two schools with Here, we see very clearly the land-gobbling housing a banqueting hall, a music school, a library, a policy already recognisable in the plan for Brabant community centre and a church sit like the head of a 2050, which is to be attributed to the acute need for squid on top of its body; its tentacles reach towards single-family houses. This policy cannot be pursued the the suburbs. suburbs. These terized by These are are charac characterised by sequences sequences of of this way without entailing serious consequences. centrally placed town greens, each differently Basically, with such building typologies, one can composed. only create housing estates, not neighbourhoods or villages. The core of an agglomeration of this The streets go out irregularly from these greens and size should have a really urban character and it should are curved in such a way that a view is always be larger than the area assigned here to the shopping provided. In the ground plan, two of the districts centre, schools and community services. are reminiscent of a fern frond formation. The third in its final form with its square core respects the The sketch for the central area of Vleuterweide shows existing drainage structures with their stands of which planning prerequisites enable an urban devel- poplars. We were able to preserve a direct route to the opment to come into being. lt is very similar in type centre. to the centre of Brandevoort. The preparatory urban planning work following the master plan of Klaus The middles of the villages exhibit closed block forms Vollmer had, however, progressed so far that that become looser and looser towards the periphery. it was no longer possible to do any fundamental revisions by the time we were commissioned. Residents park their cars inside the blocks, where tree Thus the whole development plan shows the appalling plantings shape the semi-public interior courtyards, dissonance of the current trends in urban design. while biotopes regulate the water level and Just as in Amsterdam the city’s development under influence the microclimate. Visitors’ vehicles are Cor van Eesteren negated the School of Amsterdam parked along the streets, which are open to vehicular under Berlage, today we are cementing together a traffic for the most part. The easily flooded wetlands multiplicity of development errors into seemingly that have been laid out in the village greens and within friendly coexistence. The feebleness of the authority the blocks have also been placed around the villages. vested in urban design provides no adequate In this way, the basic distinction between correspondence to the far-reaching effects urban the villages and the surrounding landscape is clearly design decisions have on subsequent generations. lt emphasised. emphasized. should therefore be supported by instruments of a more durable nature. The centre is dominated by the 15,000 square metres of space devoted retailactivities. activities.Small Small shops shops form form space devoted totoretail Alternatively, one can see how small an intervention the framing interface between this and the public is required to transform a diffuse subdivision of spaces. Above the shops there are flats. From the row houses into into neighbourhoods neighbourhoods with with clearly clearly central square sequence there are varied views of rowhouses distinguishable blocks. lt is only in this manner that the expanse of water between the moles on which private residential courtyards arise along public residences have been built. spaces with streets and squares. In this case, as suburbs, the districts have to differentiate themselves clearly from each other. Each of them must manifest individual spatial qualities.

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Marketplace in the centre

View of the centre from the water

Three residential quarters of Vleuterweide

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First sketch of the centre and three surrounding villages

The main street axes of the centre in direction of the village greens

These sketches show an ideal vision of a town centre as an entire body.

Sketches of the design process of the centre

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The concept of this centre is based on the rerouting of an existing street around the centre (image on the right).

The perfect, ideal town centre with a complex composition of urban spaces inside and clearly defined positions of public institutions

One of the surrounding villages with an existing central castle

The rerouting of the existing street was not accepted, so this solution was developed as a compromise.

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Sketch of aoflarge part of of thethe development Sketch a large part development

First Firstdesign designsketch sketchofofthe thecentre centre

Bird’s eye view Bird’s-eye viewofofthe thecentre centre Bird’s eye view of the centre

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Theblocks building blocks theoutskirts outskirts areshaped shaped likeleaves abuilding high building density the square dense as you approach landscape The building ininthe are like a high building density the square andand lessless dense as you approach the the landscape The building inblocks the outskirts are shaped like leaves –leaves with– –with a with high density on on theon square, becoming less dense as you approach the landscape.

Centre of Vleuderweide Centre of Vleuderweide

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I'm tirelessly searching for varied façade compositions, and I immediately check in the model whether they fit together harmoniously. In the middle, the model of one of the intermediate stages of the centre.

A glimpse sketchbook Grip intointo mymy sketchbook

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Houses on top Houses on of topthe of ... the ...

... shopping arcades ... shopping arcades

OneOne of the the numerous compositional variants of of the town centre, of numerous the numerous compositional variants ofthe thetown town centre, One of compositional variants centre, below thecomputer computer graphics –– always somewhat rigid – of the façades of three exemplary blocks below the computer graphics – always somewhat rigid ofthe thefaçades façades of three three exemplary blocks below, the graphics always somewhat rigid – –of of exemplary blocks

From From top to topbottom: to bottom: Buildings Buildings on the on border the border of the of centre the centre withwith shops shops and and single-family single-family houses houses on top on of topthem, of them, access access roadroad withwith the octagonal the octagonal square square facing facing the school, the school, thenthen the residential the residential buildings buildings on the on main the main square square withwith a supermarket a supermarket on the on ground the ground floorfloor

Computer Computer graphics graphics of my ofsketches my sketches for the formarketplace the marketplace façades façades

Preliminary Preliminary sketches sketches for the forhouses the houses on the onedge the edge of the oftown the town centre centre

Shopping Shopping mall:mall: the shops the shops on the on ground the ground floorfloor protrude protrude into into the street the street and and havehave a width a width of 5 of m,5som,that so that the residential the residential buildings buildings on top on ... top ...

this series thisand series and and derivatives its derivatives andvariations, variations and variations one one could design design ananentire an entire Dutch Dutch village village WithWith thisWith series its its derivatives and one could could design entire Dutch village.

... have ... have sheltered sheltered terraces. terraces. On the On right, the right, an office an office building building on the on quadratic the quadratic entrance entrance square square

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View of the town centre with the residential buildings on the waterside, 2.4.05

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Nightlife in the marketplace marketplace Nightlife on

Shopping area on the main square

Photomontage of residential buildings builtexamples examplesfrom fromBrandevoort, Brandevoort; below, the centre at night Photomontage of residential buildingsononthe thewaterside waterside with built below the centre at night

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A particularly fanciful residential and office building on the main square

The main square on waterside; the waterside, above leftthe theschool school complex; complex, in thethe right the the commercial centrecentre The main square on the above left, inthe themiddle middleand andonon right, commercial

Picturesque corner buildings

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Access to the main square via a quadratic square with offices and shopping mall

Shopping mall seen from the square

Crowds of evening shoppers

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was asked to design a tower a landmarkononthe thewaterside, waterside, with with aa special wasI asked to design a tower as as a landmark specialcultural culturalfunction. function. My answer: a two-storey gallery witha aflat flattotohost hostartists artists on artist! 20.-21.5.06 My answer: a two-storey artart gallery with on top. top.AAdream dreamfor forevery every artist! 20.–21.5.06

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The entrance to the shopping mall is flanked by two tower buildings; to the right there is an extremely romantic gatehouse. The entrance to the shopping mall is flanked by two tower buildings; to the right there is an extremely romantic gatehouse. This design is the exaggerated response to a banal building opposite, whose construction I could not prevent. This design is the exaggerated response to a banal building opposite, whose construction I could not prevent.

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The leaf-shaped blocks on the outskirts, under construction

Tower building on the main square

A green square in the outskirts opens to the centre

Playground on the green square

Drive

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Lively hustle and bustle on the main square

The light brick building is part of the school complex

Another scene on the square

Surprising spaces before planting took place

The moats are called wadis by the Dutch.

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT FOR WAGENINGEN URBAN DEVELOPMENT FOR WAGENINGEN Netherlands, 1998 Netherlands, 1998

East of the historic city boundof the historic boundary,East at the canal thatcity follows at themoat, canal an thatunbuilt follows theary, ancient thestretches ancient moat, an unbuilt area alongside the areaRhine stretches New up toalongside the dyke.the Newis aRhine to theto the dyke. There directup relation There is a direct to the marketplace with relation the main marketplace the mumain church via the with historic church via the historic mu-

seum. The proximity to seum. proximity the centreThe was the reason forto the centre reason for giving the was newthedistrict a giving the urban new district distinctively identity.a distinctively identity. Towards the urban dyke on the Towards the the dykebuilding on the Lower Rhine, Lower decreases Rhine, theandbuilding density there density decreases and there are free-standing houses. are freestanding free-standinghouses. houses. are

The new urban structure with the house parcels The new urban structure with the house parcels

Wageningen, new district between the canal and Nederrijn dijk (ontop) top)top), 17.1.98 Wageningen, new district between canal and the Nederrijn dijk (on 17.1.98 Wageningen, new district between thethe canal and thethe Nederrijn dijk (on 17.1.98

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Main entrance to the new district in the form of a crescent, surrounded by beautiful old houses

Central square and other different urban spaces in the area

These drawings town council, council,18.-20.1.98 18.–20.1.98 These drawingscould couldnot notseduce seduce the the town

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REHABILITATION OF THE FRENCH DISTRICT Potsdam, Germany, 1998

Site plan with the existing buildings, 11.10.98

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In an ad hoc design procedure, a very sketchy study was produced. The empty inner courtyard near the French church, which is surrounded by dilapidated buildings from the former GDR, is to be animated by a residential district. The courtyard is accessed via the

openings between the concrete tower blocks on the border. Inside, an intact complex of individual houses will be built. Following the example of Kirchsteigfeld, different architects are to contribute to a harmonious ensemble.

Façades on the inner side of the courtyard, with a view of Karl Friedrich Schinkel's St. Nicolas church in the background, 13.10.98

terstrasse, despite its stillin "white scheme, together with "tower sketches," suggests fiberVienna deprived of reading a remarkable spaces spaces areKrier's both are both ingeniously ingeniously situated situated and appropriately andpatently appropra A keyAhas element keybeen element of this of reading this is subtlety, theispresence theispresence thein and the abstract" architecture, whereas what follows in Krier's work is intrinsic o urbanism, but also because the proposal is a proportioned. proportioned. sketches sketches of Loos's of Loos's giantgiant DoricDoric column, column, submitted submitted for for more traditionally structured and frequently designed in talthe version of one of Krier's most paradigmatic Chicago the Chicago Tribune Tribune competition competition of 1922, of 1922, whichwhich is fi- is fi618 ropriate tohisthe precision brickwork traditional features, This appa works canonical Dickes House, which The brick-faced The brick-faced polygonal polygonal residential residential towers, towers, such su as nally–nally transformed transformed here into here the into columnar thewith columnar hinge-point hinge-point of of such as amily life. He, rubbed-brick arches and header string courses. Lindenhaps the(1e leted in the same year. that which that which KrierKrier proposed proposed for Fasanenstrasse for Fasanenstrasse (1980) the corner the corner building. building. That That this proposal this proposal was never was never re- ret he didalised sotoinbe ufer 34, atinfill housing for because Berlin-Spandau bet are surely are surely the most the most historicist historicist of these of these later projects. laterbility projects This alised is is to regretted be regretted many atterraced many levels,levels, not only not because only and fur(1978–1979), represents a clear shift in this direction. public sp yquiet versus Tradition scheme, scheme, together together with Krier's with Krier's "tower "tower sketches," sketches," suggests sug the city the of city Vienna of Vienna has been has been deprived deprived of a remarkable of a remarkable SLOT HAVERLEIJ Figure 30 Figure 31 family hearth. Here, a contrast is affected between the old tectonic of simply in has recently moved away from a conception piecepiece of urbanism, of urbanism, but also but because also because the proposal the proposal is a is a the load-bearing masonry and the new "curtain-wall" pagnon – ksmonumental as abstract masses to a greater preoccupas-Hertogenbosch, monumental version version of oneofofone Krier's of Krier's most most paradigmatic paradigmatic ‘s-Hertogenbosch,Netherlands, Netherlands,1998–2007 1998-2007 a growing interest in picturesque cultu here the minifenestration of the living rooms. private in architectural form. This is most immediately domestic domestic worksworks – his –canonical his canonical Dickes Dickes House, House, whichwhich One thinks water for in the Figure 28 Figure 29 of the impact of brick cryptic su nted his reinterpretation nineteenth-century was completed was completed in of thethe insame the same year. year. nineteenth-century countryside latent, and of the Thistradition, is partic-particularly At Lindenufer 34,realisation this somewhat awkward antithesis vio rick after the nacle-like forms created by prominent g planned forversus between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more pre-war m M terstrasse housing project in Berlin. For RitModernity Modernity versus Tradition Tradition German Association of Craftsmen during proposals for complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. ParaGermany despite its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" Rob Krier Rob Krier has recently has recently moved moved away away from from a conception a conception of this century; above all, perhaps, hstadt (1977). enough, theawork proto-Expressionist aspect of this sense of anH re,ofwhereas follows in Krier's his ofworks hiswhat works asdoxically abstract as abstract masses masses to greater to aisgreater preoccupapreoccupasteel-framed and brick-faced water tower attains its subtradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plasarchitectu tionally structured and frequently designed tion with tion with architectural architectural form.form. This This is most isinmost immediately immediately while29hydraulics ma ssioned to deter model, where low relieving arches help to inflect simultane brickwork with traditional features, asnineteenth-century Figure Figure 28 28 in 1922. However, Figure Figure 29 apparent apparent in hisin reinterpretation his reinterpretation ofthe thesuch ofnineteenth-century the that which Bruno Taut nostalgically rec oposal for the the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways compens ickGerman arches and header string courses. LindenGerman brick brick tradition, tradition, particularly particularly after the afterrealisation the realisation "city crown", or Stadtkrone, theevident generala ingofinhis Vienna this ishousing one the most integrated solutions infill terraced housing forof Berlin-Spandau ofRitterstrasse his Ritterstrasse housing project project in Berlin. in Berlin. For RitFor that Rit-Krier has ness of such forms for residential stock i 79),terstrasse, represents a clear shift in this direction. terstrasse, despite despite its subtlety, its subtlety, is still is"white still "white and abstract" and abstract" the end, one must conclude that they are Figure 30 Figure 31 ontrast isarchitecture, affectedwhereas between the what old tectonic ofin Krier's architecture, whereas what follows follows in Krier's workwork is is in Krier's repertoire; a folly that is justifi bearing andstructured theNear new "curtain-wall" moremasonry more traditionally traditionally structured and frequently and frequently designed designed in Soeters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch Sjoerd planned the square. Shops, workshops and other services do not idiosyncrasies the site. growing interest inextreme picturesque cultural on of theprecision living rooms. o the precision brickwork brickwork with with traditional traditional features, such such as as citadels on a appear to beanecessary development offeatures, a series of residential here – an example ofoflandmarks. One thinks of the impact of brick water towers on the . He, rubbed-brick rubbed-brick arches arches and and header string courses. courses. LindenLinden- landscape like a society dependent on the automobile. golfheader area. Theystring lie in the cultivated Antinomies of Value nineteenth-century countryside and of the pregnant, pinnufer thisinfill somewhat awkward antithesis so ufer in 34,ufer 34, 34, infill terraced terraced housing housing for Berlin-Spandau for big square farms. lt isBerlin-Spandau a very abstract, elevated idea Krier's work is riddled with curious a nacle-like forms created by prominent members of the and new is eliminated in apeople favour of a more dldfur(1978–1979), (1978–1979), represents represents clear a clear shift shift in thisintodirection. this for who want livedirection. a secluded life. In 1998, Six architects were commissioned to execute the the one hand, a manifest interest in class German Association of Craftsmen during the early years adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. ParaFigure for Figure 30 the 30 north and southFigure Figure 31 31 earth. Here,Here, a contrast a contrast is affected is between between the old theby tectonic oldBouwfonds tectonic of of and Heijmans project. We are responsible weaffected were entrusted proportional control and, on the other, ad of this century; above all, perhaps, of Hans Poelzig's enough, the load-bearing proto-Expressionist of the load-bearing the masonry masonry and the andnew thethis "curtain-wall" new "curtain-wall" with theaspect so-called »Slot« (castle), which is the with the so-called Slot (castle), which is the sizesize of flanks with their gate buildings and for the central Figure 26 Figure 27 increasing tendency toward the express steel-framed and brick-faced water tower built at Zeipau s most dramatically revealed in therooms. white plas- town, a growing a growing interest in court picturesque in picturesque cultural cultural landmarks landm minifenestration fenestration of the ofliving the living arooms. Roman legionary's town,circa circa300 300×x300 300 metres. metres. spatial spatial sequence. square, as the fore to sequence. The The oval oval square, as theinterest forecourt to aofRoman legionary‘s in is 1922. However, while hydraulics may well justify One thinks One thinks ofform, theofimpact the impact of of brick water water towers towers on theo nwhere the the low relieving arches help to inflect the common, to have a regu lar while thebrick thatgreen which Bruno Taut nostalgically recognised asthe the w, bowed set-back façades. many ways nineteenth-century countryside countryside and ofand ofpregnant, the pregnan pinarticAt Lindenufer Atand Lindenufer 34, this 34, somewhat thisaIn somewhat awkward awkward antithesis antithesis With rigid external form, Slot Haverleij diverges houses on the reflect anineteenth-century middle-class character "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general inappropriatethe most integrated solutions Krier has nacle-like nacle-like formsforms created created by prominent by prominent members members of the doffor between between old and oldnew and is new eliminated is that eliminated in favour in favour of rather a more of a more from our otherwise romantic attitude. and are all different in appearance. The ground of suchmetres formsGerman forAssociation residential stock isCraftsmen disturbing. In German Craftsmen of during during the early the early years s for complete complete adaptation adaptation of theof Berlin the Berlin brickSjoerd brick tradition. tradition. Para-ParaThe supervisor, Soeters, already determined floor zones ness are three high soAssociation that of they can the end, one must conclude that they are a mere caprice of and this of shops century; this century; above all, perhaps, all, perhaps, of Hans of Hans Poelzig's Poe 977). doxically doxically enough, enough, the the proto-Expressionist theslightly proto-Expressionist aspect of this of this irregularaspect external form and the position of accommodate workshops at above a later date. 32 in Krier's a folly is brick-faced justified only by the steel-framed steel-framed andthat and water tower tower builtFigure at built Zeipau at Z subtradition tradition is most is most dramatically dramatically revealed revealed in theinwhite the white plas-through. plas- We provided These apartments the access road running axially arerepertoire; very large, as isbrick-faced typical ofwater idiosyncrasies of the site. 1922. in 1922. However, However, while while hydraulics hydraulics may may well well justify j o deter model, ter model, wherewhere the low therelieving low relieving arches arches help to help inflect to inflect and gate tower the Dutch market, this basic form with corner bastions being in between 100 and 150 square that which that which BrunoBruno Taut Taut nostalgically nostalgically recognised recognised as thea r the the shallow, the shallow, bowed bowed and set-back andonset-back façades. façades. InAmany In many ways ways on the central metres. pairs every side. school is situated Antinomies of Value "city "city crown", crown", or Stadtkrone, or Stadtkrone, the general the general inappropriateinapprop enna this isthis oneisofone theofmost the most integrated integrated solutions solutions that Krier that Krier has has Krier's workness is riddled with forms curious of ness such of such forms for residential forantinomies: residential stockstock isondisturbing. is disturbi In the one hand,the a manifest in classical devices end, the one end,interest must one must conclude conclude that they that are theyof a are mere a mere caprice ca proportionalin control and, onrepertoire; the other, aadiscernible Krier's in Krier's repertoire; a folly folly that isthat justified isand justified only by only theb Figure 27 increasing tendency towardofthe expressionistic use of idiosyncrasies idiosyncrasies theof site. the site.

Figure Figure 26 26

Figure Figure 27 27

Antinomies Antinomies of Value of Value Krier's Krier's workwork is riddled is riddled with with curious curious antinomies: antinomie on the one thehand, one hand, a manifest a manifest interest interest in classical in classical devices devic of proportional proportional control control and, on and, theonother, the other, a discernible a discernibl and increasing increasing tendency tendency toward toward the expressionistic the expressionistic use ofu

Top:Top: the southern portal towers; bottom: cornerbastion bastion the southern portal towers; bottom:the thesoutheastern south-easternflank flank with with corner

619

Elevation from the south

Layout plan of the Slot of Haverleij

View of individual buildings from the green in the middle

620

Countless steps leading up to the final shape of the village plan materialises, under the direction of the master planner, Sjoerd Soeters. Above left, his original sketch. Soeters insisted on a very distinct village border ...

621

Preliminary design sketches of the row house façades on the border, seen from inside, 7.10.1999

South portico, 19.9.99

South portico, 19.9.99

Drawn the Schlosspark hospital in 18.-19.3.02 Berlin, 18.–19.3.02 Drawn in theinSchlosspark hospital in Berlin,

Identical row houses at the edges and similar forts at the corners of the village, which didn't correspond to my philosophy. In contrast, I was able to design a great variety of houses for the middle square.

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Bronze model for the cornerstone-laying ceremony Bronze model for the cornerstone-laying ceremony

623 623

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South side

Slot Haverleij lies in the landscape like a Roman fort

One of the corner bastions on the south side ...

… and one on the north side

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Corner bastions

Mainentrance entrance gate gate from south lookingthrough throughthe thecentral central axis axis Main from the thethe south looking

View through the south portico from inside

Door to the oval square, seen from the green space

626

The northern gate buildings with council flats (model), seen from the south and from the north (left)

Exciting details of the southern gate. One has to pass through three gates to reach the main square.

Severe Severe variety variety houses of houses the onmiddle middle the middle square, square, seen seen from from the the south Large variety ofof houses ononthe square, seen from thesouth south

Below, Below, the same the same rowrow of houses, of houses, seenseen from from the north the north

630

Architectural surprises

The northern gate, less dramatic than the southern one

View into the oval square

Oval square

Every house has an individual façade design, here the corner buildings on the main square

631

Walls of the funnel-shaped middle square

Funnel-shaped middle square, looking north

The same view with the northern portico building, finished in the meantime; the school on the right

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The courtyards of the bastions and the outdoor accesses to the upper floors with emphatically coloured walls The courtyards of the bastions and the outdoor accesses to the upper floors with emphatically coloured walls

Courtyards inside bastions Courtyards inside thethe bastions

633 633

The funnel-shaped middle square seen from the large south side and from the narrow north side, from where the walls seem parallel The funnel-shaped middle square seen from the large south side and from the narrow north side, from where the walls seem parallel

Nice onon thethe right NiceChristmas Christmasatmosphere, atmosphere,thetheschool school right

634

Impression of the main square, looking southwards

635

Every child will recognise its parents’ house.

636

The big square is friendly to pedestrians ...

637

… and thus car-free. On the right, the school comes into view.

638

URBAN DEVELOPMENT HAARLEM – A CRITICAL INTERVENTION Netherlands, 1998

Detail of the city development plan

My first critical reaction to this decorative plan

A first collage with urban blocks from the town plan of Brandevoort, conceived as a city centre with a complex spatial composition, 16.10.98

639

The town planning department of Haarlem Haarlem invited invited me me toto co-operate cooperate as architect in urban their extenurban as ananarchitect in their extension project. was presented sion project. I wasI presented with an already finished master plan and asked to choose where I would like to build. The much too fussy urban layout pattern with its levitating house figures wasn't based on any spatial composition and wasn't organised hierarchically

from the centre to the outskirts. This led me to submit a proposal for an improved master plan, which, unfortunately, was met with decided disapproval. I then declined to cooperate in the project. A flagrant example of how the concept of town is universally misunderstood in contemporary town planning.

Haarlem, 16.10.1998 Haarlem,last lastcollage, collage 16.10.1998

640

URBAN RENEWAL IN THE HISTORICAL CITY Deventer, 1998–99 Deventer, Netherlands, 1998-99

In this exquisite city layout, only discreet interventions were at issue; they are marked black in the plan. The sketches below show the proposed areas that would have needed an architectural revision. Regrettably, the

study was stopped after these first sketches. I was deeply impressed by the quality of Deventer's architecture and felt motivated to work out examples of cautious urban repair in this environment.

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Architectural interventions in the form of sketches

642

VIKTORIA-QUARTIER AT THE KREUZBERG Berlin, 1998–2002 Berlin, Germany, Germany, 1998-2002

18

18

The former Schultheiss brewery, which ceased pro- which is also where the museum entrance is duction some time ago, is situated at the Kreuzberg, located – and oriented it towards the monument. whose summit is crowned by the Karl Friedrich The residential buildings and those containing the todesigned date, forto not date, onlyfor is not the on tec by imposed the German by the German (1976), where (1976), various where nineteenth various nineteenth century urban century compourban compoSchinkel monument. The conversion of its premises ateliers, which complement the old urbandesigned substance, of the load-bearing of the load-bearing masonry and mason fen enimal such standards minimal standards nentsto find nents themselves find themselves combined combined into a single into a single a neighbourhood with housing, workplaces and form well-defined sequences of street vistas whose carried tently through, carriedthe through, plans them the ety, ed by Krier's society, insisKrier's insislabyrinthine labyrinthine complex: complex: building, corner the building, porte museums began at the the corner end ofthe the 1990s in the formthe of porte focal point is the entrance to thetently museum. mension of mension spaciousness of spaciousness and resolve a nted ally living appointed space living space cochere, the cochere, atrium, the the atrium, courtyards, the courtyards, the amphitheatre the amphitheatre a competition for Artprojekt. The high walls of the brewery contain the enormous other solutions. other The solutions. balanced The propo balan ormal cessarily constraints formal constraints and the interstitial and the interstitial arcaded infrastructure. arcaded infrastructure. At the same At the same underground vault; exerting a strong disciplinary tened framehexagonal tened hexagonal central room central are par ro dvenient liberating andplan. liberating plan. time, the Schinkel primary time, thearchitectural primary architectural reference all too apis all too apThe monument on top ofisreference Berlin's highest effect inside, they form a fixed, pre-existing although furnishing although furnishing such a space such stil a propriate, for propriate, Loos's for Michaelerplatz Loos's Michaelerplatz department department store store (partially artificial) hill exerts a powerful attrac- work for the new cultural quarter. The exhibition lem, since lem, almost since no part almost of the no part room o ast, lvarhow Aalto, Alvar in his Aalto, in tion. hisis patently (1910) (1910) is evoked patently here, evoked even here, if the even elevational if the elevational We therefore set the principal spatial axis rooms are to be accommodated in the 10,000 square the of swinging doors. Nevertheless of doors. Ne 6,nts was of able 1956,towas ma-ablesyntax to mahas syntax more tohas do with Loos's to do with Scheu Loos's House House (1912). perpendicular tomore the central building ofScheu the(1912). brewery – metre cellars with barrel-vaulted ceilings.the swinging spaces are spaces both ingeniously are both ingeniousl situated chtoacreate way asa to libercreateAa liberkey element A keyofelement this reading of thisis reading the presence is the inpresence the in the proportioned. proportioned. sketches ofsketches Loos's giant of Loos's Doricgiant column, Doricsubmitted column, submitted for for the Chicago theTribune Chicago competition Tribune competition of 1922, which of 1922, is fi-which is fiThe brick-faced The brick-faced polygonal polygonal residentia nally transformed nally transformed here into the here columnar into thehinge-point columnar hinge-point of of that whichthat Krier which proposed Krier for proposed Fasan the corner the building. corner That building. this proposal That thiswas proposal never was re- never reare surely the aremost surely historicist the mostof historici these l alised is to alised be regretted is to beatregretted many levels, at many not only levels, because not only because scheme, together scheme, with together Krier'swith "tower Krier sk the city ofthe Vienna city of hasVienna been deprived has beenofdeprived a remarkable of a remarkable piece of urbanism, piece of urbanism, but also because but alsothe because proposal theisproposal a is a monumental monumental version of one version of Krier's of onemost of Krier's paradigmatic most paradigmatic domestic works domestic – his works canonical – his Dickes canonical House, Dickes which House, which was completed was completed in the sameinyear. the same year.

ModernityModernity versus Tradition versus Tradition Rob Krier Rob has recently Krier has moved recently away moved fromaway a conception from a conception of his works of as hisabstract works as masses abstract to amasses greatertopreoccupaa greater preoccupation with architectural tion with architectural form. Thisform. is most This immediately is most immediately apparent inapparent his reinterpretation in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century of the nineteenth-century German brick German tradition, brickparticularly tradition, particularly after the realisation after the realisation of his Ritterstrasse of his Ritterstrasse housing project housing in Berlin. project For in Berlin. Rit- For Ritterstrasse, despite terstrasse, its subtlety, despite its is subtlety, still "white is still and"white abstract" and abstract" Figure 22 architecture, architecture, whereas what whereas follows what in follows Krier's work in Krier's is work is more traditionally more traditionally structured and structured frequently and frequently designed indesigned in ngement, ppropriateappropriate to the precision to the brickwork precision brickwork with traditional with traditional features, such features, as such as ofg family aspectslife. of family He, life. He, rubbed-brick rubbed-brick arches andarches headerand string header courses. string Lindencourses. Lindening but room, he did but so in he did in infill uferso 34, ufer terraced 34, infillhousing terracedfor housing Berlin-Spandau for Berlin-Spandau ger of amount quiet andoffurquiet and fur- (1978–1979), (1978–1979), represents represents a clear shift a clear in thisshift direction. in this direction. onfines he family of the hearth. familyHere, hearth. a contrast Here, is a contrast affected isbetween affectedthe between old tectonic the old oftectonic of the load-bearing the load-bearing masonry and masonry the new and "curtain-wall" the new "curtain-wall" Top: courtyard Ehrenhof in front of of the the Berlinische Berlinische Galerie Galerie museum; museum; Top: courtyard »Ehrenhof« in front rban where scale, the where mini- the mini- fenestration fenestration of the living ofrooms. the livingbottom: rooms. the bottom: the Italian Italian village village above above the the museum museum vaults vaults are nsated compensated for in the for in the ce. urban Thisspace. is particThis isAtparticLindenufer At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat 34, this somewhat awkward antithesis awkward antithesis sing meterplanned housingfor planned for old between between and new oldisand eliminated new is eliminated in favour ofinafavour more of a more he ) and proposals in the proposals for complete for adaptation complete adaptation of the Berlin of brick the Berlin tradition. brickParatradition. Paraouth richstadt Friedrichstadt (1977). doxically (1977). enough, doxically theenough, proto-Expressionist the proto-Expressionist aspect of this aspect of this bly gn attains invariably its subattainstradition its sub- is tradition most dramatically is most dramatically revealed inrevealed the whiteinplasthe white plassmissioned been commissioned to de- tertomodel, de- where ter model, the low where relieving the lowarches relieving helparches to inflect help to inflect

Figure 28

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 30

Figure 31

a growing ainterest growing in interest picturesque in pictu cu One thinksOne of the thinks impact of the of brick impactwao nineteenth-century nineteenth-century countrysidecountrys and of nacle-like forms nacle-like created forms by created prominen by German Association German Association of Craftsmen of Cra duri of this century; of thisabove century; all, above perhaps, all,o steel-framed steel-framed and brick-faced and brick-face water tow in 1922. However, in 1922. However, while hydraulics while h

643

Transformation of the Schultheiss brewery at the Kreuzberg, layout plan; on the right, the square in front of Tempelhof airport

644

Access to the site for cultural activities is particularly difficult from the street flanking the area at the right side

AAdiagonal access-wayfrom fromMethfesselstrasse Methfesselstraße (right) obtrudes. diagonal access-way (right) obtrudes

The site of the brewery is problematic for a cultural centre, which should normally be located in the city centre.

Besides, the wet cellars of the brewery pose a threat to the art treasures of the Berlinische Galerie.

Insight into the complicated development of the residential and cultural districts in Kreuzberg, on the site of the former Schultheiss brewery, whose most valuable industrial architecture is integrated

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Access to the area near the former director's villa

Smallgate gatehouses Small houses on the access accessramp ramp

Residential studios on the square

The construction construction ofofanother gate house hadhad been conThe anotherinhabited inhabited gatehouse been sidered––asasan anadvertising advertising medium activities considered mediumfor forcultural cultural activities.

Small accessramp ramp Smallgatehouses gate housesbuilt built on the access

The theconserved conserved Thehouses houseson onthe theramp ramp near near the industrial on Methfesselstrasse Methfesselstraße industrialbuildings buildings on

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Buildingwith withtwo-storey two-storeys Building

Ground floor and first foor

Roof-top floor floor Rooftop

Sections, on the left

North façade, seen from Southfaçade façade with with the South the maisonnette maisonette flats; flats; in inthe thebasement basement thebrewery breweryvaults vaults were were conserved, the conserved,18.2.99 18.2.99

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flats, south façade

accessible from the piazza

with terraces

with the brewery vaults

the upper piazza North façade maisonnette flats, withthe thehouse houseentrances. entrances. The North façade of of thethe maisonette flats, with The main mainindustrial industrialbuildings buildings of the brewery were conservedand anddedicated dedicated to of the brewery were conserved to cultural culturalfunctions, functions,21.2.99 21.2.99

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Italian village Italian Village,

The entrance gate to the Italian Italian village

West façade of the Italian village, former Schultheiss brewery, on the Kreuzberg, 23.2.99

First floor

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ground floor

village, seen from the inner street

Village piazza with a glimpse to the entrance gate, 23.2.99

650

DE PARADE Bergen 1997–2006 Bergenop op Zoom, Zoom, Netherlands, Netherlands, 1997-2006 From a military perspective, this wonderful little town some 25 kilometres north of Antwerp was the gateway to the western Netherlands and so it was fortified accordingly. The ambitious attempt to build a huge Gothic church with five naves met with failure; in the end, it was only half-finished. The shell of the choir towered over the town for hundreds of years, until it was taken down in the 17th century so that the stones could be used to repair the city walls. This sorry history of incompleteness lay like a curse on the area until the city fathers decided to put an end to the situation. Their determination was strengthened still more by a serious error of judgement of recent date at St. Josephsplein. Ever since a tower block was erected there in the 1960s, the church tower has again been overshadowed, which is all the more ironic in view of the fact that the church tower was never completed either.

Together with MAB, the developer, we won the competition for the redevelopment brief, launched by the Community of Bergen op Zoom. MAB’s intention to demolish this tower block is, of course, as bold an undertaking as it is costly. The luxuriantly planted square behind the church will acquire a new architectural setting in the form of a U. The church’s fragmentary rear façade does duty as a fourth façade of the square. An octagonal tower crowned with a cruciform figure is to be built on the site where the ruins of the choir once stood. The stretch of Paradestaat between here and St. Josephsplein will receive a new architectural design, and St. Josephsplein itself will have a new, slightly irregular geometry, This picturesque spatial figure was created in collaboration with Sjoerd Soeters, the architect who designed the shopping centre beyond it.

Top: Thaliaplein; bottom: Josephsplein

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Josephsplein

Paradeplein

Layoutplan; plan;below: below:Grote Grote Markt, Layout Markt,dark darkbrown: brown:new newinterevntions interventions

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Kerkstraat Roof-top flat and Rooftop flat and façade of of the façade the tower tower

Thaliaplein

Koevoetstraat

Paradestraat Façade of the tower cross

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Bergen op Zoom, Thaliaplein 16.3.02

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Grote Markt

Possible shapes of the church spire

Repurposing of the existing tower house

Grote Markt

Arcades Thaliaplein

Corner Thaliaplein Max, the town planner, had given his consent to this form for Thaliaplein on a napkin in a pub. 11.5.99

Desperate attempt to integrate the rear side of the church as a façade on the square and to place the residence tower in the axis of the nave

In a forest of sketches, countless alternatives were examined .

Repurposing of the existing tower house

655

Portico to Josephsplein, right: the synagogue

Josephsplein surrounded by a shopping arcade

A crescent-shaped figure leads into Josephsplein.

Josephsplein with entrance gate

Church spire in the background 29.1.98

Grote Kerk seen from Thaliaplein 28.1.98

The irregular spatial figure of Josephsplein 31.8.99

Left: Paradestraat, right: the residence tower and the rear side of the church 24.5.99

656

sequence irregularurban urbanspaces spaces was was developed developed with 31.8.99 ThisThis sequence of of irregular withSjoerd SjoerdSoeters Soeters. 31.8.99

Josephsplein was Josephsplein wasoriginally originally an octagon. octagon 19.10.98 an 19.10.98

Final shape of Thaliaplein 31.8.98

Parade with view of the church spire 19.10.98

657

I dreamed of exhibiting a series of sculptures on Thaliaplein. It remained a dream ...

658

Poster with ideal vision of the urban design development

Tower in its historical context

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Octagonal residence tower on Thaliaplein On Thaliapleinending endinginina semi-circle. a semicircle. Onthe the right: right: Thaliaplein The however,would wouldbebetoo too complicated, Thefloor floorplans plansof ofthe the flats, flats, however, complicated, asasthe runperpendicular. perpendicular.24.5.99 24.5.99 theroads roads behind behind run

661

Thaliaplein

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Koevoetstraat seen from the Parade

Koevoetstraat seen from Kerkstraat

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Paradestraat in direction of the central market

Paradestraat seen from the centre to Josephsplein

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Kerkstraat with view of the church spire

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Parade with tower at the end

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GILDENKWARTIER Amersfoort, Netherlands, Amersfoort, Netherlands,1997-2005 1997–2005 A new city district of approx. 200 flats, the Gildenkwartier, has been built directly outside the old town centre of Amersfoort along the river Eem. It consists of four closed and half closed blocks as well as a town villa at the head of the middle park. The blocks are divided into individually designed houses. All flats have a view either to the park or to the river. Normally I

would have invited several colleagues to design the houses, but some bad experiences in the last years made me decide to design the houses myself. I wanted to be sure about their final quality. On the other hand, only twice in my career have I been invited to participate in urban design projects of architectural friends. A bitter experience.

The construction site in relation to the old city centre

Final collage of the façades of the main block ...

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Main block on the river Eem

thepark parkand andon onthe the riverside, riverside 2001-02 …… ononthe 2001–02

672

Detail views from the waterside

673

Detail views from the park

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GENERAL GENERALREMARKS REMARKS ON MY ON MY DUTCH DUTCHPROJECTS PROJECTS Professionals must think my visions to be superficial illustrations of picture books, because they convey only little information about floor plan typology and structural engineering. Unlike my works up until 1995, I couldn't nourish my love for varied and elaborate floor plan design in the projects in the Netherlands. The local concrete construction, which is based on standardised shuttering technology such as cross-wall and tunnel construction, didn't allow the spatial geometrical variations I had realised in Berlin as part of the Internationale Bauausstellung (International Architecture Exhibition, IBA), for example on Schinkelplatz. The different types of floor plans in my Dutch projects can only be recognised in the arrangement of windows and terraces and, of course, in the extremely varying architectural design of the façades that clearly set apart each house type from the neighbouring one. In retrospect I think it was a technical miracle that this amazing abundance of variations was possible, as experts worldwide regard the repetition of identical building components inevitable on economic grounds. Two circumstances enabled this miracle. For one, brick façades in the Netherlands are less expensive than plaster façades in Germany, and secondly there were still craftsmen who had the skill to lay a wide range of variegated stones in complicated patterns and reliefs. This was only possible on the basis of a very old local tradition in brick construction and the tender, even passionate care for this art. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to this craft, as it enabled me to realise these projects in their diversity over 20 twenty the Netherlands. over yearsyears in theinNetherlands.

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Each four-storey single family house has a two-storey living room, a garden and a roof terrace.

Exterior façades of the 23 single-family houses

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Building block at the outer edge of the complex. The flats are accessed by a rear walkway.

Courtyard façades of the single-family houses

684 684

Single-family row row houses houses seen Single-family seenfrom fromsouth-east southeast Single-family row houses seen from south-east

685

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Single-family houses and flats have the Single-family same height houses and flats have the same height.

Chiaroscuro effects on the façades (there Chiaroscuro was no money effectsfor onplastic the façades reliefs)(there was no money for plastic reliefs)

from houseisislike likeananother View from north-east: no house is likeView View an other from northeast: north-east: no house other

686

BATAAFSE KAMP Hengelo, Netherlands, 1998

This city near the German border was nearly completely destroyed during World War II due to its steel mill. There were only a few reasonable starting points on the the aim aim points for for this this city city repair, repair, which which focussed focused on

of preserving the existing green spaces as much as possible. Half of the flats can directly enjoy the municipal park, which opens up to the surrounding streets.

Crescent on the park side, 16.6.98

687

Urban block structure

New urban spaces ...

… in the city context

Entrance situation from the northern block corner, 18.6.98

Green

688

Here can be seen how interesting floor plans can be developed out of very complex building block figures. Four flats are accessed by a staircase; the terraces are oriented to the south. As in my Berlin project, I once again proposed various room shapes.

689

The design of the corner flats is especially exciting in these narrow block figures. The wonderful old trees would have been cherries on the cake of this project, but it unfortunately got stuck in the design phase.

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MODIFICATION AND EXTENSION OF AN OLD STONE HOUSE Duomo/Andora, Italy, 1999

First sketch. In the cadastral map, the house was denoted as Torre, tower. Here, an attempt is shown to rebuild the tower, but to date it has not been possible,. 9.3.99

691

My wife Roswitha's head office in Duomo in Liguria is a 250-year-old stone house of about 6 m x× 6 m. The stables were at ground level, kitchen, bedroom, and living room above. When we decided to spend the summer months there, we had to make cautious extensions on three sides of the house. On the ground floor, we arranged two bedrooms around the bathroom, in the upper storey, an office for the two of us, on the former open terrace a new, covered living room with sufficient space for Roswitha's weaving loom. We added a 4 m high, vaulted studio to replace the lost terrace. For this new building, 1.5 cbm slate were excavated, which provided the stone for the masonry. Thus, the old and the new house could coalesce homogeneously.

One can see here how the old staircase has been integrated and is now protected from the rain. Roswitha's new studio monumentally dominates the old building, as if it had been the origin of the house.

Our new living room is Roswitha's weaving studio.

The new terrace above the vaulted studio.

693

A skylight is necessary necessaryfor forweaving weaving. Skylight is

A tapestry is cut off from the weaving loom .

Roswitha paints in watercolours

The woven studio door as if seen from inside

694

Roswitha'shidden hidden studio, studio, which glazed andand Roswitha‘s whichhas hasmeanwhile meanwhilebeen been glazed canbebeclosed closedwith withPersian Persian carpets; terrace can carpets;on ontop top,thethe terrace

695

The eastern extension with enlarged dining corner, WC, staircase, lower storage room and exit to dry laundry on the narrow walkabout around the house

696 696

Roswitha's studio. The stones for this massive masonry were broken from the local subterranean rock. Roswitha's studio. The stones for this massive masonry were broken from the local subterranean rock.

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ThisThis sculpture was originally tothe theCatalan Catalancomposer composer, Frederic Mompou. sculpture was originallyconceived conceivedas as aa memorial memorial to Frederic Mompou.

The project wasn't realised. Now, the terracotta model watches over the entrance to Roswitha's house in Duomo in Liguria.

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TRANSFORMATION OF A STUDENTS’ VILLAGE Berlin-Schlachtensee, Germany, 1999

The students' village designed architectsFehling Fehlingand andGogel, Gogel 1962-64, byby Kraemer, Pfennig andand ErnstErnst, 1977-78 The students‘ village designed by by thethe architects 1962–64,enlarged enlarged Kraemer, Pfennig 1977–78 Many of the student houses from the 1960s were in severe need of renovation, mostly because the exterior walls had no thermal insulation and the windows were were draughty. draughty. The The effects efects on the quality of life were so dramatic in summer and Plan by Fehling The centre could New building and Gogel be conserved blocks

The trees and the topography can be conserved .

winter that a demolition of at least a part of the complex was inevitable. The core was to be maintained as a concession to protection. Large portions of the open space had to be converted residential converted into intoa residential building area.

Alternative plan with an irregular building block layout

18

18

18

19 19

699

designed designed to to date, date, forfor not not only only is the is designed the tectonic tectonic to articulation date, articulation for not only is the tectonic disjunctive disjunctive surfac sur he German spatial standards inhuman imposed spatial by the standards German imposed bywhere the German various iousinhuman nineteenth nineteenth (1976), century century where urban urban various compocomponineteenth century urban (1976), compovarious nineteenth (1976), century where various urban componineteenth century urban compoofcombined of thethe load-bearing load-bearing masonry and of and fenestration thefenestration load-bearing consismasonry and fenestra most most evident evident in l standards housing authorities. While housing such authorities. minimal standards While minimal mselves hemselves combined combined nents find into into athemselves asingle single combined into such anents single find standards themselves nents find themselves into amasonry single combined into a consissingle tently tently carried carried through, through, the plans plans tently themselves themselves carriedthe have through, have a dia dithethere plans there isthemselve is somethin somet Krier's should insisnocorner doubt be increased should by no society, doubt Krier's be increased insis- by society, insis- the mplex: omplex: thethe corner labyrinthine building, building, complex: the the porte porte the corner building, the labyrinthine porte Krier's complex: labyrinthine corner building, complex: the the porte corner building, porte mension mension ofthe of spaciousness spaciousness andand resolve mension resolve that that ofisspaciousness is absent absent in in regulation and resolve regulation of that of theth living tence on a central and formally tence on appointed living and formally space appointed living spacethe cochere, um, rium, thespace the courtyards, courtyards, cochere, the the the amphitheatre amphitheatre atrium, thea central courtyards, the amphitheatre cochere, the atrium, courtyards, the atrium, amphitheatre the courtyards, the amphitheatre other other solutions. The The balanced balanced proportions other proportions solutions. of the The the flatflatbalanced proportions lateral lateral andand rightrig ltial often seems to impose unnecessarily often seems toinfrastructure. impose constraints unnecessarily formal constraints lconstraints arcaded arcaded infrastructure. infrastructure. and the interstitial At At the the same arcaded same formal At the andsame the interstitial arcaded and infrastructure. thesolutions. interstitial At arcaded the same infrastructure. Atofthe same tened tened hexagonal hexagonal room are tened are particularly particularly hexagonal striking, are particula thisthis order order through throu erating on the plan. achievement convenient on the achievement of a convenient plan. liberating ary architectural architectural reference time, reference theofprimary isais all all too too architectural apap-and liberating reference is alltime, tooand apthe primaryplan. architectural time, the reference primaryiscentral architectural allcentral tooroom apreference is all striking, toocentral ap- room although although furnishing furnishing such a space a space although still still remains remains furnishing a store proba probsuch In a space still rem In Lindenufer Lindenufer 343 Loos's os's Michaelerplatz Michaelerplatz propriate, department department for Loos's store store Michaelerplatz department propriate, store for Loos's Michaelerplatz propriate, fordepartment Loos's such Michaelerplatz store department lem, lem, since almost nono part part of of thethe room lem, room since undisturbed is undisturbed almost noby part byof room is un thethe Corbusian Corbusian pr One innotes, his by way of contrast, One notes, how Alvar by way Aalto, of contrast, his elevational how Alvar Aalto, inevoked his (1910) ntly yAalto, evoked evoked here, here, (1910) even even ifisthe ifpatently the elevational elevational evoked here, even ifinthe (1910) is patently here, even issince patently ifalmost the elevational evoked here, even ifisthe elevational the the swinging swinging of of doors. doors. Nevertheless, Nevertheless, the swinging the the surrounding surrounding of(1912). doors. Nevertheless, the thethe splendour splendour of soeable towith maHansaviertel apartments Berlin ofHansaviertel 1956,Loos's was able apartments to maofsyntax 1956, has wasmore able to to doBerlin do with Loos's Loos's syntax Scheu Scheu has House more House (1912). to(1912). do with Scheu House (1912). to mado withsyntax Loos's has Scheu more House to do with (1912). Loos's Scheu House spaces are are both both ingeniously ingeniously situated spaces are and appropriately both appropriately ingeniously situated and a face forfor utilitarian utilitar nipulate a liberrequirements in such nipulate way requirements as to create in a libersuch a way asthe to create aoflibertfeate of this this reading reading A is key is thethe presence element presence of inathis in the the reading is the presence A in key element this reading Aspaces key is element the presence of this in reading thesituated is theand presence in the face proportioned. proportioned. proportioned. tenance of of "the "th 'sos's giant giant Doric Doric sketches column, column, submitted ofsubmitted Loos's giant forforDoric column, submitted sketches for of Loos's giant sketches Doric column, of Loos's submitted giant Doric for column, submitted for tenance form"; as as LeLe Cor C une ibune competition competition theofChicago of 1922, 1922, which Tribune which is fiiscompetition fiof 1922, which the is Chicago fiTribune competition the Chicago of 1922, Tribune which competition is fiof 1922, which is fi- form"; The The brick-faced brick-faced polygonal polygonal residential The brick-faced towers, towers, such polygonal such as as model residential tow model thethe plain plai s ed here here into into thethe columnar nally columnar transformed hinge-point hinge-point here ofinto of the columnar hinge-point nally transformed of here into nally the columnar transformed hinge-point here into the ofresidential columnar hinge-point of that that which which Krier Krier proposed Fasanenstrasse that Fasanenstrasse which (1980), proposed (1980), Fasanenstr to bring bring into into play p ng. ding. That That thisthis proposal the proposal corner was building. was never never reThat re- this proposal was never the corner re- building. Thatthe this corner proposal building. wasproposed never That this re-forfor proposal wasKrier never re- to for areare surely the most most historicist historicist oflevels, of these arethese surely later later projects. theprojects. most This historicist This self." of these later self." The The surfa sup retted egretted at many at many levels, alised levels, is notto not only beonly regretted because because at many levels, not onlyalised because is to be regretted at alised many levels, issurely to the benot regretted only because at many not only because scheme, scheme, together with Krier's Krier's "tower "tower scheme, sketches," sketches," together suggests suggests with Krier's "towerattained sketch patently patently attain nna a hashas been been deprived deprived the cityofof of a Vienna remarkable a remarkable has been deprived of a remarkable the city of Vienna has been the deprived city oftogether Vienna of a with remarkable has been deprived of a remarkable intrinsic order order of m, ism, butbut also also because because piece the ofthe urbanism, proposal proposal isbut is a also a because the proposal pieceisofa urbanism, but also piece because of urbanism, the proposal but also is abecause the proposal is a intrinsic on rsion of of oneone of of Krier's monumental Krier's most most paradigmatic paradigmatic version of one of Krier's most paradigmatic monumental version of one monumental of Krier's most version paradigmatic of one of Krier's most paradigmatic This apparent apparent conc –s his – his canonical canonical domestic Dickes Dickes House, works House, which – his which canonical Dickes House, domestic which works – his canonical domestic Dickes worksHouse, – his canonical which Dickes House, which This haps haps thethe echo echo of in thethe same same year. year. was completed in the same year. was completed in the same was year. completed in the same year. bility bility between, betweeno Figure 21 FigureTradition 21 public public spirit spirit of ot sus Tradition Tradition Modernity versus Modernity versus Tradition Modernity versus Tradition simply in in hishis sket s recently ently moved moved away Rob away from Krier from ahas conception a conception recently moved away from a conception Rob Krier has recently moved Rob Krier awayhas from recently a conception moved away from a conception simply pagnon – and, – and, on bstract abstract masses masses to of to ahis greater a works greater preoccupaaspreoccupaabstract masses to a greater preoccupaof his works as abstract masses of his works to a greater as abstract preoccupamasses to a greater preoccupa- pagnon private interiorit interio tectural tural form. form. This This tion is with most is most architectural immediately immediately form. This is most immediately tion with architectural form. tionThis withisarchitectural most immediately form. This is most immediately private Figure Figure 28 Figure 29 28 Figuresubjectiv 29subject cryptic cryptic reinterpretation nterpretation ofapparent of thethe nineteenth-century nineteenth-century in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century apparent in his reinterpretation apparent of28the in nineteenth-century his reinterpretationFigure ofFigure the29nineteenth-century latent, violence-t violenc dition, radition, particularly particularly German after after brick thethe realisation tradition, realisation particularly after the realisation German brick tradition, particularly German brick aftertradition, the realisation particularly after the realisation latent, pre-war Magical Magic se asse housing housing project project of his in Ritterstrasse in Berlin. Berlin. ForFor Rithousing Rit- project in Berlin. of Forhis RitRitterstrasse housing of his project Ritterstrasse in Berlin.housing For Rit-project in Berlin. For Rit- pre-war Germany andand Ba ite its its subtlety, subtlety, is still isterstrasse, still "white "white despite andand abstract" abstract" its subtlety, is still "white and abstract" terstrasse, despite its subtlety, terstrasse, is still "white despiteand its subtlety, abstract"is still "white and abstract" Germany 23 follows Figure Figure 23iswhat 22 Figure 22 sense anan insatia insat whereas reasFigure what what follows architecture, in in Krier's Krier's whereas work work is follows in Krier's architecture, work is whereas what architecture, follows inwhereas Krier's work what isfollows in Krier's work is sense architecture to to c ylly structured structured andand more frequently frequently traditionally designed designed structured in in and frequently designed more traditionally in structured more and traditionally frequently designed structuredinand frequently designed in architecture priate to the and even lyrical arrangement, ating and appropriate lyrical arrangement, to the precision to thewithprecision simultaneously a kwork ork ating with with traditional traditional precision features, features, brickwork such such as with aseven traditional features, suchappropriate as brickwork traditional brickwork features, with suchtraditional as features, such as simultaneously mily varying life. He, andrubbed-brick often conflicting varying aspects and of often family conflicting life. He,aspects of familyarches life. He, compensation o hes rches and and header header string string courses. courses. arches LindenLindenand header string courses. rubbed-brick Lindenand header rubbed-brick string courses. arches and Lindenheader string courses. Linden- compensation he did too,sohousing employed in afor central too, employed room, buta he central did so living in room, butinfill he didterraced so in housing evident andand limit lim rraced terraced housing ufer for 34, Berlin-Spandau Berlin-Spandau infillliving terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau ufer 34, ufer 34, for infillBerlin-Spandau terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau evident uiet such and furway as to create a direction. larger such aamount way aasclear of to quiet create and ain larger furof quiet represents and fur- (1978–1979), resents epresents aa clear a clear (1978–1979), shift shift in in thisthis represents direction. shift this amount direction. (1978–1979), a clear shift inrepresents this direction. a clear shift in this direction. Figure Figure 30 30 the old Figure Figure Figure 31the 31 30 old tectonic of Figure 31 mily hearth. space within the nishable confines within familythe hearth. confines of the family hearth. st affected is nishable affected between between Here, the athe contrast oldold tectonic tectonic is affected of space of the between the old tectonic Here, aofcontrast is affected Here, between a contrast is affected tectonic of between ng masonry masonry andand the thethe new load-bearing new "curtain-wall" "curtain-wall" masonrydes and the new "curtain-wall" the load-bearing masonry the and load-bearing the new "curtain-wall" masonry and the new "curtain-wall" L“L'inconscience inconscience survivants La folie après le déluge des survivants” “La folie après le déluge” a growing a growing interest in in picturesque picturesque a growing cultural cultural interest landmarks. landmarks. in picturesque cultural the Krier miniisrooms. at his best at the urban isscale, at rooms. hiswhere best atthe theminiurban fenestration scale, whereofthe ere the living living rooms. fenestration ofKrier the living theminiliving rooms. fenestration ofinterest the living rooms. One thinks thinks of of thethe impact impact of of brick brick One water thinks water towers towers of theonimpact on thethe of brick water to d for mum in the space requirementsmum are compensated space requirements for in the are compensated for in the One nineteenth-century nineteenth-century countryside countryside and nineteenth-century and of of thethe pregnant, pregnant, countryside pinpinand of the p his is generosity particand clarity of antithesis the generosity urban and clarity This is ofparticthe urban This is34, partic4, 34, this this somewhat somewhat At awkward Lindenufer awkward 34, antithesis this space. somewhat awkward antithesis Atspace. Lindenufer this somewhat At Lindenufer awkward 34, this antithesis somewhat awkward antithesis nacle-like nacle-like forms created created byby prominent prominent nacle-like members members forms created of of thetheby prominent me planned ularly the case the the case inplanned theinperimeter for ofbetween planned foris eliminated new d new is eliminated is for eliminated between ininin favour favour oldperimeter and ofularly of anew more a more ishousing eliminated favour ahousing more old and new between old informs favour and new of isa eliminated more in favour of a more German German Association Association of the of Craftsmen Craftsmen during during Association thethe early early years years of Craftsmen during th oposals Rennweg for in Vienna (1977) Rennweg and inthe Vienna proposals (1977) forandcomplete inParathe proposals ion ation of of thethe Berlin Berlin complete brick brick tradition. adaptation tradition. ParaParaofin the Berlin brick tradition. adaptationfor of the complete Berlin brick adaptation tradition. of ParaBerlinGerman brick tradition. Paraof of thisthis century; century; above above all, perhaps, perhaps, of this of of century; Hans Hans Poelzig's Poelzig's above tadt Prager (1977). Platz (1978) enough, and Prager South Friedrichstadt Platz (1978) and (1977). South Friedrichstadt (1977). gh, , thethe proto-Expressionist proto-Expressionist doxically aspect aspect ofthe of this this proto-Expressionist aspect doxically of this enough, the proto-Expressionist doxically enough, aspect the proto-Expressionist ofall, this aspect of this all, perhaps, of Ha steel-framed steel-framed and brick-faced brick-faced water water steel-framed tower tower built built and at Zeipau atbrick-faced Zeipau water tower bu However, its sub-revealed Krier's urban design However, invariably attains urbanits design invariably sub- tradition ramatically tains dramatically revealed tradition in the in is most the white white dramatically plasplas-Krier's revealed insubthe white tradition plas- attains is mostits dramatically revealed is most inand the dramatically white plas-revealed in the white plasin model, in 1922. 1922. However, However, while while hydraulics hydraulics inarches 1922. may may However, well well justify justify while hydraulics may ioned tlest torelieving inflection dewhere hehelp has tlest been inflection commissioned wherearches hetohas debeen re the the low low relieving terarches model, arches help where to to inflect the inflect low relieving help to tercommissioned inflect model, where to thedelow relieving ter arches where help the low to inflect relieving help to inflect that that which which Bruno Bruno Taut Taut nostalgically nostalgically that which recognised recognised Brunoways asTaut as thethe nostalgically recog osal sign for aset-back the piecethe offaçades. urban signways asaand in piece his proposal of urban infill, for the in proposal for and the set-back ed wed and and set-back façades. shallow, In infill, In many bowed many ways set-back façades. In as many thehis ways shallow, bowed the shallow, façades. bowed In many and set-back ways façades. In many "city "city crown", or Stadtkrone, Stadtkrone, "city general general crown", inappropriateinappropriateor Stadtkrone, the general in ge most inLower Vienna Austria Government Lower Austria State in Government Vienna most integrated integrated this solutions solutions isState onethat of that the Krier Krier most has integrated hasbuilding solutions that Krier thisbuilding ishas one of in theVienna most integrated this is crown", one solutions of theorthat most Krier integrated has thethe solutions that Krier has ness ness of of such such forms forms forfor residential residential ness stock stock of is such disturbing. is disturbing. forms forInresidential In stock is d thethe end, end, oneone must must conclude conclude that that the they they end, areare one a mere a must mere caprice conclude caprice that they are a m Figure Figure 32is32justified in in Krier's Krier's repertoire; repertoire; a folly a folly that that in is Krier's justified is justified repertoire; only only byby the a the folly that idiosyncrasies idiosyncrasies of of thethe site. site. idiosyncrasies of the site.

Figure 24 Figure Figure Figure 27 27 26

Figure Figure 24 25

Figure 27

Antinomies Antinomies of of Value Value Antinomies of Value Krier's Krier's work work is is riddled riddled with with curious Krier's curious antinomies: work antinomies: is riddled ononwith curious ant thethe oneone hand, hand, a manifest a manifest interest interest the in in one classical classical hand,devices adevices manifest of ofinterest in classic proportional proportional control control and, and, onon thethe proportional other, other, a discernible a discernible controland and, andon the other, a dis Figure Figure 25 26 Figure Figure 26 27 tendency Figure 27 expressionistic increasing increasing tendency toward toward thethe increasing expressionistic tendency useuse of toward of the expressio Sketches for the grisailles of Cité Judiciaire in Luxembourg

700

THE AND ROB ROB THE KRIER KRIER BROTHERS, LEO AND asseen seenbybyMarianne MarianneMajerus, Majerus,London London1995 1995

701

POSTSCRIPT

This book can unfortunately only hint at what I would like to have achieved in practice during my 30-year struggle for a valid conception of urban development structures and integrated, clear housing typologies. For many years, vehement criticism of my work and defamatory public disputes consumed an excessive amount of my energy and time. When I did get the chance to build, the modest budgets (for social housing, for example) and the undermining of the architect's authority in the construction process effectively ensured that my ideal concepts were only realised in schematic form. I still find it miraculous that I had the chance to build two real squares: Schinkelplatz in Berlin and Camillo-Sitte-Platz in Vienna. Vienna. When When II was was working working on on my my book, book, Urban Urban Space, believed that that II would would be be Space, II would would never never have have believed so lucky. Though these places are modest in scope, I know that they will provide a fitting setting for public life, blossoming with time and growing old with grace. No architecture critic's commentary

could give me an equal sense of success. My very traditional approach to architecture and urbanism sets me – and some of my friends – far apart from successful mainstream architecture at the end of this millennium. Still, we have had time to prepare our theories well, to separate our ideas from everchanging fashions, and to lay a foundation for building in the future. My teaching activities have taken up much of my time, but they have also given me the means to try out different theories and strategies. My work as an architect has had a distinctly 'applied' character. I have never had the opportunity to advance to the higher ranks of the profession and to produce public buildings, such as town halls, museums, churches and schools... the true realm of the architect. I have gambled a lot and lost a lot. This book bears witness to that. Yet, ideas can have strength even if they remain unbuilt. I hope that my drawings, along with their practical message, will recall something of the visionary dream.

702

703

Statement of Statement of Works works 1957-1999 1957–1999 compiled by Marion Sauter (DAM)

The inventory inventory numbers numbers refer refer to to the the holdings holdings in in the the archives archives of of the the German German Architecture Architecture Museum Museum (Deutsches (Deutsches The Architekturmuseum, DAM). DAM). Most Most of of the the drawings drawings and and plans plans were were donated donated to to the the museum museum by by Rob Rob Krier Krier in in Architekturmuseum, 2003. Only Only aa small small number number of of projects projects (so-called (so-called old old stock) stock) had had already already been been acquired acquired by by the the museum museum under under 2003. its founding founding director director, Heinrich Heinrich Klotz. Klotz. The The first first three three figures figures of of each each inventory inventory number number refer refer to to the the architect architect its (142 = = Rob Rob Krier), Krier), the the next next three three figures figures designate designate the the project project and and the the remaining remaining figures figures indicate indicate the the holdings holdings (142 of drawings drawings and and models. models. of

Sketch books Manuscripts Sculptures Furniture design Sketch books 1969–2003

Inv. No. No. 142-100-(001-061) 142-100-(001-061) Inv.

Years of study/Early works 1957–1974 Inv. No. No. 142-101-(001-016) 142-101-(001-016) Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-101-(017-019) 142-101-(017-019) Inv. (models of of the the “ville “ville idéale”) idéale”) (models

Typologies/Proportion studies 197–1980

Inv. No. No. 142-102-(001-079) 142-102-(001-079) Inv.

Architectural journals 1998–2004

Inv. No. No. 142-103-(001-031) 142-103-(001-031) Inv.

Manuscripts/Writings/ Correspondence 1970–1997

Inv. No. No. 142-104-(001-056) 142-104-(001-056) Inv.

Sculptures 1968–2001

Inv. No. No. 142-105-(001-040) 142-105-(001-040) Inv.

Furn–2002

Inv. No. No. 142-106-(001-019) 142-106-(001-019) Inv.

Miscellaneous 1962–2002

Inv. No. No. 142-107-(001-019) 142-107-(001-019) Inv.

University studies 1959–1964 Residential building on amorphous plan lieu unknown 1960 not realised Inv. No. 142-108-(001-021)

Weekend home lieu unknown 1960 not realised

Inv. No. 142-109-(001-067)

Hillside house lieu unknown 1960 not realised

Inv. No. 142-110-(001-002)

Residential building lieu unknown 1960–1961 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-111-(001-006) 142-111-(001-006) Inv.

Architectural survey of Auxerre Cathedral Auxerre, F 1961

Inv. No. No. 142-112-(001-045) 142-112-(001-045) Inv.

Une église – Church Füssen, D not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-113-(001-055) 142-113-(001-055) Inv.

Town hall lieu unknown 1961–1962 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-114-(001-007) 142-114-(001-007) Inv.

Library in Finanzgarten Munich, D 1962 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-115-(001-031) 142-115-(001-031) Inv.

Chapel for a youth group Luxembourg, L 1963 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-116-(001-003) 142-116-(001-003) Inv.

Urban development Berlin-Wedding Berlin, D 1963 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-117-(001-002) 142-117-(001-002) Inv.

Church designs lieu unknown 1964 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-118-(001-008) 142-118-(001-008) Inv.

Single-family housing estate Stuttgart-Neugereut, D 1963–1964 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-119-(001-010) 142-119-(001-010) Inv.

Twin house for an architect and a graphic artist Munich, D not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-120-(001-002) 142-120-(001-002)

Projects at the Institute for Lightweight Structures of Stuttgart University 1964–1970 Thonnard house Senningen, L 1964 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-121-(001-017) 142-121-(001-017)

Growth system for a big city lieu unknown 1964–1965 not realised

Inv. No. 142-122-(001-017)

Parcelling study for single-family homes lieu unknown 1964–1965 not realised

Inv. No. 142-123-001

Airport Luxembourg, L 1965 Competition

Inv. No. 142-124-(001-028)

704

Richartz house Wiltz, L 1965 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-125-001 142-125-001

New Pinakothek Munich, D 1966–1967 not realised Inv. No. Inv. No.142-126-001 142-126-001

Development plan Warmbronn Warmbronn, D 1968 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-133-001 142-133-001

Bielefeld University Bielefeld, D with Léon Krier 1968 Competition

Housing studies lieu unknown 1966 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-134-(001-005) 142-134-(001-005) Inv.

Industrially produced housing unit for the European Coal and Steel Community lieu unknown 1966 Competition

Inv. No. 142-135-(001-066), Inv. No. 142-135-067 (model), old stock Inv. No. 142-001-(001-049), Inv. No. 142-001-050 (model)

Inv. No. No. 142-127-001 142-127-001 Inv.

Siemer house Warmbronn, D 1968–1973 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-128-(001-003) 142-128-(001-003) Inv.

Urban development Aalter Aalter, B 1966 Competition

Inv. No. 142-129-(001-034), old stock Inv. No. 142-019-(001-065), Inv. No. 142-019-066 (model)

Structure studies lieu unknown 1967 not realised

Teichen house Warmbronn, D 1968 not realised

old old stock stock Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-007-001 142-007-001

Wünning house, swimming pool covering Warmbronn, D 1968–1969 not realised

Inv. No. 142-130-(001-050)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-137-(001-006) 142-137-(001-006)

Convertible house Warmbronn, D 1967 not realised

Extension of the workshop of Bodo Rasch sen. Stuttgart-Oberaichen, D 1970–1971 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-131-(001-050) 142-131-(001-050) Inv.

Town hall Amsterdam, NL with Léon Krier 1967 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-132-(001-098) 142-132-(001-098) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-138-(001-003) 142-138-(001-003) Inv.

Row houses Im Kienle Stuttgart, D 1970 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-139-(001-008) 142-139-(001-008) Inv.

Projects 1970–1980 Town centre and superstructure of the railway station Leinfelden, D 1971 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-140-(001-013), 142-140-(001-013), Inv. old stock stock old Inv. No. No. 142-016-(001-012), 142-016-(001-012), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-016-013 142-016-013 Inv. (model) (model)

Urban development expertise and housing block Berliner Allee/ Lohener Straße Freiburg, D 1971 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-141-001, 142-141-001, Inv. old stock stock old Inv. No. No. 142-016-(001-012), 142-016-(001-012), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-027-(001-003) 142-027-(001-003) Inv. (models) (models)

Shade roofs for a government and cultural centre Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 1972 not realised Inv. No. No. 142-142-001 142-142-001 Inv.

Tower study Stuttgart-Neugereut, D 1972 not realised Inv. No. No. 142-143-(001-002) 142-143-(001-002) Inv.

Reconstruction of the inner city Stuttgart, D 1972 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-144-(001-015), 142-144-(001-015), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-144-016 142-144-016 (model), (model), Inv. old stock: stock: old Inv. No. No. 142-011-(001-003), 142-011-(001-003), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-011-004 142-011-004 (model), (model), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-012-(001-002), 142-012-(001-002), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-012-003 142-012-003 (model), (model), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-013-001, 142-013-001, Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-013-002 142-013-002 Inv. (model) (model)

Tower Bridge Housing / Royal Mint Square London, GB 1973–1974 Competition Inv. No. No. 142-145-(001-012), 142-145-(001-012), Inv. old stock: stock: old Inv. No. No. 142-017-(001-026) 142-017-(001-026) Inv.

Dickes house Luxembourg, L 1974 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-146-(001-024), 142-146-(001-024), Inv. old stock: stock: old Inv. No. No. 142-002-(001-073), 142-002-(001-073), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-002-074 142-002-074 (model) (model) Inv.

Buildings on the waterside Lausanne, CH 1975 Students' works while I was a visiting professor at ÉPUL

Inv. No. No. 142-103-020 142-103-020 Inv.

Kolbeinsson house / three-nave house Luxembourg, L 1975–1976 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-147-(001-009), 142-147-(001-009), Inv. old stock: stock: old Inv. No. No. 142-006-001, 142-006-001, Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-006-002 142-006-002 (model) (model) Inv.

Weidemann house Stuttgart, D 1975–1976 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-148-(001-002), 142-148-(001-002), Inv. old stock: stock: old Inv. No. No. 142-022-(001-002), 142-022-(001-002), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-022-003 142-022-003 (model) (model) Inv.

705

Minoritenplatz Vienna, A 1975–1976 Competition

old stock: Inv. No. 142-020-(001-009), Inv. No. 142-020-010 (model)

Three squares (Breitscheidplatz, Wittenbergplatz, Lützowplatz) for the centre of West Berlin Berlin, D 1976–1978 Expertise

Inv. No. 142-150-(001-008)

Kurfürstendamm/ Tauentzienstraße Berlin, D 1977 Urban development expertise

Inv. No. 142-155-(001-044), old stock: Inv. No. 142-022-(001-002), Inv. No. 142-009-(001-011)

Secondary school Perchtoldsdorf, A 1976–1977 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-156-(001-009), 142-156-(001-009), old old stock: stock: Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-021-(001-008) 142-021-(001-008) (models) (models)

Plankenstein castle / residential building for twins Texing, A Residential district and 1976–1977 federal office building not realised Vienna, A 1977 old stock: Inv. Competition Inv. No. No. 142-123-001 142-123-001 Prager Platz Berlin, D 1976–1981 Urban development expertise for the International Architecture Exhibition (Internationale Bauausstellung, IBA)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-152-(001-073), 142-152-(001-073), old old stock: stock: Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-022-(001-002), 142-022-(001-002),

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-153-(001-003), 142-153-(001-003), old stock: old stock: Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-024-(001-012) 142-024-(001-012)

Holiday village around a square Hornstein (?), Burgenland, A 1977–1978 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-154-(001-012), 142-154-(001-012), old stock: old stock: Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-026-(001-005) 142-026-(001-005)

Ritterstraße Berlin-Kreuzberg, D 1977–1980 completed

Inv. No. 142-162-(001-104), old stock: Inv. No. 142-008-(001-031), Inv. No. 142-008-032 (model)

Schinkelplatz Berlin-Kreuzberg, D 1977–1983 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-163-(001-098), 142-163-(001-098), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-163-099 142-163-099 (model) (model) Inv.

Ephraim palace Berlin, D 1978 not realised

Museum of architectural history at the New Christoffelstor Freiburg, D 1977 Idea for a potential project

Lindenufer, house I and II Berlin-Spandau, D 1978–1982 completed

Market hall on Wittenbergplatz Berlin, D 1977 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-159-001 142-159-001 (model) (model)

Open-air theatre on Breitscheidplatz Berlin, D 1977–1978 not realised

Inv. No. 142-160-(001-007), Inv. No. 142-160-(001-007), Inv. No. 142-160-(008-009) Inv. No. 142-160-(008-009) (models) (models)

1980–1990

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-161-(001-044) 142-161-(001-044)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-157-(001-028), 142-157-(001-028), old old stock: stock: Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-003-(001-041), 142-003-(001-041), Inv. No. 142-003-(042-043) 142-003-(042-043) Inv. No. (models) (models)

Inv. Inv.No. No.142-010-(001-007) 142-010-(001-007)(models) (models) old stock: Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-014-001 142-014-001

Town hall Brunn am Gebirge, A 1977 Competition

South Friedrichstadt Berlin, D Urban development expertise, partly completed (Ritterstraße, Schinkelplatz)

Inv. No. No. 142-164-(001-014) 142-164-(001-014) Inv.

Inv. No. Inv. No. 142-165-(001-144), 142-165-(001-144), Inv. No. (models) Inv. No.142-165-(145-146) 142-165-(145-146) (models)

Former horse market Hamburg, D 1978–1981 not realised

Inv. No. Inv. No. 142-166-(001-058) 142-166-(001-058)

Two towers on Fasanenstraße Berlin, D 1980 Expertise Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-169-(001-004) 142-169-(001-004)

New block division Lindenstraße/Alte Jakobstraße/Berlin Museum Berlin, D 1980 not realised Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-170-(001-012) 142-170-(001-012)

Franziskus hospital Berlin-Kreuzberg, D 1980 Planning for the second construction phase Schinkelplatz which wasn't realized Inv. No. 142-(162-00) Inv. No. 142-171-(001-006)

Urban development Wulfen Wulfen, D 1980 not realised Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-172-(001-007) 142-172-(001-007)

Baden State Library Karlsruhe, D 1979 Competition

Heat station with flats on Feilerstraße Berlin, D 1980 not realised

Via triumphalis Karlsruhe, D 1979 not realised

Fiat-Block Berlin-Wilmersdorf, D 1980–1981 Three buildings completed

Inv. No. Inv. No. 142-167-(001-037) 142-167-(001-037)

Inv. No. Inv. No. 142-168-(001-018), 142-168-(001-018), Inv. No. (models) Inv. No.142-168-(019-020) 142-168-(019-020) (models)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-173-001 142-173-001

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-174-(001-053) 142-174-(001-053)

706

Housing on Kurfürstendamm Berlin, D 1980–1981 Expertise

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-175-(001-028) 142-175-(001-028)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-185-(001-102) 142-185-(001-102)

Kindergarten Schwuppdiwupp Vienna, A 1985 not realised

Housing on Schrankenberggasse Vienna, A 1983–1985 completed

Domaine Panorama Luxembourg, L 1985 not realised

Housing on Forellenweg Salzburg, A 1983–1986 partly completed

Flat of the Krier family, Bräunerstraße Vienna, A 1980–1984 completed

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-186-(001-075) 142-186-(001-075)

Housing on Rauchstraße Berlin-Tiergarten, D 1980–1985 completed

Housing on Hirschstettner Straße Vienna, A 1983–1987 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-176-(001-135) 142-176-(001-135) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-177-(001-132) 142-177-(001-132) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-187-(001-061) 142-187-(001-061) Inv.

Housing on Babelsberger Straße Berlin-Wilmersdorf, D 1981 not realised

Annenhof cinema Graz, A 1984 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-178-(001-003) 142-178-(001-003) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-188-(001-004) 142-188-(001-004) Inv.

Attic conversion Riesl Housing Breitenfurter Straße Vienna, A Vienna, A 1984 1981–1987 not realised Competition, completed Inv. No. No. 142-189-(001-004) 142-189-(001-004) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-179-(001-184) 142-179-(001-184) Inv.

Gate on Paderborner Straße Berlin-Wilmersdorf, D 1982 completed

Urban development Amiens Amiens, F 1984–1991 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-180-(001-010) 142-180-(001-010) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-190-(001-354) 142-190-(001-354) Inv.

University of Fine Arts Berlin, D 1982 Competition

Town hall and cultural centre Breitenfurt, A 1985 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-181-(001-019) 142-181-(001-019) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-191-(001-020) 142-191-(001-020) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-194-001 142-194-001 Inv.

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-195-(001-008) 142-195-(001-008)

Urban district in Liesing Vienna, A 1984–1992 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-196-(001-019) 142-196-(001-019)

SOS Children's Village Yemen 1985 not realised Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-197-001 142-197-001

Castle hotel Mönchstein Salzburg, A 1986–1987 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-204-(001-025) 142-204-(001-025) Inv.

Parish hall Pordenone, I 1986–1987 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-205-(001-024) 142-205-(001-024) Inv.

Sedanplatz Pforzheim, D 1987 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-206-(001-013) 142-206-(001-013) Inv.

Sistiana Bay Trieste, I 1986–1987 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-207-(001-015) 142-207-(001-015) Inv.

Pavilion for the Baden Württemberg Garden Festival Freiburg, D 1985–1986 completed

Exhibition rooms of the Fondation pour l'Architecture Brussels, B 1987 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-198-(001-020) 142-198-(001-020)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-199-(001-030) 142-199-(001-030)

Inv. No. No. 142-208-(001-005) 142-208-(001-005) Inv.

Administration building Schömer Klosterneuburg, A 1986 Competition

Dennewitzpark Berlin, D 1988 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-200-(001-013) 142-200-(001-013)

Inv. No. No. 142-182-(001-011) 142-182-(001-011) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-192-(001-025) 142-192-(001-025) Inv.

Town hall Mannheim, D 1986 Competition

Port border Hamburg, D 1983 Competition

Dr. Dirnberger flat Vienna, A 1985 not realised

Piazzale Matteotti Vicenza, I 1986 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-193-(001-008) 142-193-(001-008) Inv.

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-203-(001-015) 142-203-(001-015)

Housing on Reichsbrücke Vienna, A 1985 Competition

Place de l'Étoile / Axe Arlon Luxembourg-Kirchberg, L House on Avenue Pasteur 1982–1986 Luxembourg, L not realised not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-184-(001-004) 142-184-(001-004) Inv.

World Expo '92 Sevilla, E 1986 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-201-(001-028) 142-201-(001-028)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-202-(001-029) 142-202-(001-029)

Inv. No. No. 142-209-(001-017) 142-209-(001-017) Inv.

707

Façade Novotel Salzburg, A 1988 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-210-(001-015) 142-210-(001-015) Inv.

New town hall and shopping centre Maastricht, NL 1988 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-211-(001-027) 142-211-(001-027) Inv.

Lange Vorhoot The Hague, NL 1988–1989 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-212-(001-031) 142-212-(001-031) Inv.

Block development Bilbao Bilbao, E 1988–1989 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-213-(001-149) 142-213-(001-149) Inv.

Urban planning BANK Lavi-Kavel The Hague, NL 1988–1993 Competition, partly completed (De Resident)

Inv. No. No. 142-214-(001-104) 142-214-(001-104) Inv.

Raftsman monument Pforzheim, D Socle by Léon Krier, statue by Rob Krier 1988–1991 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-215-(001-016), 142-215-(001-016), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-215-017 142-215-017 (model) (model) Inv.

Bussy-Saint-Georges Marne-La-Vallée, F with Nada and Marc Breitman 1988–1989 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-218-(001-010) 142-218-(001-010) Inv.

Kirgate Markets Leeds, GB 1989 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-219-(001-045) 142-219-(001-045) Inv.

Grain Island Gdańsk, PL with students of the Technical University Vienna 1989 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-220-(001-002) 142-220-(001-002) Inv.

Railway station triangle Lille, F with Nada and Marc Breitman 1989 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-221-(001-014) 142-221-(001-014) Inv.

Former butchery Frankfurt a. Main, D 1989 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-222-(001-007) 142-222-(001-007) Inv.

Urban proposal for CergyPontoise Cergy-Pontoise, F with Marc Breitman 1989 not realised

1980-1990

(since 1993, Christoph Kohl is partner of Rob Krier in their office Rob Krier ∙ Christoph Kohl Architekten)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-233-(001-038) 142-233-(001-038)

Kirchsteigfeld (draft) Potsdam, D with Christoph Kohl 1991–1993

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-234-(001-491) 142-234-(001-491)

Master plan Bruay-La-Buissière, F with Marc Breitman 1990 not realised Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-227-001 142-227-001

Exerzierplatz Pirmasens, D 1990 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-228-(001-016) 142-228-(001-016)

Parliament Luxembourg, L 1990–1991 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-229-(001-166) 142-229-(001-166)

ZAC Consuls de Mer / Port Marianne Montpellier, F with Nicolas Lebunetel 1990–1997 completed

Kirchsteigfeld (realisation) Potsdam, D with Christoph Kohl 1991–1997 completed Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-235-(001-894) 142-235-(001-894)

Karow-Nord Berlin, D 1992 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-236-(001-041) 142-236-(001-041)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-230-(001-137) 142-230-(001-137)

Inv. No. No. 142-224-(001-085) 142-224-(001-085) Inv.

Housing on Deimlingstraße/ Klostermühlgasse Pforzheim, D 1991 not realised

Conversion of the former State printing house The Hague, NL 1992 not realised

Venta Berri San Sebastián, E with Léon Krier 1989–1990 not realised

Postplatz Dresden, D 1991 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-223-(001-) 142-223-(001-) Inv.

Retirement village of the Theodor-Fliedner-Werk Mülheim a. d. Ruhr, D 1988–1993 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-217-(001-176), 142-217-(001-176), Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-217-177 142-217-177 Inv. (church model) model) (church

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-226-(001-004) 142-226-(001-004)

Eiche / Altes Rad Potsdam, D 1991–1993 not realised

Cité Judiciaire Luxembourg, L 1991–2008 (1991–1998 with Léon Krier) completed

City Centre Irún Irún, E 1988–1991 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-216-(001-036) 142-216-(001-036) Inv.

Thoughts about Berlin: Belle-Alliance-Platz, Leipziger Platz, Gleisdreieck Berlin, D 1989–1990 not realised

Sannegårdshamnen Gothenburg, S 1989–1990 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-225-(001-009) 142-225-(001-009) Inv.

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-231-(001-002) 142-231-(001-002)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-232-(001-006) 142-232-(001-006)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-237-(001-174) 142-237-(001-174)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-238-(001-018) 142-238-(001-018)

Cultural centre Echternach, L 1992–1993 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-239-(001-029) 142-239-(001-029)

708

Office of the Federal President Berlin, D with Walter Cernek 1994 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-247-(001-031) 142-247-(001-031)

De Resident The Hague, NL 1993–2001 completed

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-240-(001-241) 142-240-(001-241)

Red Cross Germany home for the elderly FolkeBernadotte Darmstadt, D 1993–1994 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-241-(001-111) 142-241-(001-111) Inv.

Spree Island Berlin, D 1993 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-242-(001-008) 142-242-(001-008) Inv.

Marketplace with town hall Halle, D 1993 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-243-(001-015) 142-243-(001-015) Inv.

Family grave not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-244-001 142-244-001 Inv.

Bech-Monument Grevenmacher, L Architecture: Léon Krier, Sculpture: Rob Krier 1993 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-245-(001-007) 142-245-(001-007) Inv.

Government district in the Spreebogen Berlin, D with Léon Krier 1993 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-246-(001-010) 142-246-(001-010) Inv.

Bornstedter Feld Berlin, D 1994 not realised

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-248-(001-007) 142-248-(001-007)

Barracks on Pappelallee Potsdam, D 1994 Competition

Inv. No. No. 142-249-(001-007) 142-249-(001-007) Inv.

Refurbishment of the Krier flat on Herderstraße Berlin, D 1994 completed

Inv. No. No. 142-250-(001-015) 142-250-(001-015) Inv.

Media-City Babelsberg Potsdam, D with Christoph Kohl 1994–1995 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-251-(001-131) 142-251-(001-131)

Speicherstadt Potsdam, D 1994 Competition

Inv. No. 142-252-(001-016)

Castelforte Trier, D 1994 Competition

Inv. No. 142-253-(001-002)

Graalfs house Potsdam, D not realised

Inv. No. 142-254-(001-036)

AWIC / Meander Amsterdam, NL 1994–1998 completed

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-255-(001-221) 142-255-(001-221)

Klingelhöfer Dreieck Berlin, D 1995 Competition

Fichtenhain Krefeld, D 1996 Expertise

Bartels site Gütersloh, D 1995 not realised

Deutrich's Hof Leipzig, D 1996 Competition

Brandevoort Veste Helmond, NL 1996–2008 completed

Hypo-Bank Munich, D 1996 not realised

Strohsack Strohsack Leipzig, D Leipzig, D 1995–1996 1995-1996 not realised not realized

SDO Via Tiburtina Rome, I 1996 not realised

Inv. No. No. 142-256-(001-042) 142-256-(001-042) Inv.

Inv. No. No. 142-257-(001-005) 142-257-(001-005) Inv.

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-258-(001-292) 142-258-(001-292)

Inv. Inv. No. 142-259-(001-051) Inv. No. No. 142-259-(001-051) 142-259-(001-051)

Noordzijde (Nooderhof) Amsterdam-Slotermeer, NL 1994-1999 completed Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-260-(001-135) 142-260-(001-135)

Inv. No. No. 142-265-(001-006) 142-265-(001-006) Inv.

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-266-(001-062) 142-266-(001-062)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-267-(001-078) 142-267-(001-078)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-269-(001-033) 142-269-(001-033)

Leidsche Rijn Utrecht, NL 1996 Expertise

Cultural centre in the former Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-270-(001-006) 142-270-(001-006) convent Echternach, L Regattastraße 1995–1998 Berlin-Köpenick, D not realised 1996 Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-261-(001-033) 142-261-(001-033) not realised Inv. Lindengalerie / Komische Inv. No. No. 142-271-(001-003) 142-271-(001-003) Oper City palace Berlin, D Berlin, D 1996 Competition 1996–1998 Expertise Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-262-(001-040) 142-262-(001-040) Thames Water Habitable Bridge London, GB 1996 Competition

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-272-(001-085) 142-272-(001-085)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-263-(001-078) 142-263-(001-078)

Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig, D 1997 Competition

Brabant 2050 Brabant, NL 1998 Expertise

Gildenkwartier Amersfoort, NL 1997–2005 completed

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-264-(001-023) 142-264-(001-023)

Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-273-(001-027) 142-273-(001-027)

Inv. No. 142-274-(001-003) 142-274Inv. No. (001-003)

ry architectural reference is all too apoos's Michaelerplatz department store ly evoked here, even if the elevational to do with Loos's Scheu House (1912). of this reading is the presence in the os's giant Doric column, submitted for bune competition of 1922, which is fiGrote Markt ed here into the columnarGroningen, hinge-point of NL ding. That this proposal1997 was never regretted at many levels, not because notonly realized s na has been deprived ofInv. a No. remarkable Inv. No. 142-275-(001-006) 142-275-(001-006) sm, but also because the proposal is a sion of one of Krier's most paradigmatic Arsenal – his canonical DickesBrussels, House, which B in the same year. 1997 s not realized

709

Golfclub near Berlin, D 1998 not realized s

De Parade brick-faced polygonal residential towers, such as Bergen The op Zoom, NL 1997–2006 that which Krier proposed for Fasanenstrasse (1980), 1997-2006 are surely the most historicist of these later projects. This completed

Rustenburg Wageningen, NL 1997–1998 1997-1998 Competition

Refurbishment of Casa Roswitha Duomo, I 1998-2003 1998–2003 completed

mentioned in Inv. No. No. 142-103-006 142-103-006 Inv.

us Tradition Inv. No. No. 142-276-(001-004) 142-276-(001-004) Inv. ecently moved away from a conception Inv. No. No. 142-285-(001-071) 142-285-(001-071) Inv. abstract masses to a greater preoccupaRailway station district 18 ectural form. This is most immediately Potsdam, D Urban development einterpretation of the nineteenth-century 1997 Haarlem adition, particularly afterCompetition the realisation Haarlem, NL housing project Berlin. For RitInv. No. No. 142-277-(001-028) esseGerman (1976),in where various nineteenth century1998 urban compoInv. 142-277-(001-028) estandards its subtlety, is still "white abstract" combined into not realized nents find and themselves a s single hereas what follows in Krier's work the is corner building, SES Astra Inv. No. No.the 142-286-(001-002) ier's insislabyrinthine complex: porte Inv. 142-286-(001-002) ly structured frequently designed Betzdorf, Ltheincourtyards, the amphitheatre ving space and cochere, the atrium, work with traditional features, as infrastructure. 1997 such Glienicker Feld constraints and the interstitial arcaded At the same ches header string LindenCompetition Berlin, atingand plan. time, the courses. primary architectural reference is allDtoo apterraced housing for Berlin-Spandau Inv. No. No. 142-278-(001-099) 1998 propriate, for Loos's Michaelerplatz department store Inv. 142-278-(001-099) epresents shiftisinpatently this direction. alto, in hisa clear (1910) evoked here, even if Competition the elevational is affected theGZG old tectonic of Loos's ScheuInv. site Inv. No. 142-287-(001-005) 142-287-(001-005) able to ma- between syntax has more to do with House (1912). No. gatemasonry "curtain-wall" s’-Hertogenbosch, NL is the presence in the a liber- and A the key new element of this reading he living rooms. Kamp sketches of1997 Loos's giant Doric column,Bataafse submitted for s competition of 1922, notTribune realized Hengelo, the Chicago whichNL is fi34, this somewhat awkward Inv. No. No.antithesis 142-279-(001-034) nally transformed here into the columnar1998 hinge-point of Inv. 142-279-(001-034) d new is eliminated in favour of a more realized the corner building. That this proposalnot was never res ation of the Berlin tradition. ParaInv.only No. 142-288-(001-013) 142-288-(001-013) alisedbrick is to Verkade-terrein be regretted at many levels, not because Inv. No. h, the proto-Expressionist aspecthas ofNL this the city ofZaandam, Vienna been deprived of a remarkable dramatically piece revealed the whitebut plas1997 de Meern of in urbanism, also because theVleuten proposal is a e the low relieving archesnot help tosinflect realized (draft) monumental version of one of Krier's most paradigmatic wed and set-back façades. InNo. many Inv. No. 142-281-(001-114) domestic works –142-281-(001-114) hisways canonical DickesVleuten, House, NL which Inv. most integrated thatinKrier has year. 1998 wassolutions completed the same

iate to the ly life. He, e did so in et and furmily hearth.

e the minifor in the s is particlanned for posals for dt (1977). ins its suboned to desal for the in Vienna

ZAC du Parc

tened hexagonal central room are particularly striking, although furnishing such a space still remains a problem, since almost no part of the room is undisturbed by the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, the surrounding spaces are both ingeniously situated and appropriately proportioned.

Inv. No. No. 142-289-(001-002) 142-289-(001-002) Inv.

ModernityVitré, versusF Tradition 1997–2002 French district Rob Krier 1997-2002 has recently moved away from a conception s notasrealized Potsdam, D of his works abstract masses to a greater preoccupaInv. No. No. 142-282-(001-022) 142-282-(001-022) 1998 tion with architectural form. This is most immediately Inv. Competition apparent in his reinterpretation of the nineteenth-century Viktoria district / Inv. No. 142-290-(001-021) German brick tradition, particularly afterInv. theNo. realisation 142-290-(001-021) former Schultheiss site of his Ritterstrasse housing project in Berlin. For RitBerlin, its D subtlety, is still "white Development terstrasse, despite and abstract" 1998–2001 Figure 27 1998-2001 of the inner architecture, whereas what follows in Krier's workcity is Competition Deventer, NL in more traditionally structured and frequently designed 1998–1999 Inv. No. No. 142-283-(001-175) 142-283-(001-175) 1998-1999 precision brickwork with traditional features, such as Inv. Expertise rubbed-brick arches and header string courses. LindenInv. No. No. 142-291-(001-021) 142-291-(001-021) ufer 34, infill terraced housing for Berlin-Spandau Inv. (1978–1979), represents a clear shift in this direction. Slotof Here, a contrast is affected between theHaverleij old tectonic the load-bearing masonry and the news’-Hertogenbosch, "curtain-wall" NL 1998-2007 1998–2007 fenestration of the living rooms. completed

Inv. No. No.antithesis 142-292-(001-035) At Lindenufer 34, this somewhat awkward Inv. 142-292-(001-035) between old and new is eliminated in favour of a more complete adaptation of the Berlin brick tradition. Paradoxically enough, the proto-Expressionist aspect of this tradition is most dramatically revealed in the white plaster model, where the low relieving arches help to inflect the shallow, bowed and set-back façades. In many ways this is one of the most integrated solutions that Krier has

scheme, together with Krier's "tower sketches," suggests Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-293-(001-047) 142-293-(001-047)

this order throu In Lindenufer 3 the Corbusian the splendour o face for utilitari tenance of "the form"; as Le Co model the plain to bring into pla self." The sur patently attaine intrinsic order o

This apparent c haps the echo o bility between, public spirit of simply in his sk Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-294-(001-010) 142-294-(001-010) pagnon – and, o private interior von Wedel library Figure 29 cryptic subjecti Munich,Figure D 28 latent, violence 1999 Magic s not realized designed to date, for not onlypre-war is the tectonic and B mentioned in of the load-bearing masonryGermany and fenestrat sensethemselves an insati Inv. tently carried through, the plans Inv. No. No. 142-103-001 142-103-001 mension of spaciousness andarchitecture resolve thattoi simultaneously Row houses other solutions. The balanced proportions compensation Berlin, D tened hexagonal central room are particular evident and lim not realized although furnishing such a space still rema s mentioned in lem, since almost no part of the room is und Figure 30 Figure 31 Inv. the swinging of doors. Nevertheless, the s Inv. No. No. 142-103-002 142-103-002 spaces are both ingeniously situated and ap a growing interest in picturesque cultural landmarks. Home for the elderly proportioned. One thinks of the impact of brick water towers on the Kirchsteigfeld nineteenth-century countryside andbrick-faced of the pregnant, pin- residential towe Potsdam, D The polygonal of the for Fasanenstra 1999 nacle-like forms created by prominent that whichmembers Krier proposed German Association of Craftsmen duringthethe early years of these later pr s not realized are surely most historicist ofinthis century; above all, perhaps, Hans Poelzig's mentioned scheme,of together with Krier's "tower sketches steel-framed and brick-faced water tower built at Zeipau Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-103-001 142-103-001 in 1922. However, while hydraulics may well justify that which Bruno Taut nostalgically recognised as the Student’s village "cityChaussee crown", or Stadtkrone, the general inappropriatePotsdamer Berlin, ness D of such forms for residential stock is disturbing. In 1999 the end, one must conclude that they are a mere caprice ins Krier's repertoire; a folly that is justified only by the Figure 32 not realized idiosyncrasies of the site. mentioned in Inv. Inv. No. No. 142-103-001 142-103-001

Antinomies of Value Figure 28 Krier's work is riddled with curious antinomies: on the one hand, a manifest interest in classical devices of proportional control and, on the other, a discernible and increasing tendency toward the expressionistic use of

Figure 30

Figure 29

Figure 31

a growing interest in picturesque cultural One thinks of the impact of brick water tow nineteenth-century countryside and of the pre nacle-like forms created by prominent mem German Association of Craftsmen during the of this century; above all, perhaps, of Han steel-framed and brick-faced water tower bui in 1922. However, while hydraulics may w that which Bruno Taut nostalgically recogn "city crown", or Stadtkrone, the general ina ness of such forms for residential stock is dis

710

Project staff Thefollowing followingwere are the The thestaff staffmembers membersininthe theoffice officeof ofRob RobKrier KrierininVienna Viennafrom from1976 1976toto1994, 1994,ininthe theoffice office RobKrier Krier••Nicolas Nicolas Lebunetel Lebunetel in in Montpellier Montpellier from from 1992 1992 to Rob to 2004 2004 and and in in the the office office Rob Rob Krier Krier ••Christoph ChristophKohl Kohl inBerlin Berlinfrom from1993 1993to to2010. 2010. in

Vienna staff H. Auer S. Becker S. Bidwell M. Bier S. Böhm W. Cernek M. Cufer F. C. Demblin B. Dewey G. Fellner S. Fritz M. Geiswinkler D. Henke B. Hönigmann U. Kainzinger (AS) P. Katzberger N. Kostka M. Maggio M. Mauss W. Mayr G. Miller G. Misiek C. Muller K. Müllner R. Newald O. Özer F. Rassad K. Rhomberg A. Roventa W. Rudolf A. Sarnitz U. Schauer M. Scheibl D. Steiner W. Stelzhammer A. Stiller

[AS = administrative staff]

B. Trzeja K. Vouk A. Wald L. Weisser J. Wooding H.-P. Wunsch K. Zweifel Montpellier staff M. Candillon J. Ciccariello L. Delafont P. Laporte V. Launois (AS) M. Neri T. Planes C. Robin P. H. Roy R. Urbani Berlin staff F. Altpeter S. Armenia D. Bank P. Berenz R. Branschofsky J. Brunetto H. Buijsen A. Burgio D. Byrne M. Carmen S. Chapoknysch C. Cianfarini (AS) J.-P. Colas C. Eberhard H. Ehlers

F. Espinosa Caro M. Festa W. Flegel D. Gamble U. Gardeler S. Hampe W. D. Harmon S. Henning P.-O. Hermansson R. Hermsen D. Jones C. Jörder C. Kautz M. Kersting K. Klembt (AS) D. Krämer N. Kraut A. Lehnerer O. Louhivuori D. Lovric J. O. Luhn U. Mahadeva J. Meyer-Arendt P. Niesert D. Nightingale G. Peuntinger S. Raetsch (AS) J. Reif A. Schott R. Seidel S. Sprenger P. Theodorakopoulou B. Utz D. Wagner (AS) K. Wagner T. K. Wille Wilke K. Wilke T. Wille I. Zimmermann

711

711

Rob Krier Rob Krier Biography Biography 1938 1938

Born inBorn Grevenmacher, in Grevenmacher, Luxembourg Luxembourg

1976–1994 1976-1994 1976-1994 Office in Office Vienna, in Vienna, AustriaAustria

1982 1982 1959–1964 1959-1964 1959-1964 Study of Study architecture of architecture at the at the Technical Technical University University of Munich, of Munich, Germany Germany 1986 1986

Architecture Architecture award of award the city of the city of Vienna of Vienna VisitingVisiting professor professor at Yale at University Yale University in Newin Haven, New Haven, USA USA

1965–1966 1965-1966 1965-1966 Collaboration Collaboration with Oswald with Oswald MathiasMathias UngersUngers in Cologne in Cologne and Berlin, and Berlin, Germany Germany

1988 1988

1967–1970 1967-1970 1967-1970 Collaboration Collaboration with Frei with Otto Frei Otto in Berlin in and Berlin Warmbronn and Warmbronn near near Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany Germany

Über architektonische Über architektonische Komposition Komposition (English(English edition:edition: Architectural Architectural Composition) Composition)

1989 1989

Honorary Honorary doctor of doctor the Technical of the Technical University University of Stockholm, of Stockholm, SwedenSweden

1973–1975 1973-1975 1973-1975 Assistant Assistant of Johannes of Johannes Uhl Uhl at the Technical at the Technical University University of Stuttgart, of Stuttgart, Germany Germany

1992–2004 1992-2004 1992-2004 Office in Office Montpellier, in Montpellier, France,France, in association in association with Nicolas with Nicolas Lebunetel Lebunetel

1993–2010 1993-2010 1993-2010 Office in Office Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, Germany, Stadtraum Stadtraum in Theorie in Theorie und Praxis und Praxis in partnership in partnership with Christoph with Christoph Kohl Kohl (English(English edition:edition: Urban Space, Urban Space, 1979) 1979) 1996 1996 Honorary Honorary membermember of the American of the American InstituteInstitute of Architects of Architects 1975 1975 Architecture Architecture award of award the city of the city of Berlin, of Berlin, togethertogether with Léon withKrier Léon Krier 1997 1997 Honorary Honorary membermember of the Bund of the Bund Deutscher Deutscher Architekten Architekten (Association (Association 1975 1975 VisitingVisiting professor professor at the École at the École of German of German Architects) Architects) Polytechnique Polytechnique de l'Universite de l'Universite de de Lausanne Lausanne (ÉPUL), (ÉPUL), Switzerland Switzerland 1997 1997 Potsdam Potsdam Kirchsteigfeld Kirchsteigfeld – Eine Stadt – Eine Stadt entstehtentsteht / The Making / The Making Making of a Town of aa Town Town entsteht / The of 1976–1998 1976-1988 1976-1988 Professor Professor at the Vienna at the Vienna University University of Technology, of Technology, Austria,Austria, 2003 2003 Town Spaces. Town Spaces. Contemporary Contemporary at the newly at the founded newly founded InstituteInstitute Interpretations Interpretations in Traditional in Traditional for Architectural for Architectural Design Design Urbanism Urbanism 1975 1975

ROB KRIER ROBKRIER The The Work Work II II Architecture, Urban Design, Drawings and Sculptures

2000-2016

The TheWork WorkII

ARCHITECTURE, URBAN DESIGN, DRAWINGS AND SCULPTURES 2000–2016

ROB’S EDITION Birkhäuser Basel

4

In memory of my parents, Maudy and Jempy Krier. They protected my dreams. Page 1 – Portrait sketch (of the author) my wife My heartfelt thanks go first of all to allbythose who have madeGrützke, such a valuable Roswitha 1986 contribution to the preparation and realisation of my projects, and then to all thosebook who have contributed to the printing the two This has been compiled from variousofpublicabooks It ondemonstrates my work: tions. not only my work as a town Dorothea – German planner and Wagner architect,for butproofreading also that as a my visual artist texts, and sculptor and my desire to see both in union. Designs that emerged under my leadership have been – Andyfrom Tarrant them into English, taken the translating following books (either in full or in amended form): – Marisa Lock for the technical editing of my layouts, linking of the infinite number of images and the – the Architectural Monographs, Rob Krier, Archiadjustment my layout templates, tecture andof Urban Design, Academy Editions + Ernst und Sohn, 1993, ISBN 1 85490 204 0 (HB), – PISBN for finalising aul Kallnbach 1 85490 205 9 (PB) the layout and monitoring the quality of the book. He has beenResirespon– Rob Krier, Zeichnungen und Skulpturen, sible for many of my books in recent denz Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-7017-0948-3 – Rob Krier., Christoph Kohl, Potsdam-Kirchsteigfeld, The Making of a Town, AWF-Verlag, 1997, Page 1 – 3-933093-00-7 Portrait sketch (of the author) by my wife ISBN Roswitha Grützke, 1986. – Rob Krier, On Architecture, Academy Editions / St. Martin's Press, 1982, ISBN 0-312-68541-6 Images texts0-312-68542-4 are my own and are authorised by Cloth,and ISBN Paper me. – Rob Krier, Urban Projects, 1968-82, 5 IAUS, Rizzoli NY, 1982, ISBN 0-8478-0409-7 – Rob Krier, Ein romantischer Rationalist, This book has been compiled from various publicaA Romantic Rationalist, Springer, Deutsches tions. It demonstrates not only my work as a Architektur-Museum, Frankfurt am Main, town 2005 planner and architect, but also that as a visual artist – Rob Krier, Town Spaces, Contemporary andInterpretations sculptor and my desire to see both in union. in Traditional Urbanism, BaselDe/ signs that emerged under my leadership have been Berlin / Boston, 2003 taken from the following books (either in full or in amended Images andform): texts are my own and are authorised by me. – Rob Krier, Architectural Monographs, Architecture and Urban Design, Academy Editions + Ernst und Sohn, 1993, ISBN 1-85490-204-0 (HB), ISBN 1-85490-205-9 (PB) – Rob Krier, Zeichnungen und Skulpturen, Residenz Verlag, 1995, ISBN 3-7017-0948-3 – Rob Krier, Christoph Kohl, Potsdam-Kirchsteigfeld, The Making of a Town, AWF-Verlag, 1997, ISBN 3-933093-00-7 – Rob Krier, On Architecture, Academy Editions / St. Martin’s Press, 1982, ISBN 0-312-68541-6 Cloth, ISBN 0-312-68542-4 Paper – Rob Krier, Urban Projects, 1968-82, 5 IAUS, Rizzoli NY, 1982, ISBN 0-8478-0409-7 Rob Krier, Ein romantischer Rationalist, A Ro– mantic Rationalist, Springer, Deutsches Architektur-Museum, Frankfurt am Main, 2005

Editors: Dorothea My heartfelt thanksWagner go first of all to all those who have made such a Translation: Cathal Whelehan, Fiona Greenwood valuable contribution to the preparation and realisaFincannon, Sara King, Dorothea Wagner tion of my projects, and then to all those who have contributed to the prinLayout, andtwo typesetting: Rob Krier ting of the books on my work: Cover design: Heike Strempel – Dorothea Wagner for proofreading my German Paper: 115g/m² Magno Volume texts, Printing: BELTZ Grafische Betriebe GmbH – Andy Tarrant for translating them into English, Congress Number: –Library MarisaofLock for theControl technical editing 2021939422 of my layouts, the linking of the infinite number of images and the adjustment of my layout templates, Bibliographic information published by the German Library for finalising the layout and moni–National Paul Kallnbach The German National Library lists this publicatoring the quality of the book. He has been responsible tion in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed for many of my books in recent years. bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. Thank you all very much! This work Rob is subject Copyright: Krier to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reISBN................. printing, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and Printed.............. storage in databases. For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained. ISBN 978-3-0356-2279-9 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-0356-2280-5

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CONTENTS

A dream of reuniting architecture and fine arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Figural City, by Michael Graves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Motivation for thismonographic monographicintrospection introspection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 to this Composition of urban Urbanspaces Spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Pavilion for the Landesgartenschau, Freiburg . . . . . . . . . 1986 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Citadel Broekpolder, Beverwijk/Heemskerk . . . . . . . . . . 2000–2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 House for my friends, Pantasina, Liguria . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 segment,inFrisco, Texas Street segment Frisco, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Window in the woods, Almere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Lignano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Façades on Leipziger Platz and Voßstraße, Berlin . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Façade study, Galerie Unter den Linden, Berlin. . . . . . . . 1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Rivierenbuurt, The Hague. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000–2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Woonkathedraal, The Hague. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001–2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 – Johannisviertel, Tacheles — Johannisviertel,Berlin Berlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000–2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Cité-Jardins Le Plessis-Robinson, Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 ZAC du Parc, Vitré . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997–2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Val d'Europe, Marne-la-Vallée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Kloosterveste Assen Kloosterveste, Assen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Lloyd Pier, Rotterdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Strijp S, former Philips works, Eindhoven . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Development plan for Ouderkerk, Amsterdam. . . . . . . . . 2001–2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Housing on Wielandstraße, Gladbeck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001–2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Chimney in our flat, Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Bataviahaven, Lelystad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002–2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Landstraat Noord, Bussumfor Harbour and new concept . . .the . . town . . . . .hall, . . . .Bussum . . . . . . . . . . 2001–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

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Olympic village, Düsseldorf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002–2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Kamperpoort, Zwolle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Alter Hof (Old Court), Munich 2002-2003. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 . . .residence, . . . . . . . . Munich . . . . . . . . . 2002–2003 — Restructuring the old Woonzorgpark Bilderdijk, Hoogeveen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002–2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Sculptor’s workshop, workshop, Bargemon Bargemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1991–2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 My sculptor’s Apartment villas, Heiligendamm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Housing complex Paktuynen, Enkhuizen . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003–2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Living on islands, Heerenveen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Urban renewal, Culemborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Urban development Hattersheim, Frankfurt a. . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 amM. Main De Stadsbleek, Oldenzaal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003–2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Oberkassel, Düsseldorf . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 New development of Oberkassel, Düsseldorf Restructurisation of Boddenkamp, Enschede . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Restructuring of Boddenkamp, Enschede . New opera house, Muscat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Urban development, Amstelveen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Burcht Luyvestein, Suytkade, Helmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Housing complex Ismaninger Straße, Munich . . . . . . . . . 2003–2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Foundation of a new village, Muiden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 305 New community on aformer formerfactory factorysite, site,Ede Ede. . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Extension of the former court of justice, Utrecht . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Arcad Europea, Prague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Assumerhof, Heemskerk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 development Borbeck Urban development, Borbeck area, area, Oberhausen Oberhausen. . . . . . . . 2004–2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 a. M. . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 Garden City Unterliederbach, Frankfurt am Main IJburg – urban development of a new island . . . . . . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 New Argentinie, IJhaven, Amsterdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354 Living in the historical centre, Bilbao. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

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How to build in Bilbao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418 My Sculptor’s How to build inworkshop, Bilbao . .Duomo/Andora 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 418 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 Olympiakwartier, AlmereDuomo/Andora 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 448 .Duomo/Andora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003 My sculptor’s Sculptor’s workshop, workshop, New district Bangert en Oosterpolder, 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 456 Olympiakwartier, Almere . . . . . . . . . . .Hoorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2004 Melchior house, Ersange 460 . . . . . . . . . . .Hoorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 New district Bangert en Oosterpolder, 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 Monumenthouse, to Freedom 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460 462 Melchior Ersangeand . . Unity, . . . . . .Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008 Sculpture depot, Duomo/Andora 470 .Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462 Freedom andunity, Unity,.Berlin Monument to freedom and European Embankment, St. Petersburg 2010–2012 476 Sculpture depot, Duomo/Andora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 Cité Judiciaire, Luxembourg 1991–2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476 520 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010–2012 Embankment, St. Petersburg Petersburg European embankment, St. Reconstruction of the New Market, 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 576 Cité Judiciaire, Luxembourg . . . . . .Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1991–2008 Conversion of aofBarracks, 582 .Berlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576 Reconstruction the new market, NewBamberg Market,Berlin Kulturforum,ofBerlin 588 . . . . .Bamberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582 Conversion a barracks, Barracks, Bamberg The scandal ofBerlin architectural 609 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588 Museum of the 20th Century, Kulturforum, . . . . . . .competitions .Kulturforum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2015 District of Tegel Airport . . . .competitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2016 The scandal of architectural 609 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612 A Legacy it’sAirport, calling.Berlin into 620 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612 Airport . . . .question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2016 District of and Tegel Postscript . . .its .it’s . calling . calling . . . . . into . into . . .question .question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627 A legacy Legacyand and 620 Statement of 629 Postscript . . .Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997–2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627 Project staff 630 . . .Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997–2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629 Statement of Biography 631 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630 Project staff Biography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631

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A DREAM OF REUNITING ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

I

I have mostmost oftenoften sepan my my publications publicationssosofar,far, I have separated my two fields of work, architecture rated my two fields of work, i.e.i.e. architecture and and drawings / sculptures. As a consequence, the drawings / sculptures. As a consequence, the impresimpression arose that just happened to be sion arose that there justthere happened to be several artseveral artists with the same name on the scene. ists with the same name on the scene. The different The different editors reinforced this suspicion. Now editors reinforced this suspicion. Nowthefriends have friends have encouraged me to pacify two souls encouraged mebody to pacify twothem soulsonce housed my housed in my and tothe unite andinfor all. Under titlethem “Theonce Work”, have now body and totheunite and Ifor all.thus Under the brought together architectural projects, drawings title “The Work”, I have thus now brought together and sculptures from adrawings specific and period to present architectural projects, sculptures from them as a whole. a specific period to present them as a whole. Browsing through the pages for the first time, the Browsing through the pages for the first time, the reresult looks surprising, multifaceted, sometimes sult looks surprising, multifaceted, sometimes chaotchaotic. It reveals the inner turmoil and multiple ic. It reveals the inner turmoil and multiple personalipersonalities of the author, who, in his youth, could ties of the author, who, in his youth, could not decide not decide on one or the other. On my journeys as a on one or the other. On my journeys as a schoolboy, schoolboy, I was dazzled by the beauty of holistic I was dazzled by the beauty of holistic works of art works of art to such an extent that I thought that to such an extent that I thought that contemporary arcontemporary architecture and arts would have to chitecture and arts would have to be able to achieve be able to achieve this quality, too. And I was naive this quality, too. And I was naive enough to believe enough to believe in the unity of all arts under the in the unity of all arts under the auspices of architecauspices of architecture, as it had been presented to ture, as it had been presented to us as the mother of us as the mother of all arts in class. It was only all arts in class. It was only much later that I realised much later that I realised that the arts had become that the arts had become dramatically estranged from dramatically estranged from one another under the one another under the pressure of the modern art marpressure of the modern art market. The picture ket. The picture frame is merely a mean relic of the frame is merely a mean relic of the painting’s lost painting’s lost bearing to the surrounding architecturbearing to the surrounding architectural space. al space. From the beginning of my time at grammar school From the beginning of my time at grammar school on, I drew and painted without the instruction or inon, I drew and painted without the instruction or inspection of a teacher, following only my inner urge, spection of a teacher, following only my inner urge, mostly during the holidays. Due to the religious mostly during the holidays. Due to the religious ededucation received from our mother I thought to ucation received from our mother I thought to find find the fulfilment of my artistic will to express the fulfilment of my artistic will to express myself in myself in biblical motifs. I chose themes that depicted biblical motifs. I chose themes that depicted humans

inhumans deep self-absorption and which revealed spiritual in deep self-absorption and which revealed conflicts. expressiveness of hands inspired meinto spiritual The conflicts. The expressiveness of hands pen my me firsttolittle book onlittle the subject, of the spired pen my first book on Play the subject Hands. the Hands. field of In architecture, I wanted to dedi-I Play ofInthe the field of architecture, cate myself in a similar wayintoasacred I bewanted to dedicate myself similarbuildings. way to sacred gan to intensively myself prepare for my first church buildings. I beganprepare to intensively myself for design with Prof.design Josef Wiedemann at the Technical my first church with Prof. Josef Wiedemann University in Munich by performing site measureat the Technical University in Munichaby performing ment the gothic cathedral in Auxerre. a siteofmeasurement of the gothic cathedral in Auxerre. This as as seriously today as itasdid Thissubject subjectanimates animatesmeme seriously today it back then. then. But despite all myallefforts, I haveI never did back But despite my efforts, have succeeded in realising this dream of myof youth. I had never succeeded in realising this dream my youth. planned multifunctional sacred buildings in all my I had planned multifunctional sacred buildings in large-scale urban designs, I’ve onlybut actually built all my large-scale urbanbutdesigns, I’ve only one chapel. Asone is chapel. the case architecture and town actually built Asfor is the case for architecture planning general, in both of which undergone and towninplanning general, bothhave of which have a undergone frustrating adecline in the 20th century, the quality frustrating decline in the 20th century, ofthe church buildings has sunk rapidly. some quality of church buildings hasThere sunkare rapidly. touching exceptions: Dom van der Laan, Granpré There are some touching exceptions: Dom van der Molière, Plecnik, Molière, Le Corbusier, Alvaro Aalto and Laan, Granpré Plecnik, Le Corbusier, others. To date I haven’t dared to sketch a valid soluAlvaro Aalto and others. To date I haven’t dared to tion for this temple theme. sketch a valid solution for this temple theme. During dedicate Duringmy mystudies, studies,IIhad had an an urgent urgent desire to dedicate myself to town planning. My journeys across Eumyself to planning. My journeys across Europe rope shown its distress, shocked me had had shown me itsmedistress, whichwhich shocked me much much more than the banality of contemporary new more than the banality of contemporary new conconstruction. Theimpacts impactsofoftown townplanning planning encroach encroach struction. The much more decisively on people’s social living conmuch more decisively on people’s social conditions. ditions.Here, Here,I Ifelt feltmore moremotivation motivationtotofind findopportuoppornities for corrections than in the elitist sacred architunities for corrections than in the elitist sacred artecture. Besides that, my faith was chitecture. Besides that,naive my naive faithundermined being unmore and more by ecclesiastic prescriptions, which dermined more and more by ecclesiastic prescriptions, shackled our life as withcouple constraints which shackled oura young life ascouple a young with and burdened us with spiritual reprisals. constraints and burdened us with spiritual reprisals.

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When the priest priest refused refused to tobaptise baptiseour oursecond secondchild, child, who had been been stillborn, stillborn,because becauseaccording accordingtotochurch church law the stuck in limbo, the innocent innocentcreature creaturewas wasnow now stuck in the I bitterly goodbye to the Roman Catholic institulimbo, I said bitterly said goodbye to the Roman Catholic tion. In doing so, theso, religious themes bowedbowed out of institution. In doing the religious themes my as life an architect and artist. out life of my as an architect and artist. After receiving I threw myreceivingmy myuniversity universitydiploma, diploma, I threw self intointo working on competitions in my time, myself working on competitions in free my free in thein naive hope hope that I that could build build a career as anas artime, the naive I could a career chitect in this way.way. ThisThis strategy was unsuccessful; an architect in this strategy was unsuccessful;in ten years, I didn’t in ten years, I didn’twin wina asingle singlecompetition. competition.HowevHower, mymy architectural and urban designdesign theories ripened ever, architectural and urban theories and, fromand, the middle of the 1970s ripened from the middle of on, thebecame 1970s more on, precise. by the intensive became This moreprocess precise.was Thissupported process was supported exchange with myexchange brother Leo, who by the intensive with mythrough brotherbrilliant Leo, tenacity had made his own way had as anmade architect withwho through brilliant tenacity his own out studies. wayacademic as an architect without academic studies. I summarised my my former former experiences experiences inin my myfirst first book, Stadtraum Stadtraum (Urban (UrbanSpace), Space),where whereI lamented I lamented streets squaresininmodern moderntown town the the lossloss of of streets andandsquares planning and depicted depicted the thehistorical historicaldevelopment developmentofof this process from from its its ideological ideologicalfoundations foundationsininthe the Renaissance to the the 20th 20thcentury. century.This Thistheoretic theoreticwork work was a good good preparation preparation to to my myappointment appointmenttotothe the newly created createdchair chair the foundations of archifor for the foundations of architectural tectural composition at the Technical composition at the Technical UniversityUniversity in Vienna.in Vienna. Here,the under the protection the alma mater, Here, under protection of theofalma mater, I Icould could advance theories for debate in competiadvance mymy theories for debate in competitions tions without the to need to speculate for profit. without the need speculate for profit. With these attention of the then these works, works,I Iattracted attractedthethe attention of the Acting Director for Urban in Berlin, Hans then acting Director forDevelopment Urban Development in Christian Müller. Together withTogether a group with of young colBerlin, Hans Christian Müller. a group leagues, given theI was opportunity to build a largerto urof youngI was colleagues, given the opportunity ban complex in southern Friedrichstadt, in the middle of

realise first cityinsquare, which IFriedcalled which buildI acould larger urbanmy complex the Southern Schinkelplatz. At the sameoftime, I succeeded in buildrichstadt, in the middle which I could realise my ing a round Vienna, patronage of the first city square square,inwhich I under calledthe Schinkelplatz. At Councillor for Building and Construction, Professor the same time, I succeeded in building a round Rudolf At under the end the 1980s, of squareWurzer. in Vienna, theofpatronage of the the city Counasked me to restructure the area around Hague The cillor for Building and Construction, Professor the central station,At and the of beginning of the city 1990s, Rudolf Wurzer. theatend the 1980s, of the new housing estate, Kirchsteigfeld, was realised The Hague asked me to restructure the area around inthe Potsdam. central station, and at the beginning of the 1990s, the new housing estate Kirchsteigfeld was All these inprojects are accompanied by sculptural realised Potsdam. works, which also gave me the strength needed to face everyday quarrels of an architect. hope that Allthe these projects are accompanied by Isculptural construction will find its way back to its former clasworks, which also gave me the strength needed to sical andquarrels that theoficonographic facecomplexity the everyday an architect.richness I hope ofthat the construction fine arts willwill oncefind again embellish its way back to its former classical complexity and that the iconographic richness of the fine arts will once again embellish the architecture of future generations.

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FOREWORD

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o have credibility in the eyes of young people, a teacher must be able to tie theory to practice. Some individuals are able to communicate an encyclopaedic knowledge with passion and conviction, but in our field that is not enough. The art of architectural composition is illustrated by the example of models: its theories must take into account the laws of construction and the logic of internal planning. As an applied art, building needs a foundation that remains valid beyond individual displays of architectural bravura. My own work is an attempt to uncover the different facets of this architectural truth. My main area of concern was urban development. The great hopes and promises of the pioneers of the Modern Movement were not fulfilled — as we well know. Holding to their arrogant, naive belief that each generation had to invent anew the themes of the city and architecture, the Modernists practically made it a crime to refer back to the experience of the past. My projects were quickly categorised by critics as old fashioned, reactionary and eclectic. I was told that they were “not in keeping with the spirit of the age”. During the last century, the environment has been exploited on an unprecedented scale: we have seen more destruction, more power, than ever before. Our aggressive society

and culture is reflected in the unbending form of the modern city — which I reject, sadly and with bitterness. This abbreviated selection of works expresses my criticism of the much-praised spirit of the age. My brother, Leo, has played a decisive role in my artistic development. Possessing quite different talents and temperaments, we found ourselves inexplicably on the same track and argued about how to realise our shared conception of architecture. For a long time I found his unswerving, uncompromising attitude hard to understand, as I am personally not capable of such singlemindedness. Whereas Leo’s quick-witted energy is directed wholly towards architecture, I continue to waver — as indecisive as when I was 20 years of age — between architecture and sculpture. My hesitancy means that my dreams of art always remain dreams. However, if you chew on a piece of tough meat for long enough and with enough determination, you are bound to digest something in the end. The sheer physical effort will bring its reward. And so I continue to work with these divided desires, hoping, at the critical moment, to draw some strength from the poetic stalemate that would make the struggle worthwhile.

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Michael Graves THE FIGURAL CITY Introduction

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rban design embraces the entire physical fabric of a city — the buildings themselves and the open spaces between them. The inherent reciprocity between object and space is thus fundamental to the composition of cities. Every intervention in a city creates a dynamic between object and space, which in turn affects the physical and social vitality of the surrounding domain.

Composing the urban space along with the buildings counters one of the greatest criticisms of the modern idiom — the lack of context or identity. The phrase »International Style« “International Style” expresses this globalisation as a goal, with the unfortunate result that the corresponding abstraction is disorienting and alienating to society. Modern, abstract spaces are indistinguishable from one another and appear to be interchangeable.

Like Rob Krier and Christoph Kohl, I have long been fascinated by the contrast between the traditional European city and the modern city idealised by Le Corbusier as a series of point block towers in the landscape. Influenced by ideas of functionality and hygiene, as well as by the availability of new structural systems, Le Corbusier assumed a continuous ground plane, a spacious urban garden filled with object buildings. By contrast, in a traditional city such as historic Siena, it is the buildings rather than the space that appear to be continuous, as if carved from a cohesive masonry mass. This compositional difference is analogous to an additive versus a subtractive approach to sculpture. A sculptor working in steel, for example, assembles the artwork piece by piece, whereas a sculptor working in stone carves away the mass.

lt has always been interesting to me that the concept of interchangeability also occurs in traditional architecture. Unlike the modern example, however, this interchangeability is not driven by aesthetics or style but rather by the human tendency to gather. The American ethos, from the time of Thomas Jefferson until today, tends to work against the collective in favour of the individual. We in America feel that the reverse has always been true in Europe. Architects such as Krier and Kohl have capitalised on this European urban tradition of defining the collective, gathering spaces for the citizens of the city. Through the analyses, the drawing techniques, and the resultant projects, one always senses a positive relationship between building and space.

As urban design, this analogy implies a purposeful shaping of public space by manipulating the forms of the building solids. In a traditional city, the enclosing gestures of building façades define urban space as a series of contained figural voids. In the modern example, the space is an open-ended void and the objects are the figures. Although portrayed here as a polemic for sake of illustration, the concepts of figural solid and figural void — or object-building and object-space — are not mutually exclusive in a city that evolves over time. In fact, as Rob Krier points out in his essay, this multivalent approach contributes to the sense of context, where the character of the architecture and open space creates an identifiable neighbourhood. In many of the developments he and his partner have planned, including De Resident in The Hague, where I designed one of the buildings, this urban approach also allows the integration of existing buildings and new construction into an eclectic but coherent urban environment.

Among the techniques they use in analysing this relationship is a graphic convention developed by Giovanni Battista Nolli in his 1748 plans of Rome. Nolli describes the city through a depiction of the figural void of the public realm at the ground level. By blacking out the completely private areas of buildings, Nolli clarifies not only the obvious public streets and squares but also the public interiors of major pieces of architecture. This creates a powerful description of the city as a continuous public realm where outside and inside are interlocked. My historic example and any number of the typologies compiled by Rob Krier emphasise the primacy of urban gathering space. In their theirurban urbandesigns, designs,Krier Krier Kohl recognise the andand Kohl recognise the opopportunity to shape bothspaces the spaces between buildportunityto shape both the between buildings and ings and the themselves. buildings themselves. Their interest in the buildings Their interest in planmaking plan-making and continuum in the cultural continuum theleads traand in the cultural of the traditionalof city ditional city leads to of rich and varto the development ofthe richdevelopment and varied urban typologies. ied urban In the ways thatoldthey In the waystypologies. that they embrace both the andembrace the new both the old and the andthese createtypologies a sense ofare identiand create a sense of new identity, posty, these typologies are positive itive models for our times and themodels future. for our times and the future.

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MOTIVATIONFOR TO THIS MOTIVATION TO THIS THIS MOTIVATION MONOGRAPHIC INTROSPECTION MONOGRAPHIC INTROSPECTION MONOGRAPHIC INTROSPECTION

A A

midstthe thereworking reworkingof ofmy my long long years years of of activity activity in in town town midst planning and residential design, across a flood of illustrated planning and residential design, across a flood of illustrated projects,I Iwould wouldlike liketototake takeaabreather breather in in order order to to explain explain the the projects, reasons for this catalogue raisonné and to take stock myself of reasons for this catalogue raisonné and to take stock myself of this personal “obituary”. this personal “obituary”.

feel feel the the apparent apparent vacuum. vacuum. The The opposite oppositeisistrue: true:atatlast lastI Icould could dedicate myself completely to my artistic passion. Since dedicate myself completely to my artistic passion. Sincethen, then,I I spend spend half half of of the the year year in in my my Italian Italiandomicile domicileininLiguria Liguriaunder under the open sky, moulding large figures in plaster, and small ones the open sky, moulding large figures in plaster, and small ones in clay. I never learned classical sculpturing in stone or marble, in clay. I never learned classical sculpturing in stone or marble, and it would be foolish to plunge into this highly demanding and it would be foolish to plunge into this highly demanding handicraft in old age. Besides, I wouldn’t have the necessary handicraft in old age. Besides, I wouldn’t have the necessary physical strength for it. So I stick to plaster and clay, trusty physical strength for it. So I stick to plaster and clay, trusty materials from my early years. During the winter months in materials from my early During winter months Berlin, I try to rework my years. experiences in the urban design and ar-in Berlin, I try to rework my experiences in urban design architecture didactically and critically and to publish them and in the didactically and critically and to publish the chitecture and critically and to publish them in form of e-books. form of e-books.

My building activities came to an end with the global crisis of My building activities came to an end with the global crisis of 2008. All projects in the Neth-erlands collapsed, and as far as 2008. All projects projects in inthe theNeth-erlands Netherlands collapsed, collapsed, and andasas far far as I know only one of them could be brought back to life. My arI chitectural know only advice one oftoo them could be brought back to life. My was no longer asked for. After the fallarof chitectural advice too was no longer for. All After fall of the Wall I didn’t build a single house asked in Berlin. mythe efforts to the Wall Iindidn’t build a single Berlin. my efforts to qualify competitions failed,house and Iin didn’t getAll beyond the first qualify andforI didn’t get beyond the phase in of competitions the selectionfailed, process the reconstruction of first the phase of the selection process for the reconstruction of the Berlin castle. I present these experiences in Berlin castle. I present these much the same wayexperiences as I explainedin much the same way as Istudents, explained In Germany, public authorities them in lectures to my InasGermany, public authorities them in lectures to my well as private investors unduly and I don’t mince mystudents, words asmisuse well asthe private investorsofunduly and Iit don’t my words instrument comwhen comes mince to my negligence misuse theA instrument of comwhen it comes to mythe negligence petition. myriad of design vaand errors. Achieving perfect petition. A myriad of design vaand errors. Achieving theitperfect riants are developed, but usually built product, as I know from riants are not developed, builtarchitect product,friends as I know it from they are paid for,but andusually there is my Hilmer + they are not paid for,the and there is my architect friends Hilmer + no guarantee that winner of Sattler and Hans Kollhoff, was& notheguarantee Sattlerone andofHans Kollhoff, was first prizethat willthe be winner awardedofa never my key strengths. the first prize will be a my key strengths. building contract. Noawarded other acaInever didn’tone haveofthe necessary resobuilding contract. No other acaI didn’t the necessary resodemic guild allows itself be milution to have ruthlessly assert myself demic guild allows itself itself tomibe be lution ruthlessly myself susedguild so recklessly. I consider on the to building siteassert or against misused sorecklessly. recklessly. sused II consider on the building site or against these so procedures illegal, as arinvestors. these procedures illegal, as arinvestors. chitecture is not a manufacturing chitecture is not a manufacturing industry. In France, for example, As I had to divide my time betindustry. In France,system for example, a fair competition is practiAs I teaching, had to divide my timeworbetween sculpturing, a sed. fair competition system practiEach member of theischamber weeninteaching, sculpturing, working my office, travelling and canEach participate and sed. memberinofathetender chamber lecturing, construction almost alking in my office, travelling and apply with theirinportfolio. can participate a tender and ways missed out. I also didn’t lecturing, construction almost alA jury decides the number of apply with their on portfolio. have talent out. to beI aalso business waysthe missed didn’t thatonis the reasonable Acandidates jury decides number (up of manager. I paid maxihave the However, talent to be a business to six), and are paid(up for mum attention to urban design candidates thatthese is reasonable manager. However, I paid maxidon’tare darepaid to keep Schinkelplatz, Berlin, Germany, 5.6.80 and theattention resultingtobuilding typototheir six),work. and Ithese for mum urban design the account my dare manytovain buildings is a major task their work. I of don’t keepattempts in competitions, which logies. The construction of residential and the resulting building typoswallowed up my my many designvain energy. WheninI competitions, was an adolescent, town planning, so I focused in particular on the development the account of attempts whichI in logies. The construction of residential buildings is a major task bore this challenge passionately, every topicanmeant the exa-I of floor planning, plans of apartments I consider ideal as far as swallowed up my design energy. as When I was adolescent, in town so I focusedwhich in particular on the development mination of new, fundamental, questions; enabled life is concerned. The position of the living room always bore this challenge passionately,theoretical as every topic meantit the exa- family of floor plans of apartments which I consider ideal as far as me to advance and to ripen theoretical in my profession. as a plays an important role, as well as its relation to the kitchen and mination of new, fundamental, questions;Later, it enabled family life is concerned. The position of the living room always university teacher, feltripen this challenge was an academic the dining area. The terrace should be optimally oriented to me to advance andI to in my profession. Later, duty, as a to plays an important role, as well as its relation to the kitchen and besides, I teacher, wanted toI transpose my knowledge in academic building. Being sun, the bedrooms and bathrooms should be protected. university felt this challenge was an duty, the to the dining area. The terrace should be optimally oriented to in the secure position of a professor, I could in take the liberty of Thus, the living room comes into a central position, like the besides, I wanted to transpose my knowledge building. Being the sun, bedrooms and bathrooms should be protected. ; the my insights test. I didn’t havetake to win, as I was square in town planning. Clients and public authorities inputting the secure positiontoofthe a professor, I could the liberty of public Thus, the living room comes into a central position, like the under the almahave mater. this floor plan. They argued would authorities mean all putting mypatronal insightsprotection to the test.ofIthe didn’t to win, as I was criticised public square in town planning. Clientsthat andit public My professional may mater. seem demoralising — movements would have to pass by the central room that under the patronalbreakdown protection of of2008 the alma criticised this floor plan. They argued that it would and mean all however, I was so absorbedof by2008 my sculptural that I didn’t would lead to undesirable conflicts; the children couldn’t My professional breakdown may seemwork demoralising — this movements would have to pass by the central room and that however, I was so absorbed by my sculptural work that I didn’t this would lead to undesirable conflicts; the children couldn’t Schinkelplatz, Berlin, Germany, 5.6.80

Schinkelplatz, Berlin, Germany, 5.6.80

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steal off at night without their parents noticing. One could also number of façade variations from fromaaaclassical classicalrepertoire, repertoirewhich which classical repertoire, steal off at night without their parents noticing. One could also number of façade variations from observe the activities in the living room and on the terrace from should line these public spaces. In the beginning I tried to observe the activities in the living room and on the terrace from should line these public spaces. In the beginning I tried to the bedrooms. In my opinion, this is exactly what makes living create this variety in a natural way by engaging several architects. the bedrooms. In my opinion, this is exactly what makes living create this variety in a natural way by engaging several architects. together so exciting. Alongside that, I gave the living rooms The result was convincing when local politicians granted me The result was convincing whenaslocal me together exciting.shapes. Alongside that,criticised I gave with the living rooms strong authority as a supervisor, was politicians the case in granted the Dutch differentso geometric This was the argument strong authority as a supervisor, as was the case in the Dutch different geometric shapes. This was criticised with the argument that they would be difficult to furnish. However, through all the village of Brandevoort. When this was not the case, I decided to villagethe of Brandevoort. this repertoire, was not thethat case,isI to decided that they would difficult to users furnish. However, through all the create variety fromWhen my own say toto years I only metbeenthusiastic of my floor plans. In Vienna create the variety from my own repertoire, that is to say to years I only met enthusiastic users of my floor plans. In Vienna I designed a penthouse for my family according to the same ty- design all houses myself and have them finished by my skilled designed aapenthouse penthouse for my family according to the same design all houses myself and have them finished by my skilled I pological designed for my family according to the same tytheme. In the 1970s and 1980s, I managed to team in the office. typological theme. InInplan the 1970s 1980s, managed to team in the office. pological theme. theexperiments 1970s and andin 1980s, implement these floor ViennaII and in Berlin. implement these floor plan experiments in Vienna and in Berlin. The traditional brick masonry accommodates the variation in It takes enormous energy to coordinate the planning activities It takes coordinate activities The many enormous colleaguesenergy and to to reconcile themthe in planning a harmonious enthe traditional designs. brick masonry accommodates the variation in of of many colleagues and to reconcile them in a harmonious enthe designs. semble. For Kirchsteigfeld near Potsdam, a project in which 25 semble. For Kirchsteigfeld nearbig Potsdam, a project in which 25 international architectural In the Netherlands, France, and big international architectural InSpain, the Netherlands, France, conand firms participated, I regularly orwhere cross-wall firms participated, regularly orSpain, where cross-wall conganised correction Iand harmostruction enjoyed great popularity, ganisedworkshops, correctionwhich and always harmostruction enjoyed popularity, nisation I had no chancegreat to build walls nisationpleasantly, workshops,but which always I that had were no chance to buildFurtherwalls passed came to not straight. passed pleasantly, that were straight. Furthernothing. Everybodybut wascame over-to more, firenot safety and escape pronothing. Everybody was overmore, safety and escape proburdened, as the pressure was tocol fire demanded clearly separated burdened, as corrections the pressurewere was tocol high, and the day demanded and night clearly areas. separated The resihigh, andI wasn’t the corrections day and floor nightplan areas. The resinot paid. officially were endential degenerated to not paid. wasn’t officially endential floor system, plan degenerated to titled to actI as a master planner, a corridor and all my titled to actthe ascity a master a struggles corridor for system, and typology all my and neither nor theplanner, client a rich flat and neitherme theincity norrole. the client struggles a rich flatthe typology supported that The were in for vain. Since middle supported municipal me in thattown role. The were in 90s, vain.I can Since the middle responsible planof the hardly publish responsible municipal town responsible town planof the 90s,I Icould can plans. hardly publish ner, despite municipal whose vote against residential floor make the 1990s, hardlyTo planner, whose against us us wedespite won thevote competition, things worse, in the ner, whose vote against residential floorregulations plans. To make was even a professed enemy of EU countries were modified. didn’t prevent us winning us we won thefrom competition, things worse, regulations in the my philosoFrom then on, were nowhere could I theurban competition, was even a prowas evendevelopment a professed enemy of EU countries modified. phy. Thus, the architectural exbuild generous and exciting stairfessed enemy of my urban demy urban development philosoFrom then on, nowhere could I periment ended with a Thus, secondwells, as I hadand learned to apprevelopment philosophy. the phy. Thus, the architectural exbuild generous exciting stairrate built result, which my first ciate in Vienna. In France, stairarchitectural experiment ended periment ended with a secondwells, as I had learned to appresemester students in Vienna wellsinare only single-lane with built a secondrate built result, rate result, which my first ciate Vienna. In France,escape stairwould have put to shame with routes. During the inauguration which my first semester students semester students in Vienna wells are only single-lane escape bravura. of a residential building for social in Vienna to would havewould put to have shameputwith routes. During the inauguration housing in Montpellier, the builshame with bravura. Prager Platz, Berlin, Germany, 15.10.80 bravura. of a residential building for social ding was to be visitedtheatbuilthe end of the ceremony, in the A good layout of a city is by no means a guar-antee for an archihousing in Montpellier, significant result that make building history. The presence theend first of visitors wanted to descend A good layout of aa city isis by no means aaguar-antee for an archiding was of tothe beprefect. visitedWhen at the the ceremony, in the tecturally city by nowill means guarantee quality of the city plan is fatefully connected to the quality of from an upper storey apartment, the spiral staircase was presence of the prefect. When the first visitors wanted to descend tecturally significant result that will make building history. The the buildings. A banal urban layout, furnished with outstanding hopelessly blocked; nobody could go upstairs nor down-stairs, apartment, the the spiralspiral staircase was hopefrom an anupper-storey upper storey apartment, staircase was quality of the city plan is fatefully connected to the quality of always appear exciting, whereas elaborate and the elevator wasnobody out of service. lessly blocked; nobody could go upstairs or downstairs, and the architecture, the buildings.will A banal urban layout, furnished withanoutstanding hopelessly blocked; could go upstairs nor down-stairs, and interesting layout, provided with banal buildings, will elevator was out was of service. architecture, will always appear exciting, whereas an elaborate and the elevator out of service. be boring or even repulsive. That was the sad end of my floor plan research for residential always and interesting layout, provided with banal buildings, will buildings. Yetsad evenend today public authorities still callfor forresidential innovative always be boring or even repulsive. That was the of my floor plan research residential in practice designs suffocate The mediocre architectural result in Kirchsteigfeld was a bitter buildings. Yetdesign, even today public however authoritiesthese still call for innovative Thearchitectural buildings that have erected after end in a maze of rules and regulations. Therefore, subsequently, in experience. design; in practice, however, these designs suffocate The mediocre result in been Kirchsteigfeld wasthe a bitter residential design, practice however of my mission in 1996 have made a mockery of all previous town planning I devoted myself to the composition of a variety in aa maze mazeof of rules subsequently in experience. The buildings that have been erected after the end rules and and regulations. Therefore, subsequently, Today, even the statutory regulations of the plan of urban space sequences and to the invention infinite efforts. of my mission in 1996 have made a mockery of master all previous town planning I devoted myself to the compositionofofana variety of urban space sequences and to the invention of an infinite efforts. Today, even the statutory regulations of the master plan Prager Platz, Berlin, Germany, 15.10.80

Prager Platz, Berlin, Germany, 15.10.80

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disregarded,and andthe thearchitectural architecturalquality quality has has fallen fallen to to the the road thethe carrier of of areare disregarded, road and and path pathnetwork networkunfolds unfoldsnaturally. naturally.It Itis isboth both carrier lowest level. As I had feared such a development from the behuman communication which protects the community, and the lowest level. As I had feared such a development from the be- human communication which protects the community, and the ginning, I had a bronzemodel modelofofthe theperfect perfectquarter quarter in in its its comcom- spatial systems. ginning, I had a bronze spatial frame frameof ofpublic publicand andprivate privatetransportation transportation systems. pletion fixed to the inauguration stele. It should give an indepletion fixed to the inauguration stele. It should give an indestructible testimony to my intentions. With Le Corbusier I will primary components and functional systems of a town structible testimony to my intentions. With Le Corbusier I will These These primary components and functional systems of a town sing from the same hymn sheet: „Le bon dieu n’a pas voulu que have disappeared in contemporary town planning. I denounced sing from the same hymn sheet: „Le bon dieu n’a pas voulu que have disappeared in contemporary town planning. I denounced ce fût un chef d’oeuvre“ – “The dear Lord didn’t want it to be a this loss in the 1970s in my book Stadtraum (Urban space), —“The “Thedear dearLord Lord didn’twant want ce masterpiece”. fût un chef d’oeuvre“ it ittotobebea/ sadly Sspace), this loss in the my book (Urbanthe Or with –Botho Strauß (in didn’t his book Herkunft without any1970s lastinginsuccess. My Stadtraum theorems demand rea masterpiece”. Or with Botho Strauß (in his book Herkunft / masterpiece”. Or with Botho Strauß (in his book Herkunft / sadly without any lasting success. My theorems demand the reOrigin): “Just let the vandals of the State destroy and ruin”. valuation of the traditional, classical components of a town, Origin): “Just let the vandals of the State destroy and ruin”. valuation of been the traditional, classical of a town, which have misused during the components Nazi dictatorship in which were misused during the Nazi dictatorship in Germahave been misused during the Nazi dictatorship One of my sculptures crowns the stele at the entrance to Kirch- Germany. The Nazis concealed the brutality of their regime with in ny. The Nazis concealed the the brutality regime stele at the entrance to seen KirchOne of my sculptures crowns KirchGermany. The Nazis concealed brutality oftheir theirStill regime with steigfeld, hoping to serve as the a patron saint. She can be in rudiments of classical architecture and urbanofdesign. today, steigfeld, hoping to hoping to serve serve as asaapatron patronsaint. saint. She can be seen in the rudiments of classical andisurban design. Still today, the picture on the right. urbanistic discoursearchitecture in this country afflicted by this tragic the picture on the right. the urbanistic discourse in this country is afflicted by tragic combination, andthis I don’t combination, don’t I had some more bitter see any chanceand for Ithis some I had had some more morebitter any inchance for this experiences before Ibitter blew tosee change the foreseeexperiences experiences before Iblew blew to change my top —before I’d hadIenough able future. in the foresee— myoftop top —I’d I’dhad hadenough enough able future. participation games. natural parcelling of In the Netherlands, in participation games. of The participation games. land and property andof the contrast, I have never in natural parcelling The natural parcelling In the Netherlands, private ownership of the houbeen criticised land and and property and of land property and contrast, I have and never ses related to it had ceased defamed for my urban private ownership of hou-of the private ownership been criticised and exist. In itcontemporary designs, as for was,my andurban is, sestorelated to had houses related toceased it had defamed town planning the case in as Germany. In is, to exist. In contemporary ceased to exist. my In ambicondesigns, was, and tion, to let flourish once competitions in Germany, town planning myplanning ambitemporary town the case in Germany. In again variety archiI was always eliminated tion, to let flourish my ambition, toand let once flourcompetitions in Germany, tectural wealth, as we find in the round or in again variety archiish once againand variety and I wasfirst always eliminated it in the heritage of Eusome cases not even al- in tectural wealth, wealth, as we findas architectural in the first round or ropean urban design, lowed to participate. But it infind the itheritage Euwe in the of heritage some cases not even alseems to be nothing but this was no reason to ropean urban design, of European urban design, lowed to participate. But a sociocultural masquethrow in the towel. I have nothing but but a seems to be nothing this was no reason to rade, an act. I was aware always had a slight hope a sociocultural masquesociocultural masquerade, throw the towel. I have of this from the beginthat the in negative experirade, an act. I was aware an act. I was aware of this always had a slight hope ning, yet to date I am not ences which are imposed of aware this the beginfrom thefrom beginning, yet to that the negative experiPotsdam Kirchsteigfeld, watercolour, 1980 of any other soluon society by the errors ning, to I am date I yet am notdate aware ofnot any variety enceswill which Gobelin tapestry by Roswitha Grützke, 145 cmof×contemporary 103 cm, 2012town planning tions which will generate in a city. and mistakes oneare dayimposed lead awaresolutions of any other soluother which will on society by the errors to a cultural revolt. tions will generate variety in aascity. generate variety in aagain city.be Thewhich building must respected an elementary component, and mistakes of contemporary town planning will one day lead to Eastern a cultural revolt. numerous buildings constructed with precast as a sizeable unit in the urban context. The number of flats in a In Germany, Thebuilding buildingmust mustbeagain below respected as to anallow elementary rather in order socialcomponent, contact. Le concrete slabs already fell victim to the wrecking ball, but not as Corbusier’s a sizeable unit the urban context. number of flats in a nearly Eastern Germany, numerous buildings constructed with preIn Eastern Germany, buildings constructed with precast unitéind’habitation with its The 500 flats is a degenerated enough. Francenumerous has an annual demolition programme of building must beand rather low in order contact. Le 20,000 cast concrete hadfell already to constructed the wrecking concrete slabs slabs already victimfallen to thevictim ball, but not mass dwelling unfortunately stilltoinallow voguesocial — some wealthy social housing buildings. What iswrecking being Corbusier’s withanonymous its 500 flatshiding is a degenerated ball, but nearly enough. has an annual demolition nearly enough. France has an France annual demolition programme people useunité it as d’habitation a most welcome place. instead, isnot indeed technologically better, but nearly indistin- of mass dwelling and unfortunately still in vogue — some wealthy guish-able programme of housing 20,000 housing buildings. What is being from the old social ideology; it isWhat just trendier, thus higher 20,000 social buildings. is being constructed The block well-proportioned and human-scale unit is the in price, and more spectacular and photogenic architecture people use it as a most welcome anonymous hiding place. constructed instead is indeed technologically better, butindistinnearly instead, is indeed technologically better, butfor nearly second elementary component in the art of town planning. Its magazines. indistinguishable from old ideology; it trendier, is just trendier, thus guish-able from the oldthe ideology; it is just thus higher size varies to its location the urban fabric: small The block as according a well-proportioned andinhuman-scale unit is the in higher in and price, andspectacular more spectacular and photogenic for archiprice, more and photogenic for architecture and dense in the component centre, bigger in areas centre, and big investors plan whole areas according to the most second elementary in the art ofnear towntheplanning. Its Nowadays, tecture magazines. magazines. loose at the periphery. Between the blocks of buildings, the advantageous planning and construction conditions. This cannot size varies according to its location in the urban fabric: small and dense in the centre, bigger in areas near the centre, and Nowadays, big investors plan whole areas according to the most loose at the periphery. Between the blocks of buildings, the advantageous planning and construction conditions. This cannot Potsdam Kirchsteigfeld, watercolour, 1980 Gobelin tapestry by Roswitha Grützke, 145 cm x 103 cm, 2012

Potsdam Kirchsteigfeld, watercolour, 1980 Gobelin tapestry by Roswitha Grützke, 145 cm x 103 cm, 2012

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held againstthem, them,asaslong longasasititisispolitically politically permitted. permitted. In In be be held against Kirchsteigfeld, there was a legally binding land-use plan with Kirchsteigfeld, there was a legally binding land-use plan with design regulations,but butthey theywere wereundermined undermined atat discretion, discretion, as as design regulations, long as nobody took legal action. long as nobody took legal action.

not onon us us to to livelive not an an obligatory obligatory network networksystem, system,which whichimposes imposes together with people inside and outside our family without together with people inside and outside our family without taking wewe can only livelive taking action. action.ItItisisonly onlytotoaalimited limitedextent extentthat that can only alone and without relying on social relationships.” (GK) alone and without relying on relationships.” on social social relationships.” (GK) (GK)

Built mistakes affect their users like drugs, especially when How far can man, as a sensitive creature, hold his ground in Built mistakes affect their users like drugs, especially when How far can man, as a sensitive creature, hold his ground in they have been realised with a lot of money. The social alienation these disruptive tendencies? As a town planner, I feel the danger they have been realised with a lot of money. The social alienation these disruptive tendencies? As a town planner, I feel the danger and isolation are accepted as deluxe ingredients, as long as the that social ties break down in building ensembles which destroy andstress isolation are acceptedkeeps as deluxe ingredients, long as the social that social tiesThus, breakIdown of breadwinning the parents busy.asThe children contact. preferintobuilding go back ensembles to empiricalwhich valuesdestroy and stress of breadwinning keeps the parents busy. The children social contact. Thus, I prefer to go back to empirical valuesinand rebel more quickly against the isolation in so-called luxury flats age-old structures which have proven to be of high quality rebel quickly against isolation even in so-called luxury age-old provensystems, to be ofbefore high Iquality andmore search for warmth in the community, if they have to flats give social lifestructures across all which cultureshave and social plunge in andupsearch for warmth in community, even if they have to give social life across all cultures and social systems, before I plunge the comfort to which they became accustomed. into unfamiliar experiments which carry the inherent danger of up the comfort to which they have become accustomed. became accustomed. into unfamiliar experiments which carry the inherent danger inflicting real damage on society. In all my town-planning of inflicting real damage on society. Instudies all my town-planning A friend of mine, the I have tried to A economic friend of mine, the studiesthis I knowledge, have tried to and social transfer economic transfer scientist and Guy social Kirsch, and I havethis not knowledge, been disscientist Guy Kirsch, and I from have itnot countered my tearful crisuaded bybeen archi-discountered suadedcritics from itwho by architicism ofmy mytearful peerscriwith tectural acticism of my peers with tectural who acthe following comment: cuse me ofcritics epigonism, the“The following comment: contemporary socuse me of epigonism, historicism, Disney ciety doesn’t needsothe kitsch and — in Disney Ger“The contemporary historicism, classical townneed whichthe you man-speaking countries ciety doesn’t kitsch and — in Gerwant totown impose on you it any —man-speaking fascistic tendencies. classical which countries more! We have to deal want to impose on it any — fascistic tendencies. with We a quicksand In retrospect, I must say more! have tosociety. deal The traditional that it was worthwhile with a quicksand society. In retrospect, I must say neighbourhood structures to swim the streneighThe traditional traditional that it against was worthwhile have been broken by exam. I was young, bourhood structures neighbourhood structures to When swim against the stretreme mobility and moa professor Zurich beenbroken broken by have been have by exam. When Iinwas young, dernmobility communication told me that if one wisextreme mobility and treme and moa professor in Zurich technology. We talk on hed to achieve somemoderncommunication communication dern told me that if one wisthe phone when we take thing with all his might, technology. We talk on hed to achieve somea walk in the countryside he will achieve it. I theorphone when we take thing with all his might, a stroll through the must admit that I achievwould achieve it. I a walk in the countryside willin achieve Brandevoort, Netherlands, watercolour, 2012 city, when we are at edhemore town plan- I or home a stroll through the must admit Gobelin tapestry by Roswitha Grützke, 145 cm × 103 cm, 2012 or when we are travelling in faraway countries, and we ning than I had dared to hope for in the beginning. that I achievcity, when are at without paying attention to the people ed more in town plantalk loudlywe to ourselves home or when we are travelling in faraway countries, and we ning than I had dared to hope for in the beginning. who we pass, with whom we are dining, or with whom we sit Guy Kirsch, with whom I talked a lot about the question of how talkclosely loudlytogether to ourselves without attention tooften the people in the train or inpaying the airplane. How have I to build a town, once mentioned a Buddhist proverb: “Go who weear pass, with weprotect are dining, sit through Guy Kirsch, with whom lot about thesand”. question of how used plugs in whom order to myselfortowith somewhom extentwe from the world withoutI talked leavinga traces in the I would closely together to build a town, once mentioned a Buddhist proverb: this bad habit.”in the train or in the airplane. How often have I like to complement the poetic modesty of this maxim with “Go a used ear plugs in order to protect myself to some extent from creative through note: the world traces in theactions sand”.inI would “Testwithout whetherleaving the traces of your this this“Our badsociety”, habit.” in which the most diverse world cultures and re- world like to contribute complement the poeticwelfare modesty this maxim with to common andof could serve as a a creative whether the traces of your actions in this ligions intermingle, “is characterised by liquefying values and model fornote: future“Test generations.” “Our society”, in which most diverse cultures and re- world contribute to common welfare and could serve as a social struc-tures”. Thethe question whetherworld we “can be and want to beintermingle, a neighbour”, up againby and again. “Itvalues is beyond 2015 ligions “iscomes characterised liquefying and January model for future generations.” doubt that we areThe in need of neighbourly help more than social struc-tures”. The question whether we be often and want structures”. question whether “can to ourselves. In cases of emergency, we “It are is dependent to we be admit a neighbour”, comes up again and again. beyond January 2015 on it, and we relish this help. Neighbourhood, therefore, is doubt that we are in need of neighbourly help more often than we admit to ourselves. In cases of emergency, we are dependent it, and andwe we relish on it, relishthis thishelp. help.Neighbourhood, Neighbourhood, therefore, therefore, is Brandevoort, Netherlands, watercolour, 2012 Gobelin tapestry by Roswitha Grützke, 145 cm x 103 cm, 2012

Brandevoort, Netherlands, watercolour, 2012 Gobelin tapestry by Roswitha Grützke, 145 cm x 103 cm, 2012

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Rob Krier COMPOSITION OF URBAN SPACES

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he expansion of urban centres worldwide has social security, without which living together in an reached unforeseen proportions in the last 170 urban framework is impossible. years. In 1830, Vienna’s population was 255,000, Berlin’s 353,000, Rome’s 164,000, Amsterdam’s Sociologically based protests against aberrant urban 207,000, Moscow’s 334,000, Madrid’s 200,000, design, such as Alexander Mitscherlich’s Die UnParis’s 1,092,000 and and London’s London’s 1,786,000. 1,786,000. In the wirtlichkeit unserer Städte (Frankfurt 1965) Paris’ 1,092,000 past, cities stood out clearly from their surroundings, had no lasting effect on urban planning practices. both in terms of outline and in appearance; as well, The theorems of of the the Charter Charta of Athens (1933) were their architecture could be unmistakably identified as too deeply entrenched in the minds of the technocrats: belonging to a specific culture. Only because of its water the division into functional zones — living, working, boundaries could Venice preserve that wonderful culture, shopping, traffic, etc. — was too easy to use, quality as its urban form. All the other cities have been and it was commercially successful. In contrast, a funclike the the one one we we find find inin mediaeval medieval towns profoundly affected by rapid growth. tional mix like necessitates coming to terms with the potential for Until the Second World War, good master builders, social conflict. With a fatal cult of modernism, urban well grounded in a sound building crafts tradition, planning that practices s functional separation promotes could honourably embellish the development plans social disintegration, because this concept treats the of new suburbs. Through the conservation of local and city as an abstract system. The visions of total urban regional traditions in Helsinki, Amsterdam, Vienna life — unlimited freedom of choice and mobility — are and Budapest, entire urban districts with their own seductive in their deceptive naiveté and nostalgic distinct identities came into being; as the buildings were appeal. At the same time, we content ourselves with in a natural way embedded in their respective existing a few intact urban situations that appear like islands cityscape. cultural milieux, they were not interchangeable. in a harsh city scape. The The rare rare neighbourhood neighbourhood atmoHowever, the fundamental notions relating to sphere, which for Berliners is expressed by the term function, hygiene and structure that underpinned the Kiez (award denoting the different neighbourhoods new wave of construction quickly attained broad of the city, each with their own character and identity) dissemination, being easily adaptable to the different thrives particularly in places where the architectural climatic and cultural conditions. This led to a level- fabric is historic, where the streets and squares are ing of urban design and to an architecture that was of human dimensions, with lush greenery and wide similar all the world over — and similarly interchange- pavements. The buildings are of moderate size and able. The pioneers of the modern age, in their blind differ in their outward appearance in spite of their belief in progress, welcomed this development, typological identity. An urban world of such a density celebrating a universal, rational technology as a benefit cannot, of course, be everywhere in the city. Not to mankind. If the designs that these visionaries everywhere can be a Kiez. But even for quiet resicentury drew up at the beginning beginning of of the the twentieth 20th century are dential districts, there are models that show how are still fantasy and evenhave haveananelement element of of the neighbourhoods can be created through clever spatial still fullfull of of fantasy and even poetic about them, then the pallid products of the build- formations. ing trade subsequent to 1945 are all the more disappointing. The formerly complex language of architecture Over the centuries, innumerable models for urban with its regional colour was reduced to a form of living have been tried out; they supply us with an technical expression. inexhaustible store of experience for the solution of future problems. In spite of all the destruction caused Urban design got lost at the same time. In the newly by two world wars, this built encyclopaedia can still founded cities such as Brasilia or Chandigarh, nothing be experienced. experienced. A A city citythat thathas hasbeen beensubjected subject to as remains of the traditional network of spatial inter- much decimation as Berlin is particularly instructive connections that we find in the centres of classical cities due to the contrast between old and new. When except yawning voids. The compositional backbone I was still a student, I was already fascinated by urban of streets and town squares has disappeared design, even though I had no knowledge of the from sight in the modern cities. Freestanding rows of enormous complexity of urban logistics. The way buildings or loosely arranged building figures have cities in Germany were rebuilt after the Second World taken their place. They were the result of a lucrative War appeared to me to be only a wretched imitation of building boom that took place to the detriment of the quality of a world gone by.

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The horror that I felt as I travelled through this country of devastation shook me deeply and sparked in me the desire to search for solutions that could compare with those represented by the old models. The following stages of learning came into being in the comparison between beautiful and ugly, desirable and reprehensible. In my teenage years, I had seen Echternach, the little town on the border between Luxembourg and Germany with its magnificent baroque abbey where I went to school being rebuilt after the turmoil of war, becoming more beautiful than it had been before. This experience gave me an unconscious security in comparing old with new. Reading, writing and arithmetic were taught in the school, but to the detriment of seeing and hearing: the world of the fine arts and music was pushed aside in drawing and religious instruction. When at seventeen I told head that master that I to wanted to 17 I told the headthemaster I wanted become become artist, he disabused desirability of an artist,an he disabused me me of of thethedesirability this venture, speaking contemptuously about the low social standing of this field of endeavour, and forced me to take a special course in mathematics until my school-leaving examination. In spite of intensive study, this world has remained closed to me. The school couldn't̓ extinguish my desire to investigate my surroundings through their outward appearance. The teaching program that I later carried out with students of architecture was strongly oriented towards seeing, assessing the quality of that which was observed and clearly representing it. The towns that have naturally grown over time represent our textbook of urban design and architecture. The secrets of their structures can hardly be grasped through books. One has to travel to research them and make comparisons between cities and from country to country. The network of streets that run through the city in innumerable variations, like arteries, represents the supporting structure that determines the development of the townscape: it is finely meshed in the town centres, widerwidely meshedmeshed in the suburbs. The development around more in the suburbs. The development the periphery of a field is surrounded by streets, around the periphery of that a field that is surrounded by the citythe block, the elementary component of every streets, city is block, is the elementary component of urbanurban structure. TightTight and and homoge neously formed in every structure. homoge neously formed thethe centre, in centre,it itloosens loosensupupand andwidens widensout out towards towards the thethe block structure, outskirts. The Thenarrower narrowerthe themesh meshof of block structhe more transparent, porous ture, the more transparent, porousand and sus suspenseful penseful the town is. This is true mainly for town centres that have developed over time, founded hundreds or thousands

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of years ago. The dimensions of the block structure were always proportionate to the size and height of the buildings. The speed and manoeuvrability of the carriages and carts and the volume of traffic determined the width of the streets. In Barcelona’s old town, whose Roman ground plan is still clearly recognisable, the adaptability of such a structure appears particularly surprising in view of the dramatic changes in social structures over the course of the centuries. The network has functioned well without interruption, and life in this wonderful chaos is becoming ever more appealing. The old town, until a short time ago still a place of refuge for the poor, has intrepidly changed into a chic address for the wealthy. Only Barcelona as a whole can afford the luxury of such an urban jewel. Without the dynamics of a big city in the background, Barcelona would have come to a standstill, remaining in the same state as Aigues Mortes, the romantic little town on the French coast of the Mediterranean, though this would not have been a tragedy. This comparison illustrates just two of the different standards and worlds that were supported by a spatial and architectural concept that has continued to maintain its validity. City Block and Building From a purely geometrical perspective, the city block is the original cell of every urban design structure. lt defines the networks of routes around its edges and the building plot structure in the middle. The latter determines the rhythm of the buildings at the perimeter of the block. The building plots mirror the relations of property ownership and in so doing, the relations in the society that has adopted them. In the towns of Flanders and the Netherlands, a mature and self-assured bourgeoisie developed very early. The architecture of their houses testifies to their culture and wealth. Berlin, on the other hand, developed into a city of tenants in the period between 1850 and 1940. The town houses were often built on huge, ungainly blocks. As a consequence of the intensive exploitation of building space, cramped inner courtyards with bad hygienic conditions came into being. Even though there was an enormous qualitative drop between the flats at the fronts of the buildings and those at the backs, the different social classes nonetheless lived in immediate proximity to each other: the councillor of commerce, the teacher, the clerk at the post office and the kitchen maid. They all profited from this community of utility. At the same

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time, factory workers lived in Wedding (a district in Berlin), for example, in mass living quarters that »could people«, as the Berlin caricaturist and “could kill people”, social critic Heinrich Zille accusingly asserted in drawings and verses. The people called the buildings with this ghetto-like inner life Mietskaserne (tenement blocks; literally: rental barracks). The second basic element of urban design — after the city block — is the building itself. lt must have human dimensions and should not be too tall or too long; lang, otherwise its effect is that of a barracks. No city should be erected using oversized components — this is what the urban design of the last decades has shown us. Around the perimeters of many historic city centres, rigidly functional residential areas have arisen. The goals have been achieved, but towns didn’t come of it, not even suburbs, at most Siedlungen (housing estates or subdivisions). These terms have a pejorative connotation. The Siedlung (in this case, settlement) is a primitive form of land occupation. In contrast, the German word Vorort (suburb; (suburb; literally: literally: »place “place before before or in front of another place«) place”) does does imply imply aa higher higher stage of development, and at any rate, one can feel the link to a town nearby. The French term faubourg, the ltalian suburbio and the English suburb, however, are clearly derogatory terms for this un-urban form of settlement. With the elements of city block and building, we have the tools to design complex urban structures. My didactic publications engl. ed.: Urban publicationsStadtraum Stadtraum(1975, (1975, engl. ed.: UrSpace, 1979) and Architektonische Komposition (1985, ban Space, 1979) and Architektonische Komposition engl. ed.: Composition, (1985, engl.Architectural ed.: Architectural Composition,1988) 1988) form the basis for this book, which deals with the composition of entire towns and their neighbourhoods. Knowing all the conceivable urban space typologies and the variety of possible façade designs in public spaces are further necessary prerequisites. An intelligent urban ground plan on which ugly buildings have been erected will be unattractive for both residents and visitors. On the other hand, a simple grid pattern layout without spatial suspense can be made into an architectural event through the use of beautiful building façades. Indeed, the greatest enjoyment is derived from the combination of both qualities. A full register of urban architecture can only assure the external shell. Life then has to take root of its own accord, filling it to completion over the course of generations, breathing a kind of soul into the abstract structure. lt is only in such a cultural medium that

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unique towns with a heady variety come into being. The prerequisite for this is the evolutionary capability of their structure. The road network as the support of the public supply system cannot be varied much. The buildings, however, should be easily adaptable and replaceable at need. Buildings that are too large would significantly limit this flexibility. The Urban Order — The Centre, its Districts and the Suburbs Although city blocks and buildings are the basic components of a town or city, it is not the act of merely adding them together that will result in an exciting place. The city is subject to a hierarchic order with the space being subdivided into clearly discernable areas depending on its size. In the growth process, the centre and its districts must repeatedly readapt. When drafting a new plan — like our proposal for the town of Brandevoort in Brabant in the Netherlands — well-tried urban models are to be the inspiration for the dimensions to be established for the centre and the suburbs. The middle of Brandevoort, 600 m x× 800 m, with its 1,700 detached row houses, is divided like the model of a Roman castrum into four quarters by a street crossing — Cardo and Decumanus. At the points where they meet the boundaries of the town centre at the north, south, east and west sides, gateways form, each one differently designed. A broad belt of green surrounds the town centre, so that its form is clearly visible. Like a network of arteries emanating from the heart of the village, the main axes of the suburbs develop from the city gates. The re-establishment of Bussy St. Georges, east east of of Paris Paris ininthe thedepartement department Bussy-St.-Georges, Marne-la-Vallée, found its starting point in a different geometry. The coordinating body, Établissements Publics d'Aménagement de Marne-la-Vallée, had prescribed a regular street grid of 400 m x× 350 m. At the time of our planning, it was already completed. We supplemented this grid, which ignored the topography of the Île-de-France, by all those givens that the technocrats had eliminated from the maps: old country lanes, important location routes for the plots of land, which had also left their traces in the topography, streams, old stands of trees and a Route Napoléon, which ran diagonally across the plateau. This unobtrusive archaeology has significantly enriched our plan. Here too, the middle of the town has been clearly worked out. The body of water that the ecologists wanted as a reserve basin is laid around it like a garland and accompanied by sports and leisure areas. An old road between two villages passes through the

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centre, as Broadway cuts through New York. We used the existing grid square as a Cardo-Decumanus system for the centre. The urban quarters with their centrally placed squares are clearly arranged around the main town square. Every quartier has its own layout and thus acquires an unmistakable identity. The suburbs are less clearly oriented to the centre than it was possible to do in Brandevoort, due to a pre-existing access grid. Our new street structure links up naturally with the old country lanes and tries to cover up the wide-mesh boulevard system elegantly without losing the orientation towards the centre. The actual size of a town and the administrative apparatus to be accommodated determine the size of the districts. For example, the district of Kreuzberg in Berlin has as many residents as Luxembourg has inhabitants, although geographically, that country is as big as the whole of Berlin. In spite of this enormous difference in size, the number of public authorities per resident remains relatively constant. Schools, kindergartens, playgrounds and sports fields, youth centres, meeting facilities, cultural and commercial facilities all have to be sensibly distributed in the districts. A church community centre is adapted to the size of the parish and is always a manageable unit. Formerly, the church had to be reachable on foot, and the size of the building corresponded to the importance of the parish as well as to the reach of the preacher’s voice. Even with these more important urban units, the human dimension plays an important role. Technical innovations may change our lives ever so much, but at some point we fall on our feet again and notice that we are bound to these physical limitations. And the more technology gives us wings, the more they will gain in emotional significance. It is not by chance that the New Urbanism movement, which propounds many of my theses, is widespread in the United States, the country that has reached the highest level of technical development. We have now arrived at the real subject: »How “How do we plan and build a city?” city?« lt sounds as if it would be child’s play. In actual fact, in the urban design that we are striving for, we are concerned with elementary things that the modern city has repressed. High technical and electronic standards allow us to forget urban buildings as the protective shell around our daily activities. Person-to-person communication without physical movement has long been possible. Rapid locomotion can no longer be ignored. We can live in seclusion, comfortably acquire the necessary and forget the

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village, the town and the city. All this seems to have made the town superfluous. In many places, it exists only as the setting for bank holidays or the backdrop for vacations. As developable land is not available in unlimited quantities, we have to think at the same time about how existing urban structures can be condensed in order to conserve the necessary agrarian reserves and to care for the ecologically valuable regions. A few years ago, in the context of the extensive case study »Brabant 2050«, the government of that “Brabant 2050”, province asked us to analyse the behaviour of the development axes in the southern Netherlands and how to increase the density of the villages and towns. This was to be done in detail for an exemplary grid square, without the whole landscape being encumbered with urban sprawl. We chose a map sector that also included our new plan for Brandevoort. The size of the blocks has to be such that the first development with single-family houses can be replaced with multi-storey buildings. This way, the population density can be increased within the same town limits. lt is somewhat strange that we have to plan within a short time a development that formerly took place gradually over centuries. Urban planning advances in spheres where control over adequacy and scale quickly gets lost. The search for visionary solutions prevails again and again. Helplessly, designers illustrate their fantasies with shrill new creations from the store of images from abstract art. Things are built and tried out. That which is created causes a considerable media spectacle for a short time and very quickly sinks back into the banal requirements of everyday use. Let us leaf through the last decades’ publications about new towns and find out what has become of Chandigarh or Brasilia in the meantime. The plans for these cities were designed by Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, strong personalities in the arts world who strove to attain an idealised and symbolical figuration in the ground plans. They therefore designed the most important monumental buildings themselves. However, a new city plan should not contribute simply to an artist’s selfactualisation, no matter how important he or she is. lt has to emerge out of the store of experience of local and regional urban architectural culture and fit seamlessly into this cultural landscape. In the case of Brandevoort, the district council of Helmond, which was in charge of the planning for this

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re-establishment, explicitly specified this objective. A “classical »classical Brabantian town” town« was to come come into into being. In order to make it clearer, the politicians organised a bus trip to those towns in the surrounding area that they considered exemplary. Normally, much skill is required to convince the client of the rightness of our planning philosophy. With Helmond, we were preaching to the converted, as much with regard to the politicians as to the developers. We presented the final concept using a model made by the students I had in Vienna at the time. Over 900 students participated in a design seminar on a town plan similar to that of Brandevoort. The combined models at a scale of 1:100 resulted in a wonderful whole. During the design phase, every student had to take into account the plans of his neighbour, so that a minimum of coordination was ensured. The student model sparked off a discussion on questions of detail. The project was given the green light at an almost festival-like event. In order to win clients, the Brandevoort developers presented the building plans and models in the context of a trade fair for the construction industry, on a round town square like a theatrical backdrop. 700 potential buyers registered their interest for the 50 buildings of the first block, so that a notary’s office had to be entrusted with carrying out a selection procedure. The developers had regarded the closed block figures of the town centre with great distrust, because they were afraid that they would be difficult to complete. The opposite happened: the attraction of being able to live once again in a normal neighbourhood proved to be an absolute hit. The buildings could hardly be erected as quickly as people wanted to move in. Canon of Elements A glance back into cultural history shows that long periods of time were necessary to unfold and round off an epoch. The Egyptians lived several thousand years with an astonishingly static image-world. The Greeks needed almost a thousand years to develop the design of their temples to completion. The architectural language of classical antiquity continued to survive a further two thousand years on all continents, right up to the present time. This was only possible because the canon of the elements in architecture, sculpture and painting had developed up to a point where it gained universal validity. Despite regional peculiarities and individual artistic temperaments, the rules of design allowed for optimal adaptation and variation. With the revolution in the arts at the centuryand andthe the movement beginning of ofthe thetwentieth 20th century

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towards unrestricted freedom of personal expression, the validity of the classical repertoire was seriously put to the test. The unsettling thing about today’s world of artistic expression is the mania for uniqueness that keeps museums and galleries on tenterhooks. Architecture and urban design are not spared this. lt remains to be seen when the protests that we know from opponents of the global market economy will reach the art scene. lt is depressing and sad at the same time to meet with almost exactly the same collections in the new museums right across the continents. After Germany’s reunification, we saw that the museums of the former German Democratic Republic could not manage any longer without Andy Warhol, Mario Merz and Joseph Beuys. Even the renovated concrete slab constructions in the new states of Germany look like Western products now. In today’s artistic production, the attachment of the product to the person of its creator or inventor is restrictive. The soughtafter uniqueness of the artistic object lives in a world of its own; it cannot be handed down. Bacon and Beuys, Kiefer and Merz are worlds that simultaneously live next to each other: each one a very intense experience in itself, they sparkle together in a collection like spirits of the time that will remain basically irreconciliable. In museums, they stand as if panopticon, degraded to Punch and Judy figures. in a panopticum, They have nothing to speak of beyond their own selves. If we compare Le Corbusier’s work with the late work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank 0. Gehry’s with Norman Foster’s or two of the same deconstructionist tendency, Coop Himmelb(l)au and Daniel Libeskind, then we will get the same result — disharmony. In past times, the art of composition using pictorial means could be taught. Theoretical approaches were based on a tradition that had given rise to products that lasted hundreds of years. They had gained general recognition and one did not have to be the representative of a philosophical tendency in order to find access to them or even to understand them. What can I teach students nowadays about the form of the modern building? They have seen a lot of things in the built world, discovered fantastic leaps of joy in modern construction. They want to be just as revolutionary. How can a teacher rein in such a comprehensible desire to create one’s own world wonder? lt is a question of opening their eyes for critical viewing and understanding, of showing them the anomalies such ego trips can lead to. lt is a thankless

Rob The Work II 150219 partproducts 1_Layout 1that 27.02.2020 Seite 27of lasted 19:12 hundreds

years. They had did not have to be the representative of a philosophical tendency in order to find access to them or even to understand them.27 What can I teach students nowadays about the form 27 of the modern building? They have seen a lot of things 27 in the built world, discovered fantastic leaps of joy in modern construction. They want to be just as revolutionary. How can a teacher rein in such a comprehensible desire to create one’s own world wonder? lt is a question of opening their eyes for critical viewing and understanding, of showing them the anomalies such trips lead to. lt is a thankless task to teach the ego virtues ofcan restraint. taskdeal to teach We with the ourvirtues themesofinrestraint. the domain of urban design Wesuch deal with ourvirtues themes the domain of urban design task to teach the restraint. in a manner as toofindistance ourselves from all in such a manner as from all We deal with our themes indistance the domain urban design spectacu lar effects. Wetowould likeourselves to of move towards spectacu effects.asWe towith movequiet towards in such alarsolutions manner towould distance ourselves from all »normal« that protectlike life and »normal«lar solutions thatwould protect lifetowith and spectacu effects. like movequiet towards comfort and leave We room for daydreams, solutions comfort and leavewith room for that daydreams, solutions »normal« solutions thatpoetry protect lifemistakes with quiet “normal” that are so filled canand be that are painlessly. so poetry that mistakes becomfort andfilled leavewith room for daydreams, endured The discipline attached to solutions thecan plan endured painlessly. The discipline attached to the plan that are sooften filledappear with poetry that mistakes can be ning may strict and artificial, from aning may often strict and artificial, from endured painlessly. The discipline attached to the plan single mold as it appear were, but it always leaves gaps forasinglemay moldoften as and it appear were, but ituncertainties always leaves gaps fora ning strict and artificial, from inconsistencies planning – even outsingle mould were, butisitituncertainties always leaves inconsistencies planning – even mold Hardly asasand ititwere, but always gaps for right failure. anyone called to leaves account for outbad inconsistencies and design. planning — even right failure. Hardly anyone However, isuncertainties called tothese account foroutbad planning uncertainties – decisions even planning in urban right failure. planning in Hardly urban decisions anyone isown called to these account for bad have a stubborn lifedesign. of theirHowever, – whole generations decisions planning intourban haveforced a stubborn of their own – whole generations planning design. However, these decisions are livelife with the consequences of planning have aa stubborn life of own are forced to live with thebusinessmen consequences of planning stubborn life oftheir their own— – whole generations errors. Politicians and have a very errors. Politicians andthe have a very are forced torelationship live with consequences ofaplanning am bivalent tobusinessmen plans: they are graphic ambivalent relationship plans:ofthey are a graphic errors. Politicians and businessmen have aeasily very and spatial medium the to effects which can andbivalent spatial medium effects which can easily am to plans: they are a graphic beguile andrelationship seduce. the Plans can of nurture false hopes beguile and seduce. Plans can nurture hopes and spatial medium the effects of whichfalse can easily that make a bitter awakening unavoidable. Because so that make a bitter awakening unavoidable. Because so beguile and seduce. Plans can hopes much unknown is inherent as nurture fermentfalse in urban muchmake unknown is inherentunavoidable. astheferment in are urban that a bitter awakening Because so planning, the decision-makers, politicians to planning, theatdecision-makers, politicians are to much unknown inherentmercy. astheferment urban some extent theisplanners' Urban in design is some extent the planners' mercy. UrbanNo design is theatdecision-makers, the politicians are to aplanning, domain with outstanding moral primacy. artistic a domain withat outstanding moral primacy. No artistic ̓ mercy. some extent the planners' design is vanity should take precedence overUrban human basic should take precedence over human basic avanity domain with outstanding moral primacy. No artistic needs here. Let us remember Heinrich Zille: »Architecneeds here. us remember Heinrich Zille: »Architecvanity should take precedence over human basic ture can killLet people«. ture can killLet people«. here. us Zille: »Architecneeds here. Let usremember rememberHeinrich Heinrich Zille: “Architure can killkill people«. tecture can people”. The applied arts of architecture and urban design The applied architecture design work with a arts set ofof objective theoand remsurban that do not workto with a arts set of theoand remsurban that do not The applied of objective architecture design have be reinvented by every generation. The staging have towith besequences reinvented byanevery Thestructure staging work a set ofinobjective theo rems that do not of spatial urbangeneration. architectural of spatial urbangeneration. architectural have to besequences reinvented byanevery Thestructure staging can draw upon a ingigantic store of know ledge. canspatial draw upon aparameters store of know ledge. of sequences ingigantic an urbanare architectural structure Their geometrical infinitely variable, Their geometrical are infinitely can draw upon for aparameters gigantic store ofonknow ledge. the opportunities innovation based avariable, secured the opportunities for innovation on secured Their geometrical parameters arebased infinitely variable, repertoire are boundless. The adherence to arules that; repertoire are true boundless. The adherence tocopying that the opportunities for innovation based arules secured are tried and is not tainted the wayon is. areprofound tried and true is not tainted the way is. repertoire are knowledge boundless. The adherence tocopying rules A of history enables usthat to A profound of history enables to are tried emanations and knowledge true is of not the way copying is. confront thetainted times critically and toushold confront emanations times critically and A profound knowledge of history enables ushold to alternative models upoftothethe modern city. The to theme alternative models up tothethe modern city. The confront emanations times critically totheme hold of the composition ofofurban spaces will beand explained of thethe composition of urban will explained alternative models up to the spaces modern city.be The with aid of typological projects that I theme have with aid of typological projects thatexplained I have of the the composition of urban spaces will be compiled since 1965. compiled 1965. with the since aid of typological projects that I have compiled We are onsince such1965. lonely guard duty with the defence Wetraditional are on such lonely the defence of urban designguard that Iduty find itwith is a wonder that of traditional urban design that Iduty find one itwith is aofthe wonder that We areNetherlands on such lonely guard defence in the of all places, the most in traditional the sive Netherlands of allthat places, ofwonder the most of urbanmodern design I find one itinis aEurope, that progres and countries this progres sive in Europe, this in the is Netherlands of all countries places, one ofdiscussed, the most theme notand onlymodern openly and seriously theme onlymodern openlycountries and seriously discussed, progres sive in Europe, this but alsois putnot toand the test. but alsoisputnot to the theme onlytest. openly and seriously discussed, but also put to the test.

general recognition and one Rob The Work II 150219 partgained 1_Layout 1 27.02.2020 19:12 Seite 27

Intermezzo: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany My pavilion for the regional horticultural exhibition (Landesgartenschau) in 1986 has found an admirer who regularly sends me the most romantic photographs. I’m glad to see how harmoniously this love nest fits into the landscape, unconcerned with the critical architectural discussion. (Photo: C. Szaktilla)

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2001

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Overwhelming Duomo, March 2001

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1995—2008 1995–2008

Tell me what affects you

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CITADEL BROEKPOLDER Beverwijk/Heemskerk, Netherlands, 2000–2008

South-eastern elevation elevation Southeastern

Marketplace Market placewith withhealthcare healthcare centre, church store church and and department department store

Entrance to the town

The marketplace Thelandscaped landscaped part part of the market place

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The overall plan

The plotting of the centre

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n the architect Teun master plan plan from from Teun Kolhaas’s Kolhaas’ master 2000, a grid square of 300 m × x 300 m surrounded by water was designed for the centre of a new town of 10,000 inhabitants, commissioned by the communities of Beverwijk and Heemskerk. The site has been built under the responsibility of ING/VOMAR and Deltapolder. The perimeter was lightly pressed in at intervals, which resulted in the star-shaped ground plan, its points ending in triangular bastions that stand in the water. The existing access street running diagonally across was to be maintained. It was interrupted in the middle and diverted around a small multi-purpose cultural building with a signal tower. The obstacle blocks the direct view through the centre. Tie-ups at the the gate gate situations situations and and atat the themarketmarket place have the same function. Objects whose purpose is to arrest the glance are also planned at the points where the lanes end at the water, in order to achieve more spatially consistent containment of the centre with its 450 apartments. Shops, restaurants and cafés, a supermarket, a healthcare centre and educational and cultural facilities offer the chance that from the outset, a living urban atmosphere will take hold.

Layout plan of the town centre

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The centre, square-cut, slightly rotated in the old plan

Starting from the given square-cut floor plan, I developed a star-shaped figure in order to break up the exterior walls and make them look interesting.

A first step, manifold, but very complicated. Orientation is difficult. Bird’s eye view Bird’s-eye viewfrom fromthe thesouth-east southeast

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The transversal course of the main road had to be adopted from the official plan. The building blocks are still too large.

These sketches are very near the final plan.

Eastern elevation

Lot plan of the first two building blocks under construction

Southern elevation

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Aerial view from the centre; the other districts do not follow our urban design philosophy

The entrance to Broekpolder centre with view of the marketplace market place

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The centre centreseen seenininthe thesunset sunset’s lightlight

One of the typical streets,; car traffic for delivery is allowed, two parking spaces per house are provided in the courtyard. Every house has an individual architectural image.

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Bargemon, France January 1996

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Between Bargemon, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and Berlin February 1996

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TheThe health centre thirdfloor floorisisoccupied occupied flats. health centreseen seenfrom fromthe the marketplace. market place. The third byby flats.

The place with health centre, a markethall on the left,left, withwith a ventilation tower tower for thefor underground parking. Themarket marketplace withthethe health centre; market hall on the a ventilation the underground This location waswas originally designated for a church. parking. This location originally designated for a church.

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THE FOUNDER developer, Cees Zwanenburg,asked askedme metotocreate create an inaugural thethe centre of Broekpolder. TheThe developer, Cees Zwanenburg, inauguralsculpture sculptureforfor centre of Broekpolder. createdaafigure figure with the I Icreated thesymbolic symbolictitle title“The TheFounder” Founder.

Design of the socle

Veiled sculpture, with Roswitha and Nadine

The inhabitants of Broekpolder organised a brilliant festivity…

Unveiling ceremony

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You could feel the figure’s body

Finally …

… to celebrate the inauguration of their sculpture

… the secret is disclosed

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The Founder — my sculpture for Broekpolder

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29 February 1996

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9–19March March1996 1996 9—19

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Flats on the city edges

The city centre has around 450 family houses,

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including the flats on the block and town corners. What an amazing variety of different façade designs!

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View marketplace Viewininthe thedirection direction of of the market place

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TheThe main road, which thetown. town.The Theplanned planned church with its tower should served main road, whichcuts cutstransversely transversely through through the church with its tower should havehave served eye-catcherininthe themiddle middle of the place that thethe straight view andand the traffic. as as anan eye-catcher the market marketplace thatwould wouldblock block straight view the traffic. no money available sacralbuilding, building,aacheap cheap market markethall tower for for the the underground car park the monument. As noAsmoney waswas available forfor thethe sacral halland anda aventilation ventilation tower underground car replace park replace the monument. What a sad prioritisation in this saturated consumer society! What a sad prioritisation in this saturated consumer society!

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South side of the centre

The health centre

Waterfront

West side

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with flats on top

Same location with the finished health centre

on the south side

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April 1996

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April1996, 1996, travel April Travelsketches sketchesbetween betweenVienna Viennaand andBerlin; Berlin, bottom right, figure by by Max Max Klinger Klinger in in the the Belvedere Belvedere in in Vienna, Vienna, 1901, 1901, 80 80 cm cm tall tall right aa figure

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An archaic sacral building in the form of a simple tent

Corner bastions in the centre of Broekpolder, floor plan and façade

Sketch of a sacral building with tower

The church in the centre of the market marketplace; addition, the place; ininaddition, there is a department store; below: its façade

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All access routes to the town centre are designed differently.

Living on the waterfront

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The buckled outer edges of the town are clearly visible.

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Corner towers accentuate the access to the village centre. Surprising reflections can be discovered in the moats. Dominique and Frank, members of my staff, were mainly responsible for the high quality of the execution. Unfortunately, the architectural language of the town centre didn’t rub off on the surrounding built-up areas.

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1995–2008 1995—2008

Life stories

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HOUSE FOR MY FRIENDS INEZ FRANKSEN AND MICKY MÜLLER-SCHWARZ Pantasina,Liguria, Italy, 2000 Pantasina, 2000

Bath

Bedroom

Guest Ground floor, new kitchen and living room, the old house on the left

Storage

Kitchen, Dining room

South façade on the courtyards, the old house on the left

The old house and the courtyard

East façade

This is a sketch for the enlargement of the Ligurian house of our Berlin friends Inez and Micky. Their old house, 6 m × x 9 m, has only one bedroom and a kitchen and dining room on the main floor. The bathroom is only accessible from outside, in the basement. The enlargement develops on an existing substructure.

Staircase tower in connection with the old house

Tempietto on top of the of staircase with a view on the Mediterranean Sea

Bath and bedroom on the same level as the old house

North façade

Garage

Living room with connection to kitchen and dining rooms

Section through the living room and the courtyard

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STREET SEGMENT IN FRISCO Texas, USA, 2000

O

ne day in October 2000, an American colleague from the city of Frisco in Texas paid me a visit and asked me if I would be inclined to design an exemplary street section for an urban design project of his practice. He showed me examples of wonderful existing brick architecture in the neighbourhood, which had been built

around 50 years ago in an insouciant classical style. He didn’t have to ask me twice, and a few days later I gave him a series of façade designs. The respective floor plans had already been developed by his staff. I have witnessed myself on my journeys what is possible in the United States.Classical architecture is regarded as a status

Façade studies in different scales

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symbol by the wealthy anyway, and they demand it as a matter of course from the architect, whereas this attitude is considered as intolerablyanti-modern anti-modernamong among Euintolerably ropean experts. A realisation of this classical architectural style with visible bricks, as it was a tradition in Frisco, would have given my designs a local

touch that would have homogeneously fitted into the environment. The architectural guest packed my drawings and bid a kind and enthusiastic farewell, and I never heard from him again. Maybe my designs have been realised in Frisco, quietly and secretly.

LessLess monumental architectural elements Ionicororcorinthian Corinthian columns tympanums have given monumental architectural elementsthan thanthese these Doric, doric, ionic columns and and tympanons wouldwould have given a more decent appearance street.The Thebrickwork brickwork would have helped to simplify details. a more decent appearancetotothis thisnormal normal living living street. would have helped to simplify thesethese details.

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Captivated 1997

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WINDOW IN THE WOODS Almere, Netherlands, 2000

T

he population of the town of Almere was supposed to double from 100,000 residents in 2000 to 200,000 in 2010. Together with Heijmans Almere, we participated in an investor’s competition in 2000. There was only arable land here, wrested from the sea approximately years ago.ago. Almere is fenced in all approximate ly 30 thirty years Almere is fenced in around by by young forests. all around young forests.

View from the central square

For the village, we sought a structure that could be set in optimum fashion into a forested scene and we decided on a fern or leaf-type figure. The tips of the blocks can penetrate deeply into the stands of trees and almost disappear into the forest. The streets curve wildly so that the end of the town cannot be seen from the village green in the middle. From street to street, ever new spatial situations arise. A clear rectangular square forms the heart of the village. After the surprising experiences coming through the village, its effect is that of a peaceful pole. A school, a kindergarten, a marketand and a home covered market a home for oldfor agepensioners pensioners are situated here. The less expensive houses are located at the lower entrance of the village, while the tips of the leaves and the top end are the more expensive locations: this way, opportunities for communication and encounters are almost a given; seclusion is costly. With regard to the acquisition of daily household necessities, neither the town as the project's ’ sponsor nor the developers have produced a concrete concept. A small space has been reserved for sports in this luxurious enclave, and close to the upper green, a chapel with a little campanile is planned. Nonetheless, a housing estate philosophy that leads to such isolated residential idylls deserves critical scrutiny.

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Bird’s-eye viewfrom fromthe thesouth south Bird’s eye view

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Thesefour fouroil oilpaintings, paintings, 100 100 cm x× 140 cm, were made These made during duringthe theChristmas Christmasholidays holidaysofof 1997 Törbel,ininthe thecanton cantonof ofValais, Valais, at at an an altitude of 2,000 1997in inthe themountain mountainvillage villageofTörbel, 2,000 metres. metres

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LIGNANO Lignano, Italy, 2000

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L

ignano, situated between Venice and Trieste, has a population of approximately 10,000 and one of Italy’s most popular beaches. During the summer, the population increases to as many as 100,000. At the western end of the gigantic resort town, a pine forest left in its natural state with a dune topography was to be developed in order to provide accommodation and cater to a further 10,000 summer visitors. An area of roughly 70 hectares was planned for forthe thenew newtown. town. The 30 The thirty different design variations drafted in the year 2000 range from linear systems with a boulevard-like centre to the concept of a clearly delimited neighbourhood centre as an autonomous body with the periphery developed in all four directions. The existing accommodations in the immediate environs are of surprisingly high quality. Lignano’s reputation has suffered severely from the mass tourism of the past decades. lt was all the more surprising to discover residential situations on the hilly building plots under old pine trees near the beach that offer a high degree of privacy and protection from the onslaught of visitors. A special feature of the plan is a neighbourhood with a spiral street plan. Illustration 13 shows the block structure of the last proposal, 14 the development in a more continuous, loose fashion, 15 the green spaces and streets and avenues lined with trees, 16 the traffic patterns, 17 the provisions for parking and 18 the network of pedestrian and bicycle paths.

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Sketches March–June 1997 March—June 1997

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Sketches 13–24 June 13—24 June 1997 1997

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FAÇADES ON LEIPZIGER PLATZ AND VOSSSTRASSE Berlin, Germany, 2001

M

y answer in a limited competition for façades of a shopping centre on Leipziger Platz and on the backside street.

Elevation on Leipziger Platz

Façade on Leipziger Platz

Backside elevation on Voßstraße

Site model

Façade on Voßstraße

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FAÇADE STUDY, GALERIE UNTER DEN LINDEN Berlin, Germany, 1996

F

açade competitions are a dishonourable matter for architects. The municipality and the owner feel no shame in making their vain and irresponsible selections from sketchily ad hoc designs as they please.

The fact that I haven’t built one single house in Berlin since the fall of the Wall teaches me the bitter lesson that my philosophy of architectural composition does not match with the city of today.

Unter den Linden

Glinkastraße

Corner CornerUnter Unterden den Linden / Glinkastraße Linden / Glinkastraße

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Berlin—Luxemburg, 21 September 1997

Berlin—Amsterdam—Berlin, October1997 1997 Berlin–Amsterdam–Berlin, 99October

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Back to Berlin, 23 September 1997

Luxemburg—Berlin, November1997 1997 Luxemburg–Berlin,2323October October1997 1997    Berlin—Vienna, Berlin–Vienna, 4 4November

Travel notes from two Leporellos, between 21 September and 4 November 1997

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RIVIERENBUURT The Hague, Netherlands, 2000–2009

S

outh of the De Resident quarter, towards the old Hollandspor station, is located a district that has been very neglected in terms of urban planning, and this is why the red-light district was able to establish itself there. The focus of the redevelopment intervention we began in 2001 for the Community of The c Hague was one of the few canals that remain in The Hague, the Boomsluiterskade. On the premises of the state printing offices, which are still active, a residential quarter was to be built for Eurowoningen.

View from the canal

When we established the plans for the quarter, we were attempting primarily to design a very transparent traffic pattern and, for the future, to unblock throughways that were then impassable. An existing street that runs east-west supplied the first stimulus for this. A square dominated by a twelvestorey tower opens onto the canal. The inspiration for the funnelshaped square came from The Hague’s own repertoire of squares: the Plaats in the city centre opens in the same way towards the old government sector and the adjoining lake. In order that as many residents View into the canal

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The development of the funnel-shaped canal

as possible can enjoy the water’s proximity it extends right into the square — to the almost hidden octagonal courtyard, which sets the concluding accent to this urban architecture composition. Multi-storey Multi-storey flats flats were were to to be be conconstructed structed at at the the canal’s canal’s edge edge and and on on the multistothe octagon; octagon;ininaddition, addition, multirey town houses with storey townhouses withindividually individually designed facades facadeswere were planned. planned. The The gable motifs were to emphasise gable motifs ought to emphasise the the eventful quality further. eventful quality stillstill further. At the time, local politicians expressly specified two tower accents at the canal axes: one tower was to be oriented from the old station towards the town hall, the other from the central station and De Resident towards the south. These 50-metrehigh residential towers were to disperse gracefully into the sky, creating unique living situations with oriels and loggias. The people call them them»Woonkathedraal« “Woonkathedraal” — — that that is “cathedral for living.” is »cathedral for living.«

Layout plan, final version

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Sketches of the corner buildings beside the tower

Rivierenbuurt on the canal, Boomsluiterskade

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Rivierenbuurt — living on the canal

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Pavilion made from solid brick, providing access to the underground car park under the water basin on the main square

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Guardian

2 January 1998

Is it the afterglow, the autumnal forests, the sparkling sea that make him so curious? No, he greets the ghosts of the heroes and hears their wild laments and is awestruck by the tremendous roar.

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Boomsluiterskade,; on the right: view of the inner square

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Here’s a collection of beautiful houses from The Hague. My collage is completely arbitrary. The names of the streets where they stand are noted below. For comparison, see our designs.

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The merry diversity of the façades in the design were soberly reduced for economic reasons when the time came to begin building. The courtyard façades suffered catastrophically, inflicting irreparable damage to the quality of life.

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The residential tower in the grips of the funnel-shaped square, “A piece of recovered city”, with a dedication to the mayor, Maurice Norder

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The tower stuck between the buildings surrounding the square

Sketch of the tower

Likeable neighbourhood Likable neighbourhood in the skyline

The water basin at the funnel-shaped square, looking in the direction of the regenerated square

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House types on the square

Hillebrand Jacobsplein — the surrounding district is filled with buildings lacking any standards!

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Travel sketches January 1997

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Test placement of the Raftsman in Claviers, the neighbouring village of Bargemon, home of my brother Leo. The nudity of the sculpture caused a stir among the residents, so the sculpture as well as the plinth had to be removed after a short guest appearance. 1997

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Houses on the square

and in the same block on the canal

Plan of the tower, oblique view and loggias

A look into the execution plans from the studio

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Spatial sketch of the first square design, looking towards the city centre

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The battle of the architectural scales,; in the background, the building operation by Hans Kollhoff

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Willem Silviusstraat, looking towards the west

House corner in Willem Silviusstraat

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Adriaan Vlackstraat, one half of the octagonal square

Corner Silviusstraat CornerChristoffel Christoffel Plantijnstraat / Willem Plantijnstraat / Willem Silviusstraat

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Straight through Rivierenbuurt

Diverse house variations

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Surprises never end

at Hillebrand Jacobsplein

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The houses on the octagonal square — the reality was sobering At home

The transition passage between Jacobsplein

First draft of the octagonal square at the end of Hillebrand Jacobsplein (rejected)

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The houses could have been so varied. It remained a dream. and the octagonal square

No entrance without a bench

Final design with open road junctions at the square, with a fountain and a gate building leading to the central square. Le bon Dieu ne l’a pas voulu.

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Berlin, 6 May 1997

Berlin, 6 May 1997

Berlin, 11 May 1997

They hide behind a strong figure, everyone shouting in the background, 15 May 1997 / The Hague, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Helmond / The Brabant caller

Helmond–Amsterdam–Berlin, Helmond—Amsterdam—Berlin, 16 May 1997

From Helmond to Amsterdam by train 17 May 1997

On the run 4 June 1997

Note opposite: Summer weather, all villages have one or more church spires, in Brandevoort we will also need one. It is so green outside ... the landscape has finally awoken.

My daughter Nadine bought this drawing My daughter Nadine bought this at the opening of the exhibition in Mudrawing at the opening of the exhibition nichin in the Pixis gallery 11 SeptemMunich in the Pixisongallery on ber 2015 2015 11 September

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— Berlin 4 May May1997, 1997,Rome Rome–Berlin A few more weeks in Rome and I will not recognise my handwriting. I had begun this leather-clad sketchbook (16.5 cm ×x 23.5 cm) in Rome and filled filled it with 43 drawings up to 7 August 1997. Afterwards, it disappeared from my studio in Bargemon and I forgot it. it. In In summer summer,2015, 2015 the theMunich Munichgallery galleryowner, owner Christian Christian Pixis, Pixis called me in Liguria and told anan antiquary in Munich. Obviously sometold me methat thatthis thissketchbook sketchbookhad hadshown shownupupinin antiquary in Munich. Obviously soone hadhad stolen it. Pixis wanted to to return it ittotome. meone stolen it. Pixis wanted return me.I Iwas wassosomoved movedby bythis thismagical magical discovery discovery that I asked him to keep and protect it. In the autumn of that same year, he displayed it in his gallery in Munich. This incident was the beginning of a spontaneous friendship.

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Even I allowedmyself myselfto to be be tempted tempted to towers, Even I allowed todraw drawsketches sketchesofof towers, this Rivierenbuurt, a retirement home thisone one on on Boomsluiterskade Boomsluiterskade atatRivierenbuurt, forfor an old people’s home

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Here’s skylineatatthe thetown towncanal; canal, left people’s home, Here’s thethe skyline left,the theold retirement home,then thenRivierenbuurt, Rivierenbuurt; adjacent, an existing high-rise residential and opposite, Living at Cathedral at the Spui adjacent an existing high-rise residential buildingbuilding and opposite the Livingthe Cathedral the Spui (see next page) (see next page)

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During work city centreofofThe TheHague, Hague,starting starting in been pressured to achieve During my my work forfor thethe city centre in 1988, 1988,I Ihave haverepeatedly repeatedly been pressured to achieve extremely large floor areas. When keeping with the normal 5 to 6 storeys, this could only be realised with several extremely large floor areas. When keeping with the normal five to six storeys, this could only be realisedtower withbuildings. several The most most recentrecent high-rise buildings by Hansby Kollhoff show how muchhow pressure on the district. tower buildings.The high-rise buildings Hans Kollhoff show muchweighs pressure weighs on the district.

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The trip to this romantic dream world reminded me of the long years of work spent measuring the cathedral in Auxerre. How I would have reacted had I actually been commissioned belongs to the sphere of unresolved professional adventures. This sketch, showing the geometric nesting of structures, is an attempt to rationalise — or clear out — the first rapturous design approach.

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WOONKATHEDRAAL — TWO SENTIMENTAL VISIONS The Hague, Netherlands, 2001–2002

Living should also find its cosy niches up in the heights … On an extremely narrow plot at the Spui in The Hague, around the corner from the Rivierenbuurt, a high-rise residential building was to be constructed. The building shown on this sketch was spontaneously called Woonkathedraal.

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The bigger the economic pressure, the more solemn the aesthetic implementation — out of defiance!

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They all chickened-out 8 June 1997

These bucks can can’t ‘t live in harmony with each other 44 July July 1997 1997

Neither can they 6 July 1997

Agreement would still be possible 6 July 1997

Rarely were there three so different 7 July 1997

They have not got much to talk about 11 July 1997

Frightened 11 July 1997

An endless subject 11 July 1997

They don’t ‘ deign to look at each other 11 July 1997

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Three who wanted to love each other 8 June 1997

Pixiscame brought me this a very personal to Berlin When Pixis to Berlin, hedrawing brought with me this drawing withnote a very personal note. Note on the back: Back from Stralsund (where I had been working with my Viennese students). The three big churches are overwhelming. Marc has called from Rome. Papa congratulated me on my name day (St. Robert).

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TACHELES JOHANNISVIERTEL TACHELES— – JOHANNISVIERTEL Berlin, Germany, 2000–2002

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ecause of its complex urban design situation, this project virtually provoked a play of variations. Before the war, this plot of land was occupied by a glass-roofed gallery, crowned by a cupola 24 m in diahad been been designed designed by bythe thearchitecht architect Franz meter. It had Ahrens.

that are now occupied by a great variety of shops, cultural organisations and gastronomic enterprises. The success of the concept is due in part to its small-scale heterogeneity, which was revitalised after the city’s reunification when people sought the old urban quality in the desolate environs of the historic centre.

In all our proposals to the Fundus-Gruppe (made in year 2000), 2000),the therestoration restorationofof gallery’s forthe year thethe gallery’s former mer ground plan re-emerged repeatedly in different ground plan reemerged repeatedly in different forms. forms. The cupola a circular plaza, glass The cupola becamebecame a circular plaza, the glassthe gallery a normal shopping street. the whole comagallery normal shopping street. As theAs whole complex is plex is considered to be building, a single building, could considered to be a single we could we establish establish distances between the buildings usual distances between the buildings that usualthat developdevelopment plans forbid. Thisthe way, the design ment plans forbid. This way design could could bring bringbeing into being a properly atmosphere. into a properly urban urban atmosphere.

Our first concepts for Tacheles were based on the idea of a labyrinth similar to the topography of the Hackesche Höfe. However, the solution that we finally arrived at provides a clear avenue through the block.

Not far away from here, the Hackesche Höfe (architect: August Endell) have developed into a popular and commercially successful concept. lt is a series of courtyards once used by workshops and warehouses

The streets and squares are open to vehicular traffic in the morning hours, and commercial deliveries are taken at street level as usual. The building units are individually designed. The composition of the circular open space is derived from the architecture of the old cupola. Gates that have been made slightly taller accentuate the entrances from the main streets.

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Rotunda

Final design

Shopping street with arcades

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Some sketches of the houses in the interior streets

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Two larger groups of buildings,; above: on Oranienburger Straße, below: inside the complex

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Oranienburger Straße; the pair of towers signals the entrance into the new district

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The semi-circular squareatatthe theentrance, entrance, seen The semicircular square seen from fromOranienburger OranienburgerStraße Straße

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The breakthrough to Friedrichstraße. I tried a new interpretation of the three-dimensional vividness of the Berlin façades.

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The round square, with an accurate reconstruction of the façades of the former glass-covered gallery, which at this point had been crowned by a glass dome. The architect was Franz Ahrens.

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A design with arcade buildings extending into the street. There is a view from Friedrichstraße into Oranienburger Straße; the round square is in the middle.

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The new passageway, seen from Friedrichstraße. Here, too, the passage is accentuated by two towers. After one and a half years of the most intensive planning, the work was stopped. To this day, this site in the city centre is vacant.

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Left: my studio in Bargemon, 1996,; right: mounting of the sculpture for the inauguration of “Kirchsteigfeld” in Potsdam, also 1996

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CITÉ-JARDINS LEPLESSIS-ROBINSON PLESSIS-ROBINSON CITÉ-JARDINS Paris, France, 2000

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n this Paris suburb, an unusually courageous urban development policy has been pursued under the direction of the mayor, Philippe Pemezec. The Parisian architects Nada and Marc Breitman were able to design a whole quarter of unique quality. All the aspects of theory and practice that we advocate were perfectly implemented in their project. L’avenue du Général de Gaulle

Place de la Résistance

On the site, which has been targeted for development since 2000, a series of municipal buildings dating from the 1930s had to be pulled down. We conserved the old street pattern with its trees, and using this as a basis, we designed a street network whose composition is as spatially eventful as possible to provide an optimal link-up with the old Plessis. The district is situated between the old town and a daily market, a location that will imbue the quarter with a lot of liveliness. The square, which links the new quarter with the old town, is developed in the form of a crescent, framing a traffic circle. Corrective measures to the urban design extending well beyond the building site proper had to be taken into consideration, so as to enable the city to react to this new quarter in the future.

Layout plan with current surroundings

The big rectangular square

Octagonal square Octogonal square

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ZAC DU PARC Vitré, France, 1997–2002

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or the traveller coming from Paris, Vitré, a town of 18,000 inhabitants, lies at the threshold of Brittany. a well-conserved stock The town townhashas a well-conserved of medieval buildings; worthy stock of mediaeval buildings; wor-of mention the castle with thy of are mention are crowned the castle towers that serves theserve town crowned withnow towers thatas now hall,theand the hall, town’sand Gothic church. as town the town’s In a suburb at the of this inGothic church. In aedge suburb at the cunabulum architectural edge of this of incu nabulum of history, archia plot ofhistory, industrial land vacant, tectural a plot of fell industrial thereby foroffering 250 deland felloffering vacant, space thereby tachedfor houses and pairshouses of semi-despace 250 detached and tached, have beenwhich in thehave planpairs of which semi-detached, ning works 2001.works The area has been in thesince planning since sufficient for sufficient the composition 2001. Thespace area has space of well-proportioned that can for the composition ofblocks well-proporbe grouped around a series of inner tioned blocks that can be grouped streets and squares. around a series of inner streets and squares. Access to the buildings is controlled by a gatehouse whoseis gateway Access to the buildings controlledis flanked by towers. The gateway main streets by a gatehouse whose is convergebyon a central square. One flanked towers. The main streets of these streets follows a crescentconverge on a central square. One of shapedstreets coursefollows and endsa at a beauthese crescenttiful, romantic 19th park. shaped course and endscentury at a beautiThe design of the houses iscentury clearly ful, romantic nineteenth inspired traditional Breton archipark. Thebydesign of the houses is tecture. inspired by traditional Breclearly ton architecture.

Street elevation at the back of the crescent

View from the middle street

Block structure with the building parcels

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Collage of old Breton houses, realised by the Conseil d’Architecture, d’Urbanisme et de l’Environnement (CAUE) de Côte-d’Or

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Above: multi-storey dwellings facing the park,; below: street façades of the new district designed “à la manière bretonne”

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Commercial centre of Vitré

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Porte commerciale de Vitré — Conception of a disciplined architecture for all commercial activities

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Life February 2000, Snatched and snared was I, as torn from the divine revelation forced out of intoxicated bliss

Pallbearer 23 February 2000

Child riding on his father 3 March

March 2000

Mascha und Dascha grow together 4 March

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Intimate entanglement

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Towed away February 2000

You catch me to spite and mock me verminous absurdity. Would the load be lighter here upon your stormy loins? Like a sapling in the winter storm – am I still a living thing?

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Bear me

March 2000

Wield me into the everlasting beholden to my soul and to celestial song do pilot me to new sounding spheres

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VAL D’EUROPE Marne-la-Vallée, France, 2001

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nother one among the innumerable lost competitions. At least no money has been lost in the office. I did the freehand drawings alone, and my wife Roswitha transcribed the floor plans and calculated the size of the flats during our summer stay in Liguria. Later, I was sorry that I had respected the arbitrary urbanist requirements of the design director of Disneyland, which, according to my urban design theory, I ought to have corrected. I am particularly proud of the fact that my architecture was considered not to be suitable for Disneyland — a reproach always addressed to me by malevolent critics.

Site plan with the green courtyards

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Ground level of the urban block figure which was prescribed by the promoter

Some plans of the apartment types

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Different views of the housing estate

Above: Rue des Bois de Paris,; below: the large boulevard Rue des Grands Prés

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Rue des Grands Prés

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Flautist

Hommage to Eberhard Blum 8 September 2001

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KLOOSTERVESTE Assen, Netherlands, 2001

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ear the town of Assen in the north of the Netherlands, a new town has come into being since 2001. Its cultural and commercial centre has yet to be planned. We were to take over the role of supervisor for a master plan already in existence, and sketch out our vision of the appearance of this centre for the community. This was the first time in our professional practice that such a request had been made: we were to direct the execution of a plan — of exceptional quality — which we had not drawn ourselves. We were unable to find out who was responsible for this exciting idea. Our positive attitude to this successful architectural design was correspondingly expressed in the improvisations we lined out. The undertaking has not progressed any further.

Squares inside the theround roundcity cityofof Kloosterveste, Assen Squares inside Kloosterveste Assen

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Schoolstraat — one of the curved streets

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These ideal visions, like many illustrations of my projects, came into being as provocations. In the background loomed the dramatic question,; why the new towns of today don’t look as architecturally exciting as the old ones. Nobody is tempted to plan his Sunday

afternoon walk to a contemporary suburb, whereas cities like Venice or Florence are overcrowded. Nevertheless, I am always happy about this cultural mass tourism. People desperately assault the beautiful cities because the ugliness of our new world instinctively repels them.

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I am just waiting for the moment when the pent-up anger breaks out and protest mobilises in the form of blockades and demonstrations and the politicians will be forced to intervene against the deformation of our built environment. This has already happened with some

rare cultural buildings; but here I’m speaking of the new large-scale urban design monstrosities threatening to strangle the cores of our cities. I recall the dictum of critic,Heinrich HeinrichZille Zille(1858—1929): (1858–1929): the Berlin social critic “Architecture can kill people.”

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Wasted 15 July 01

Farewell 5 April 01

RepentancesofofSt. St.Peter Repentances Peter Duomo 13 August 01

The Crouching 22 July 01

Reality August 2001

Give Way 25 August 2001

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Wasted

15 July 2001

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LLOYD PIER Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2001

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t the Lloyd Pier in the port of Rotterdam, large ships were formerly loaded and unloaded. After the moorings were transferred, the pier became available for new uses. In view of the city’s dynamic development, waterfront living has become a topical issue and at the same time an architectural challenge.

View into Pierstraat

In the design we developed together with van Wijnen, in the context of a competition in 2001, towers stand at the quayside with their feet in the water. U-shaped buildings link the towers, so that an urban sequence of streets and squares is created, the design of which ties in with the existing buildings. The buildings are five and six stories tall, and on the side towards the water, they are provided with green areas and gardens. The towers increase in height towards the end of the pier, from 10 to 20 stories, which corresponds to the maximum permitted height of 90 metres. Loggias, terraces and oriels produce a strong relief effect which endows the towers with an appearance of grace and elegance.

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Anxious

28 July 2001

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STRIJP S, FORMER PHILIPS WORKS Eindhoven, Netherlands, 2001

Site plan with the main roads

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he classic Philips works in the centre of Eindhoven were moved out, and as much as possible of the valuable existing structural fabric was to be converted into a multifunctional district. The difficulty in linking it to the surrounding areas led to the development of a particularly autonomous structure to which the environs — currently still too weak — will have to react in future.

470,000 sqm floor space!

This project came into being in 2001 in the context of a consultation with investors, its goal being to analyse the profitability of a conversion integrating new buildings in addition. In the utopian vision that we have developed together with Amstelland, the business centre as such is conceived as a compact, oval town clearly delimited from its environs by a »moat« “moat” surrounding it. The majority of the pre-war industrial buildings to be revitalised are located on the central longitudinal axis, and the most important traffic axes meet at the new central square. The blocks in front of the centre are for the most part residential developments whose modest elevation height creates the transition to the existing urban areas. Layout plan

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Sketches of the design steps

A slightly utopian vision of the new global industrial site, visualising the excessive programme of the investors

Last solution

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DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR OUDERKERK Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2001–2003

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The interventions in red

he small picturesque town of Ouderkerk lies on the river Amstel near Amsterdam. Our role was to make a new street on the north-ernedge edgeof of the the town town centre, northern tak-ing care of various taking care of various existing buildings. These determined the choice of aa horseshoe shaped horseshoe-shaped square along the street in order to along the street in order bring together all elements in one to bring together all elements in harmonious urban design one harmonious urban compodesign sition. Beyond this central we composition. Beyond this part central proposed interventions in other part we proposed interventions areas around raise upthis the one, discusin other areastoaround to sion for a future strengthening of raise up the discussion for a futhe general urban structure. ture strengthening of the general urban structure.

Ouderkerk, the harbour

Model,; the village church at the bottom

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Horseshoe-shaped piazza with the town hall on the left

Church square seen from the church

Main square

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HOUSING ON WIELANDSTRASSE Gladbeck, Germany, 2001–2002

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n a tract of land gently sloping in a southerly direction, a neighbourhood of onefamily homes with a special village-like atmosphere around a central square that follows the slope. Towards the bottom of the valley, the building development becomes less dense, with freestanding free-standing houses. houses. All All houses houses can be accessed with cars and have a garage either as a part of the house or directly adjacent. Visitors find parking space on the green public roads. The irregular blocks create surprising spatial sequences.

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CHIMNEY IN OUR FLAT Berlin, Germany, 2001

Little intermezzo chimneydecorated decoratedwith with sculptures Little intermezzo— —my mydesign design for for this chimney sculptures is ismodelled De Resident ResidentininThe TheHague Hague modelledon onthe thetower tower of De

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In the Wind 1 October 2002

The Founder May 2002

Humiliated 10 May 2002

Silent 8 August 2002

On the Lookout 10 August 2002

Repressed 15 August 2002

Couple Embracing December 2002

In the Wind 1 October 2002

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BATAVIAHAVEN Lelystad, Netherlands, 2002–2009

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ith the development of the harbour district for Rabobank since start2002, Lelystad community took a ing inthe 2002, the Lelystad community tookimportant a very important stepthetowards very step towards develthe development theThe entire city. opment of the entireofcity. harbour The harbour lies of in the coastal middle district lies indistrict the middle of theand coastal and forms a central strip formsstrip a central element. element. Together with Wissing Stedenbouw en Ruimtelijke Vormgeving, we quickly developed a design concept that respected the basic requirements of the community and the interests of concerned parties in the area. The idea of the development of the harbour basin as a bay along the coast seems quite appropriate for the site of Bataviahaven as a highlight and programmatic focus of the coastal strip at the summit of Suyderseeboulevard and Batavia Stad. This theme is developed distinctly and independently. The promenade and its development are taken up in a connecting curve. Harbour, promenade and street form a mutually reinforcing spatial ensemble.

First sketch of the harbour elevation

The main features of the urban design proposal’s spatial structure are: the relationship to Batavia Stad, the distinct blocks of buildings, the inclusion of lower-level private parking, the promotion of residential streets free of cars and the contrast of the activity on the promenade with the quiet privacy of the courtyards.

Layout plan

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Lelystad, Bataviahaven, northern elevation

Harbour façade

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Bataviahaven — new harbour of Lelystad (watercolour)

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Daily life on the edge of the port of Lelystad (watercolour)

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The first block, seen from the water

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The low-rise front buildings are destined to be shops. They are to be used as flats until the harbour buildings are finished.

The most beautiful compliment my brother Leo ever paid me is related to this building: “Oh, I would also like to live here with a view of the sea!”

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At the southern courtyard, there are cosy sun terraces, counterbalancing the northern sea view

At the courtyard side, each block is to gently decrease step-by-step from seven to three storeys, like this one, which was the first to be realised.

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Two corner towers

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Photomontages of the future port architecture

The harbour life full of hustle and bustle… even with only one building block

Bataviahaven in Lelystad, on the border of IJsselmeer/Markermeer

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Five of these happy blocks were planned,; the global crisis in 2008 stopped the project.

Joie de vivre

How Google shows the atmosphere and the life in Bataviahaven

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HARBOUR AND NEW CONCEPT FOR THE TOWN HALL Bussum, Netherlands, 2001–2010

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hen I first met the municipal council in Bussum, a beautiful oil painting hung paint-ing hung above above the the desk desk of the mayor, showing the old inner harbour and the high tower of the city church in the background. The water basin had meanwhile been filled in; the square was used as a car park. My question on

whether they could imagine excavating the old harbour was approved with enthusiasm. They also encouraged me to consider an alternative to the detested modern town hall. This dream still slumbers in the drawer of the master planner.

Sketch of the urban situation and vision of a new town hall, 1 June 2001

The new harbour and the town hall in the background, 3 April 2001

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The excavated harbour basin with the new district surrounding it

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OLYMPIC VILLAGE Düsseldorf, Germany, 2002

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n November 2002, in the course of its candidature for the Olympic Games 2012, the city of Düsseldorf organised a design workshop during which five teams, formed of renowned

vacy in winding streets and small squares were basic ideas of the design. A new bridge over the Rhine was to connect the village directly to the sports facilities. The district of Ober-

architects, town planners and landasked to develop scape architects, were should develop a cona concept for the areaininquestion. question. My cept for the area team’s work focused on the design of the Olympic village which was to have an urban character. A closed building block, a central axis with a meeting point, and intimate areas offering pri-

kassel in Düsseldorf was the inspiration for a var-ied varied architecture, architecture, similar to the one we try to realise in all our urban design projects. A perfect model was thus in the immediate vicinity. The Olympic village and the bridge to the sports facilities

The Olympic village with the new bridge over the Rhine, 24 November 2002

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The Olympic village seen from the Rhine bridge

The large green space in the middle of the Olympic village

Another view of the large green space in the Olympic village, 24 November 2002

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Self-sacrifice 14 August 2004

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RESTRUCTURING THE DISTRICT OF KAMPERPOORT

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Zwolle, Netherlands, 2002

nfortunately, this is another plan that didn’t get beyond the stage of a first sketch. At the western border of the wonderful historic centre of Zwolle, which still shows the shape of its medieval fortification, a large urban wasteland had to be restructured. Arbitrary new construction activities forced the city council to look for a regulative master plan. The historic plan (in the middle on the right) shows how important the western arterial road — Hoogstraat — was in the past.

The The historic historic centre centreof ofZwolle; Zwolle,on onthe theleft, left the district Kamperpoort Kamperpoort

Today’s planning chaos

The Sassenpoort

City map, around 1850, with our planning area, Hoogstraat, on the left

My attempt to give the district a self-contained and homogeneous order (Hoogstraat is situated at the level of the bridge) 8 March 2002

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I 20 December 2003

II 24 December 2003

III 27 December 2003

IV 29 December 2003

Four sculptures on the subject of Rescuing for my project City of Justice in Luxembourg

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IV 29 December 2003

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ALTER HOF — RESTRUCTURING THE OLD RESIDENCE Munich, Germany, 2002–2003

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iewing all planning planning tasks tasks in in an a histohistoiewing rical context, this is one of the most difficult. The traces of the castle and later residence of the electors have been covered over the centuries. The designation of the location for shops, offices, and housing implicates that this new “content” will shape the typology of the building and its appearance. A public function with a prestigious character would have increased the value of the old court in quite a different way.

In our concept, we aim at creating a lively silhouette, which had been typical for the place until the interventions of the 19th century. A new pair of towers flanks the north portal. This side of the court needs a companion piece to the south tower, a special valorisation, since the castle chapel that once stood here was demolished. The apartment buildings are concentrated on the eastern side of the court. The gables, designed in many forms, allow a generous utilisation of the deep attic storeys. The apartment and office buildings are designed differently and can be easily distinguished from one another. They fit into the typology of solid structures in the neighbourhood and attempt to seamlessly adapt to the atmosphere in the centre of Munich. The same is true for the choice of materials and colours. 3 March 2003

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he old residence was severely damaged during the last war. In the following years, it was reconstructed with mediocre architecture that did not at all meet the requirements of the central location and should now be replaced. A competition was to deliver a suitable solution, but this usually goes wrong, as it did here. The new building by the winner of the first prize is even worse than the post-war architecture. This time, the question “How can we build in a way in line with the historical fabric?” particularly motivated me, as I had studied architecture in Munich. After so many years Ground floor, façades on Sparkassenstraße

First floor, façades on Schrammerhof-/Fisterstraße

East façades of Alter Hof, the Burgstraße crosses the old gate on the right side and the new gate on the left side 29 January 2003

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it was fascinating to discover the local Bavarian architecture which I had completely ignored as a recalcitrant student. I was enthusiastic about its folkloristic expressiveness and tried to perpetuate some of it in my project. The most important contribution was the remodelling of the north gate. In the Middle Ages, the castle chapel was located here. It didn’t survive the centuries. I didn’t have the courage to reconstruct it, but I respected its former dimensions. Instead, I tried to create a new, ceremonial gate architecture with two finely chiselled towers. Second floor, façades on Dienerstraße

Third floor

The corner of Sparkassen- and Fisterstraße with the existing bridge connecting to the Münzhof on the right 30 January 2003

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The south gate opposite, with its famous blue and white lozenge painting, the Bavarian emblem, has survived through the ages and deserved a respectable companion piece. At the same time, this landmark should serve as a signpost to the new residence on Maximiliansplatz. When I presented my project, I garnered disdainful comments.

The North gate

Fourth floor, south façade of Alter Hof

Section through the two gates

Fifth floor, east façade of Alter Hof, looking west

Isometrics of of Alter Alter Hof, Hof, seen seen from from the the north-east northeast Isometrics 28 January 03

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The Burg-tower in the medieval skyline

The western corner of the Hof with the Burgkapelle

Model of the medieval situation of Alter Hof, looking from the north into the courtyard

Some Bavarian architectural details in the streets around Alter Hof

Isometrics of Alter Hof, seen from the southwest, south-west,with withBurgstraße Burgstraßeand andBurgtor, Burgtor,the theoldest oldestpart partdating datingback backtotoaround around1150 1150AD AD 29 29 January January 2003 2003

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Third 3rd version 2005

September 2005

July 2005

15 August 2005

2005

9 August 2005

20 July 2000

June 2005

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2005

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WOONZORGPARK BILDERDIJK

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Hoogeveen, Netherlands, 2002–2008

n the very centre of Hoogeveen in North Holland, the municipality planned a large mixed-use complex on an empty plot of land surrounded by moats. Most of it was dedicated to residential units and care facilities for elderly people. Normal urban functions were to intermix so that the elderly people wouldn’t be isolated in a ghetto. I had in mind an exciting spatial organisation that was to provide the maximum possible variety of meeting places for the inhabitants. The first sketch shows an

exciting interplay of maze-like paths and square niches. It’s a pity that this unique figure had to be given up in the course of the revisions done for economic reasons. It reminds me of sculptures by Jacques Lipchitz or the cutouts by Henri Matisse. It is floating on the water, accompanied by green islands that stick to its exterior walls like sponges. Anchored by a solid pedestal, it moves like a dancing couple, free from the stolidness of populated places.

First site plan surrounded by water, 27 August 2002

Seniors’ paradise, Hoogeveen, floating over the water like a dream, 28 September 2002

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3 November 2003

The first alternatives. The programme extended to the smaller side of the main street with apartment houses.

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Here, the first first sketch sketch is is still still alive alive. Here, the

The appreciate . The flat flat parcels are easy to appreciate.

The The building building blocks blocks are are closed. closed .

Here, Here, they they open open up up to to the the outside. outside.

An oval reception square on the main street and a small change in the routing

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Two Two towers towers as as landmarks landmarks on on the the street street

Congenial spatial spatial chaos chaos along along the the inner-street inner-street sequence sequence Congenial

The Therational rational end end of of the long research

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Hoogeveen,; the façades, almost ready to be built

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he design of irregular building volumes and spatial sequences is a dangerous game because the aesthetic coherence can easily be lost. If, however, the house is harmoniously designed as a small module and if the addition of the modules is varied and artful, then the prerequisites for architectural success should be fulfilled. I always gave my students the following advice: When you can watch, use or hear a building, a painting, a sculpture, a designed object of daily use or a piece of music again and again with great delight, then you have evidence that you have a precious work of art before you. This test

Collage of different working plans

is an unmistakable sign of the aesthetic quality of the object or the abstract work of art in question. I have never heard of people who, in their leisure time, go for walks in suburban areas disfigured by the most banal buildings. Beautiful town centres, however, how-ever,can can barely barely resist resist the stampedes of visitors.

Examples of the working drawings, details still in progress

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Two different interpretations of the reception square on the main street, 28 September 2002 and 17 December 2003

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The atmosphere inside the village for elderly people, 28 September 2002

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Couple embracing December 2002

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Irresolute 11 August 1996

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MY SCULPTOR’S WORKSHOP Bargemon, France, 1991–2003

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or my sculptural work, I needed a workshop where I could handle figures up to 6 m high. The City of Vienna had commissioned me to create such a monumental sculpture for my round Camillo-Sitte-Platz. During a Christmas holiday with my brother Léon in Bargemon in the south of France, we both decided to take up residence here. He bought a house in the neighbouring village, Claviers, and I found this former shoe factory in Bargemon, which I could arrange for my purposes with little effort.

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There was already a two-storey room, 9 m high. On the f first Floor, accessed by a spiral staircase, only a kitchen and bathroom had to be installed. A loft conversion with terrace wasn’t authorised by the municipality. A large skylight provided for exciting daylight, and I had a crane attached to the roof beams. I was able to buy a secondhand forklift, and I mounted a working cabin on the sling bar so that I could easily rise and descend along the figure with my buckets full of plaster. I attached all figures that had been completed in the course of the years on rolls so that I could always keep keep my myworkspace workspacefree. free. However, 12 years later my workshop was so crowded that I could barely move. At that time, I moved to Italy, where I can work outdoors during summer, under a tent roof that protects me from the sun. A Parisian music publisher bought the workshop and its equipment and makes it available to artists free of charge. Every year when I visit I am happy to see my workshop in such good hands.

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Bargemon, the door to my sculptor’s workshop, rue de Seillans

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APARTMENT VILLAS Heiligendamm, Germany, 2003

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eiligendamm, situated on the Baltic Sea coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, is the oldest seaside resort in Germany and continental Europe; it was founded as early as 1793. The place became famous worldwide as the venue of the G8 summit meeting in June 2007. Due to the neoclassical white buildings lining the beach promenade, it is also called “white town by the sea”. This impressive town as a work of art was erected between 1793 and 1870 by the master builders J. C. H. von Seydewitz,

C. T. Severin, and G. Demmler and is without doubt Germany’s most beautiful seaside resort. It was intoxicating and a challenge to design some multi-family villas that would match harmoniously with the historic buildings, just a few steps from the most beautiful of them, a little inland. It is a pity that it didn’t go further than these sketchy visions for the developer, the Fundus group, and that not even a single floor plan has ever been designed. A first layout sketch, the crescent looking to the main building complex

The reception square surrounded by an arcade, 16 February 2003

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The site plan of our project

A strange detail: the historical buildings don’t stand perpendicular to the sea

One of the neoclassical houses

Behindthe thereception receptionsquare, square,the thevillas villasstand standininaasemi-circle semicircle in front of the high trees of the park, 18 March 2003 Behind

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The main hotel and conference complex in the middle

At the beginning of the 19th century, neoclassical architecture was the architectural expression accepted everywhere … 17 March 2003

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Other beautiful villas — they survived the GDR regime, but some are in a rather bad condition

... it provides perfect living comfort, even for today’s needs, and assures a perfect aesthetic result 17 March 2003

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Shouldered 2004

Remote face 22 July 2004

On guard 3 August 2004

Violent confessional 7 August 2004

Nadine, butterfly of longing 8 August 2004

Alarmed 8 August 2004

Swan song 9 August 2004

Storming 13 August 2004

Don’t start 15 August 2004

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Alarmed 8 August 2004

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HOUSING COMPLEX PAKTUYNEN Enkhuizen, Netherlands, 2003–2009

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roofs, arranged in a circle. The curved façade of our project envelops the houses like a protective shield and opens up to the canal across from a gateway.

nkhuizen looks back on a thousand-year history and was for a long time one of the most important fishing harbours in the Netherlands. On the site of an abandoned factory, near a marina, a new housing estate is to come into being. It faces a row of e old workman’s houses with pretty façades and bright red This project was drawn on my 65th birthday in Italy, 10 June 2003

The new gate seen from the old workers’ houses, 21 February 2004

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Enkhuizen in 1652

Our project in construction on the left, behind the harbour, The Zuider church, 15th century, in front of the houses with the red roofs the Drommedaris gate, 14th century

The workers’ houses, left, in front of the slight curve of the crescent and the gate towers, 21 February 2004

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The model of the intervention, on top left, the house at the end of the canal (see next page)

Thebuilding buildingoperation operationcontinues, continues The evenafter afterthe thecrisis crisisof of2008. 2008 even

The view from one of the terraces over the roofs of the beautiful workers’ houses further toward the Zuidersee

The site plan and the layout of the houses and the flats around the gate building, carports behind the houses on the north side,; on the left, the house at the end of the canal

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The entrance to the park with the workers’ houses The house at the end of the canal

The beautiful workers’ houses

This a brilliant position a house canal, despite partly north-facing, 22 February 20042004 This is aisbrilliant position forfor a house at at thethe endend of of thethe canal, despite being partly north-facing, 22 February

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The houses on the passage to the north gate

First construction phase on the north side

Left wing of the north gate

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First building operation with the right tower on the crescent

The right wing is in construction.

Looking to the canal side, in the early morning

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The first houses...... first construction phase of the appartment apartment houses

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... and the single-family houses on the crescent, looking to the sunny garden side

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28 December 2004

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LIVING ON ISLANDS Heerenveen, Netherlands, 2003

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eer = mister, veen = peat,; Heerenveen was founded in 1551 for the purpose of digging peat. The wooded area was very popular with the local wealthy people who erected their country residences and

manors there, in the style of the town hall shown here. In order to avoid further dispersed settlements and to facilitate contacts in the neighbourhood, I proposed to concentrate several small groups of houses on islands. The site

The town hall

The delirious nature

The programme: 34 bungalows, 24 single-family houses, 21 flats, 79 units in total, 25 October 2003

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27 January 2004

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URBAN RENEWAL Culemborg, Netherlands, 2003

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ulemborg, founded in the 12th century and located in the middle of the Netherlands, south of Amsterdam, has an interesting twin layout in the centre, surrounded by water. In the Middle Ages, the city was known for its generous asylum law. The more historically valuable part is on the southern bank of the river Lek. We were commissioned to submit proposals for urban renewal, particularly for the southern part of the city. They were to help the municipality to initiate and subsidise gentle renova-

tions over a long period of time, both in public spaces and in private homes. The plan on the bottom left shows (in black) the most critical locations in need of a speedy intervention. A new square in the middle of the lower district would contribute to a significant revaluation of the quarter and accommodate important public functions. The proposed architecture was to fit in with the Dutch tradition.

The town hall, architect: Rombout Keldermans 1533

The binnenpoort (gate) and the late gothic St. Barbara church

An example of how a desolate street could be refurnished

The urban renewal proposals are marked in black.

The district with the piazza and other interventions marked in red

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Tower houses on the border of the canal could be a tremendous attraction.

These drawings were made over photographs of real situations in the city, showing how nice the city could be,. 21–23 September 2003

The new piazza in the southern quarter with a public building

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I inserted my sketch of the vision of the new district into that beautiful ancient aerial view of Culemborg, anno 1649 ...

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... the castle from the 14th century was destroyed by the French army in 1672

The entrance to the southern quarter as it exists today, and as it could be with a portico house

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April 2002

19 May 2002

June 2005

Les repentirs de St. Pierre 13 August 2005

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28 July 2001

8 August 2001

8 August 2002

10 August 2002

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The Founder 2002 The Founder 2002

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT HATTERSHEIM Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2003

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nother project among many that weren’t realised, but remain interesting as theoretical studies. Today, I think that the first and the fourth proposals would be feasible for development. They are based on experiences I gained in Holland through the realised projects Brandevoort and Vleuterweide. They blend in with the intact landscape like organic structures. I developed a first project of this type for the Flemish town of Aalter in 1965.

Type I: An intact, spatially coherent system of roads leading inwards, with a central square in the middle. From the centre outwards, the row row houses housesare arereplaced replacedby bydoubledouble and single-family single family homes. Car access is from an encircling ring road leading to the courtyards which are open at the rear side, so that the residential streets remain virtually free of of traffic. traffic. At At the thenorth-western northwestern edge, an unobtrusive commercial zone is provided for.

Type II: Attempt to obtain a higher density in the centre. As a result, I was forced to form several small squares which don’t differ much hierarchically. The character of the village is transparent to the exterior, but can formally be perceived as a closed image. Type III: The core of the village has shrunk. The buildings are coherent and homogenous. At the borders, transparent lowdensity areas fit into the landscape. Type IV: This last variant is based on the first one, the only difference being that the exterior building blocks have been embedded in the landscape like leaves, the result of which is an even more closed structure.

Type I

Type III

Type II

23 August 2003

Type IV

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Visit to Echternach, Luxembourg August 2003

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April 1986

Salvat ii Papasseit Papaseit Barcelona, 1986 Salvat

February 1994

May 2005

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DE STADSBLEEK

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tudying the history of Oldenzaal, one learns that the core of the city was already populated in the 8th century and that a Scottish monk — Saint Plechelmus — built a church here in 765. A curious coincidence gave us a plot of land in the form of a bishop’s mitre; an invitation to a particularly stately civic architectural style that would have pleased the patron saint.

Oldenzaal, Netherlands, 2003–2016 The elaborate architecture facing the public space was bought with a meagre construction style facing the courtyard. Also, the forms of the roofs are partly a sham: half sloped to the street, and flat to the courtyard. Only the small houses inside are well balanced. The garages are greened carports, partially sunk below ground level. In the courtyards, they are situated in front of the ground-floor flats in order to assure natural lighting and ventilation.

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To some people, the playful variety may seem like theatre. I am fully aware of that. Our society no longer consists of bourgeois families who can afford to build a house in town, as it used to be.

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That does not release us from the obligation to design neighbourhoods in which our children are able to recognise their own homes. This can be achieved with restrained means that do not immediately turn upside down the whole world of forms in housing construction.

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7 August 2004

March 2005

9 August 2004

9 August 2004

15 August 2004

August 2001

15 July 2001

25 August 2001

15 August 2002

2005

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NEW DEVELOPMENT OF OBERKASSEL Düsseldorf, Germany, 2003

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his wonderful district from the 19th century has already been mentioned as an example when presenting the project for the Olympic village from 2002.

The width of the plot offered the unique possibility of creating a new, square-like centre, across which the existing road network could be reconnected. The archi-

Now we turn to the questions of the conversion of an abandoned goods station. The local authorities invited me to work out an alternative to the official development plan which is reproduced here and does not feature any attractive urban or spatial qualities.

tecture was intended to match the diversity and individuality of the existing town houses and be developed on single parcels of land. Serial, monotonous and repetitive architecture was to be avoided.

The official building plan (red) for the area between Greifsweg (left) and Hansaallee (right)

Street view of Hansaallee, 19 October 2003

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The district with the green central space and integration of existing buildings,; an industrial strip on the left

The new district in the urban context of Oberkassel, 20 October 2003

A larger industrial strip on the left with two green spaces, which makes no sense

View of the green central space, 19 October 2003

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Portraits

Grandfather Nicolas 1958

Grandmother Ketty 1973

Grandfather Mathias 2008

Grandmother Triny 2009

Mother Maudy 1987

Father Jempy 1987

Sister Marthy 2006

Sister Marianne 2006

Brother Leon ´ 1998

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Félix Bargemon 1997 Félix

Andreas Brandt 2005

Eberhard Blum December 1997

Daughter Nadine 2006

My wife Roswitha 1998

Victor Conzemius 1996

Marc Breitman 1998

Self-portrait 1981

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RESTRUCTURISATION OF BODDENKAMP RESTRUCTURING OF BODDENKAMP, ENSCHEDE Enschede, Netherlands, 2003–2004

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oddenkamp is an old industrial area on the border of the centre of Enschede. There is a mixture of factories, villas, crafts enterprises, a technical school, a bank, and a supermarket. The aerial photograph shows how extremely difficult it would be to achieve an overall restructuring structuring of of this this towntown planning chaos.

The reaction to our first suggestion was not positive, and it became clear very quickly that the city council was aiming for modernist architecture. This has been confirmed by the first projects already realised. Master planners be on on-site should be site constantly if they want to deal wisely with local circumstances.

The district Boddenkamp in Enschede

First sketch of a green space in the centre of the district

Irregular street and square composition

The same exercise in different variations

Composition of different closed square sequences

Like the piazza in Vigevano, Italy, by Donato Bramante

A horseshoe-shaped horseshoe shaped piazza, like De Resident in The Hague

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The existing Boddenkamp district

The different square sequences in their built context

Proposals for houses in the Dutch architectural tradition

The last proposals in their real urban contexts. Such a master plan must be established as a precise building code with many design details able to survive long-term realisation over decades. And the politicians must take care to execute it faithfully.

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Still, you bloom but in the dews of night 8 August 2002

Reeling,

your body sways like words aglow rocked by dream tempests, star-befouled disembark the sinking raft April 2002

On the lookout, not a breath stirs 10 August 2002

Demeaned,

as if high heaven’s mysteries, like untold earthly pangs beat low your back 10 May 2002

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Wind Wind

11October October 2002 2002

Whipped, tidings tease, tease, Whipped,wide-open wide-openspaces spacesglare, glare, their their tidings andininthe thespider’s spider’sstrands, strands, you fall and and andfall. fall.

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Our mother fell peacefully asleep on Tuesday, 18 February 2003 at 2:30 in the morning, at the age of 93 years

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NEW OPERA HOUSE Muscat, Oman, 2003

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was invited to participate in a selected competition for the design of a new opera house for Muscat, the capital of Oman. This was a special challenge, as I had to immerse myself in the Arab architectural tradition, which was largely unknown to me. The ruling leader of the state, Sultan Qabus, loves European classical music. He keeps a symphonic orchestra for which he wanted to build the new opera house. The programme was extre-

Ground floor

mely inflated; it was meant to guar-antee optimal conditions conditions both guarantee optimal for opera performances and for concerts, which meant that for concerts the backstage had to be closed by a mobile backstage area. The project by the architects Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo was realised. Its external appearance is surprisingly good, but the interior is overloaded. It would have been a pleasure to work with such very good local craftsmen.

First floor

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Elevation Elevationofofthe thefirst firstreception receptionhall hall

Proscenium Proscenium

Exterior Exteriorand andinterior interiorelevations elevationsofofthe thearcaded arcadedcourtyard, courtyard,July/August July/August2003 2003

Corner Cornertowers towersofofthe thecourtyard courtyard

Section Sectionthrough throughthe themain mainspaces spaces

Lateral Lateraland andfront frontfaçades façadeswith withthe thefour fourbastions, bastions,reserved reservedfor forthe theperforming performingartists artists

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Main entrance situation, 15 August 2003

Back side,; in this proposal the backstage is covered by a dome, 16 August 2003

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Covered walkway, main reception space in front of the courtyard, 30 August 2003

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Top Topview, view,proposal proposalwith witha abig bigdome dome

Section Sectionthrough throughthe thecourtyard courtyardand andthe thesurrounding surrounding double-storey double-storeycovered coveredwalkway, walkway,connected connectedtotothe the inside insidefoyers. foyers.Proposal Proposalwithout withoutthe thebig bigdome. dome.

Covered Coveredwalkways walkwaysaround aroundthe thecourtyard courtyard

Thereception receptioncourtyard courtyardwith witha afountain fountainand andthe thecovered coveredwalkways, walkways,connected connectedtotothe theinterior interiorfoyers foyers The 1919August August2003 2003

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Central courtyard, 1 September 2003

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Second foyer with access to the staircases and the elevators, 29 August 2003

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The auditorium seen from the stage

Longitudinal section through the audience and the orchestra stage

The auditorium accommodates an audience of 1,500 people

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT Amstelveen, Netherlands, 2004

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On the left, the old industrial site; site, next to it, it the the usual usual modernist urban development

n the site of a former gunpowder factory, a small administrative building had to be designed that would match with the old industrial architecture. Next to it, a business park with a green space crossed by a runnel was planned — a common pattern in town planning. Of course course,IIwas waskeen keen to to present present my my urban design philosophy, but it never came to anything.

The rearrangement of the area according to my new urban design philosophy

The new buildings are similar to the old industrial buildings (on the right) in scale and architectural language

The first small project, the administrative building with an intimate courtyard, 4–10 October 2004

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I live like a tightrope artist. I’ve barely arrived at one end, when I am already drawn, over dizzy abysses, to the other uncertain bank.

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Devoted, you give your warmth August 2002

Abandon, don’t be too sure 15 May 2000

On the brink, headlong in blind faith

Cowering, stopped short, waiting

20 March 2000

September 2004

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Self-sacrifice 14 August 2000

Compelled to bitter forfeit you’re sworn to stormiest assent, aghast before the inner abyss.

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BURCHT LUYVESTEIN, SUYTKADE Helmond, Netherlands, 2004

t the edge of the city centre of Helmond, the founding city of Brandevoort, a series of built-up islands were to be created in a large canal. The master plan is by Sjoerd Soeters, a most imaginative Dutch architect and friend to whom I also owe the invitation to the Haverleij project.

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A

His urban design for that place could have been penned by me. I didn’t want to lag behind him in imagination. A castle near Brixen in South Tyrol served as an inspiration. This project was also brought to a stop by the crisis in 2008.

The arrow indicates our project.

An octagonal floating courtyard with four geometrically different corner towers

Two different models

To live on the water is not quite child-friendly. Generous terraces should provide secure places to play in the fresh air.

Modern cross-wall construction of interior supporting structures made of concrete walls allow the corner towers to protrude capriciously as architectural sculptures. The corner towers should be shaped like bodies – as if they were guardians of the island.

The very uneasy silhouette should create the impression of a floating haunted castle.

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HOUSING COMPLEX ISMANINGER STRASSE Munich, Germany, 2004

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uring my studies in Munich I was so blinded by my desire to become a modern archi’ recognise the tect that I didn't quality of the city’s traditional local architecture. The romantic playfulness of the Munich town houses has a particular and unique aura that I only learned to appreciate much later. The project gave me the opportunity to use this architectural language. It came into being during a sunny holiday on Ibiza at the turn of the years 2003/04 and was shortly thereafter discarded by the ungracious client, although I had myfree-hand freehand drawdraw transformed my ings to computer renderings. Just how many times have I wasted the most beautiful days of the year on futile architectural designs?

Munich Bogenhausen, Ismaninger Straße, 8 January 2004

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At risk 8 August 2004

Sightless in defence,

bowed before the world’s din, plunge deafened

into the gales of night, your face wilting as you go.

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FOUNDATION OF A NEW VILLAGE Muiden, Netherlands, 2004 Thisstudy studyisisbased basedonona aprevious previousurban urbandesign: design:Window Windowininthe theWoods WoodsininAlmere, Almere,of2000 This 2000

Urban density, 4–5 / 2–3 / 2 floors, see colours

Main pathways to the centre

Bank promenade and the ring walkways

Circulation on the border of the quarters

Network of all bicycle and pedestrian paths and roads

New waterways and ponds connected to the old ones

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uiden is situated at the mouth of the Utrechtse Vecht to the IJmeer. This could have become a wonderful project, if a local felt pushed local colleague colleague wouldn’t hadn’t felthave pushed aside. aside.

New and old natural monuments, castle, cemetery

My offer to engage several planners in the realisation couldn’t smooth out his jealousy, and that was the end of the project.

Open green spaces penetrate the village in the direction of the centre.

chapel bastion castle

cemetry

Public and private green spaces,; all streets have trees

Cultural and social institutions

Sports, leisure and recreation

Industry, trade, shopping, hotels

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The well-conserved castle at the mouth of the river

New landmarks

Rough draft of the urban structure

Last corrections

Close to the final proposal, trade and offices along the canal

This bastion defended the trade at the river’s mouth.

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The impressive Muider castle built in 1350

1 April 2004 — this remains the best proposal

Extreme densification — speculation for more profit ruins the initial idea

More transparency

Harbour atmosphere

The end of the project. The main idea was destroyed by too many machinations. It made no sense to continue.

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13 March 2001

Reality, that like a net veiling your sight September 2001

Retire,

I hold the vagaries of your lust at bay 25 July 2001

Wasted, you realised so late how great the weight of mourning was

Swan song,

That the heart breaks in unfulfillable lust for life 9 August 2004

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Far-away face 22 July 2004

In the hour of the oracle search heaven for signs, which in silence’s bliss deny mortality, melt and fade.

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NEW COMMUNITY ON A FORMER FACTORY SITE Ede, Netherlands, 2004

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new mixed-use locality was to come into being on the empty former industrial site. The plan was for 1,400 residential buildings, a 50,000 m² business zone with conm2 gress centre, hotels and shops. The crisis in 2008 also snuffed out this project.

The factory in 1922, reminiscent of an Asian temple complex

Site plan of the Enka industry, ca. 1,000 m x× 500 m, situation in 2002

First sketches, on the basis of the historic industrial complex, a perfect square

Extending out from the entrenched centre, which is surrounded by water, are three residential leaf-shaped zones.

The most interesting functions that make an independent small town attractive should be located in the centre: cultural facilities, shops, hotels, congress centre, and businesses. A spectacular urban figure can enhance quality of life, as we have experienced in Brandevoort.

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Violent confessional 7 March 2004

‘ start 15 August 2004 Don’t

On guard 3 August 2004

Stumbling March 2005

As if blinded, victim to exhaustion. Reeling unsupported, speechless, in a riot of thought.

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Crouching Boy August 2005

inspired by Michelangelo’s Crouching Boy at the Hermitage in St. St Petersburg Petersburg

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Bathing scenes in Andora, Liguria June 2004

When you are in motion, be like water Chinese proverb Berlin, January 2005

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Lecture in Kuwait December 2005

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EXTENSION OF THE FORMER COURT OF JUSTICE Utrecht, Netherlands, 2004

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hotel and city museum were to be set up in the former palace of justice, which is a listed monument. Being the investor, the hotel could use the impressive historic building, whereas the museum had to content itself with being located in the rear

wing. As compensation, it was able to unfold under the square as a high vaulted room surrounded by a twostorey arcade. Dim daylight falls into the room through pretty skylights.

Hotel

Museum >

Existing building

Underground museum

Square with daylight pyramids for the underground museum

First floor

Ground floor

Main room in the underground museum, 13 January 2004

Second floor

Attic

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ARCAD ARCARDEUROPEA EUROPEA Prague, Czech Republic, 2004

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t the initiative of the Czech president, Václav Havel, all Eurosident Václav pean states were invited to build a small, permanent pavilion on the castle hill. I was to represent my home country, Luxembourg. The initiators’ first idea was for free-standing buildings to form a loose urban ensemble like a row-house complex.

I proposed several alternative coherent urban structures meant to symbolise — among other things — the social and political solidarity of the European Union. Unfortunately, the extensibility of the complex wasn’t yet up for debate. The project didn’t progress beyond the first ideas.

The European village according to the local plans

First version

Third version

Second version

The visual axis of the last version focuses the towers of the Basilica of

The Luxembourg pavilion, 18 January 2004

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15 August 2002

September 2005

Bond IV Leave the house that had become

Day’s decline... your soul of ash slips through

a dungeon for us both

my helpless arms

Playfellows August 2005

Carry me from out of the mire 28 July 2004

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Whereto... In the panicked pulse of rescue, you vow anew love’s fiery glow and save with brutal force — ignoring cost, struggle and abuse — your prey onto the unsure shore 17 July 2004

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ASSUMERHOF Heemskerk, Netherlands, 2003–2010

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ssumerhof in the southeast of Heemskerk is an ensemble of 6 single-family six single-family houses, houses, 46 46 row houses and a multi-family house in the centre, which was initially conceived as a hotel. The architectural language should relate to the baroAssumburg,and andits its large que castle, castle Assumburg park, which lie in a line of sight of our complex. Originally a larger village was planned that would have extended to the surrounding water with several finger-like branches.

It was fun to design the different houses by type using such a strict principle of variation that there is barely any repetition. An isolated small group of houses of this type will always be a social enclave; the most varied and sophisticated architecture cannot change this. A typical product of an anti-social, anti-children and oversaturated hedonist society.

Preliminary sketches

Type II, a cross tower penetrating a square base, 19 January 2004

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On top, a cross tower penetrating an octagon; in the middle, a variant for a multi-family house; below, the simplest type 20 January 2004

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Some of the house types

Sketch of the entrance gate

One of the two green spaces ...

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The village is an island and looks like a butterfly.

… with the main building in the middle

The stately architecture of the main building

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November 2005

Shadow-talk, with limbs sinking earthward May 2005

Makeshift sail, Grab. Warn. Wave. As if defenseless

Dignity of Women

(excerpt, by Friedrich Schiller, translation by Marianna Wertz) But now, so softly, persuasively pleading, Women with scepter of morals are leading, Smother they discord, all raging enlight, Teach they the powers, that hateful develop, Each in a more loving form to envelop, And what forever would flee, they unite.

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT, BORBECK AREA

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Oberhausen, Germany, 2004–2006

nother object lesson for the development of a housing estate on an abandoned industrial site. Thanks to the engagement of a

pact on the dimensions of the blocks, surrounded by entirely normal roads. It was important to find a structure that would allow an extremely high

citizens’ group, the old workers’ houses were able to be saved from demolition. They were completely integrated into our plan. The initial considerations were dominated by 1910-1927 the new road network where the new houses should stand. This had an im- Houses for the workers of the Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH)

degree of community life in the district, while respecting all landscape and ecological circumstances. The new district must have a centre where community facilities can develop.

First sketch for the pathways on the empty site

The entrance to the new village from Ripshorster Straße, leading to a central square and two expansion arms

The square has enclosed architecture with gates for cars and pedestrians,; the expansion arms create irregular spaces.

This star or flower figure allows a perfect integration of the old houses,; all the streets focus to a unique centre, good orientation

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The same star concept enriched with a ring road around the central blocks and a public building in the centre, perhaps a chapel

Research going on for the space between the two arms and the star figure

I am more and more interested in irregular squares and streets with a continuous architecture along the main streets and squares and a transparent concept to the borders. The green spaces penetrate the blocks from outside.

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2004–2005 2004—2005

2005

June 2005

My daughter Nadine, butterly of longing 8 July 2004

The desire of dreams sucks you up like astral dust

Do understand that darkness will quite snuff out your soul

Softly beloved, you strain the oar yet fail to break the fury of the waves. Let drift the boat that so eludes control. Count upon the miracle. Third version,2005 2005 3rd version,

Startled 2005

Knowing of the perils of the deep, I seek you out in warning. Dream-fibre taut, to mask the wariness in you.

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Notes on a lecture tour

Rome, March 2006 – Aachen, May 2006

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GARDEN CITY UNTERLIEDERBACH Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2005

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here was already a final structural plan (No. 824) by the town-planning office and a draft development plan by the colleagues from Planungsgruppe P4. An interested Dutch investor we knew didn’t want to realise this sort sort of of chaotic, chaotic dispersed settlement and asked us to develop an alternative employing the urban design qualities that distinguish our projects. This is how this study, which was never realised, became a theoretical textbook example. The procedure shows the fundamental evil of contemporary town planning: Abstract functional plans assign the main functions, but there is no concept of building volumes and urban spaces. This is the only way to explain why rows of houses could be so nonsensically strewn about the landscape. To top it all off, they form a swastika. Official development plan

The municipality wanted a loose and transparent settlement, but you can’t create an urban atmosphere that way.

Concept of the Planungsgruppe P4

Attempts to correct the urban design, based on the official development plan, 6 February 2005

An irregular layout of the roads crossing the quarters would enhance the spatial experience. The proposal is still too stolid.

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Four blocks of the P4 plan

Ouranswer answerfor forfour 4 blocks Our blocks

An optimistic model photographed in front of the entrance to our office in Berlin, Mommsenstraße

Propositions for the house façades

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Caryatids for for my project Caryatids projectininBilbao Bilbao

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IJBURG — URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW ISLAND Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2004 with Nada and Marc Breitman

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new island in the east of Amsterdam was in discussion for urban development. This rational plan was approved by the city council.

I was frightened by the uninspired and stolid block layout with its long, monotonous boulevards without a clear centre.

Here is a first first sketch which should should be beundersunderstood tood asasa a critique of the official official plan. The same pattern, but with more surprises. This new city promises to be a dream ...

One main access road crosses the island right in the middle,; it is relieved by two access roads on the borders. The green spaces and the course of the canal have been adopted from the official plan.

Here, the island is divided into three independent quarters. They are sculpted on a good scale of around 700 m diameter.

As the plan was a contribution to a competition, we had to confine ourselves to the section of land in question; its development is shown on the following pages. 22 October 2004

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This Thisproject projectwas wasdeveloped developedwith withmy myold oldFrench Frenchfriends, friends Nada Nada and and Marc Marc Breitman. Breitman. The The programme programme consisted consisted of of shops, shops, offices offices andflats. flats.We Wedecided decidedto toopt optfor foraatough toughurban urbanatmosphere; atmosphere, small small blocks blocks with with an an irregularly irregularly shaped shaped space space in in the the middle. middle. and

Flexible floors with high ceilings on the first and second floor,; the flats above. The high density was required. We decided to vary the design of the façades according to the layout of the flats,; one by Marc, the next one by me, and so on.

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he individual building blocks are presented clockwise from northwest southwest. Each north-west to to south-west. block has a glass-covered courtyard with surrounding galleries onto which staircases and lifts open. Above the offices on the second floor there is a decorative glass roof that separates the upper residential floors. The inner courtyards of each block are geometrically unique. The living spaces are highlighted by hatching.

competition, we never got the chance to correct our plans. The assignment of façade compositions to the individual house axes is a playful interpretation of the bourgeois bourgeoishomehome building tradition. I have chosen this design technique in many projects as a

The smaller units, the bachelor flats, are located on the narrow interior lanes. On the numerous house corners, living rooms with projecting terraces were planned to make use of this privileged situation. In this phase of the competition, the floor plans were not highly developed. But as we didn’t win the

means to bring diversity to the street façades. In this case, two intimate friends allowed themselves a great design pleasure. Shortly after, we were able to realise a similar design in Bilbao. I will get back to that later ...

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Rob

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gothic corner — Rob

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Marc — corner building — Marc

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could write a book about the design game we played here. The countless hours spent correcting student works provided fruitful training for the invention of so many rhythmically and structurally different floor plans and façades. I certainly benefited more from this didactic supervision than my students, because I could make use of this experience in my own designs. Subsequently, each of

my projects became an object lesson about the art of composition with architectural elements. To designate this process, I have consciously chosen to use the term usually reserved for music writers, namely: composition.

In architecture thethe stacking architecture asasininmusic, music, and lining-up of building elements in both structural and andmaterial materialvariety variety follows similar rules. My imperfect musical education doesn’t doesn't allow me to provide more precise analogies. analogies.But But I know my I know from from my emoemotional experience that music good evokes music tional experience that good evokes a similar, aesthetically-founded a similar, aesthetically founded sensual sensual excitement good architecture excitement as good asarchitecture does. I does. I emphasise word “similar” beemphasise the wordthe “similar” because the cause theofspheres of musical expression and spheres musical expression and sensasensation go beyond those the other tion go beyond those of all of theallother arts. arts. The design of buildings always implies The design of buildings always implies

It the trivial trivialbackground backgroundofofusability. usability. cancan never riserise in such profound and It never in such profound free freespheres and spheresasasthe theart art of of music, painting, sculpting or lyrical poetry. have the the afThe applied appliedarts artsalways always have tertaste ofofbeing aftertaste beinguseful, useful, of of losing value by being used, of being susceptible to erosion by climatic effects and to being threatened with destruction by natural disasters or destruction vandal-ism. human vandalism.

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Marc

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o some people, this kind of design may seem too playful and over-the-top. I cannot deny that we had lots of fun, and I confess that such hilarity is only possible among intimate friends who want to go wild in their common field of activity once more. My Gothic contributions, or the tree

new design worlds, which were abruptly smothered in the technical era after World War I. Le Corbusier, the Bauhaus building school, and the movement of De Stijl put great hope in the Ère machiniste, but they were rapidly overrun by their dreams of rationalisation. The building industry took possession of their purist ideology in order to promote its desire for profit maximisation and made architecture banal at breakneck speed. The futuristic dreams of the German architects Bruno Taut, Hans Scharoun and Hermann Finsterlin, of the

house designed for this block, are outgrowths of this pleasure in designing. Now, we in recent building history are not alone in taking such flights flights of fantasy. Heaven knows that Art Nouveau artists approached approached architecture architecture with more courage courageand and more inventivemore inventiveness. ness. with the elThey They meltedmelded naturenature with the elements ements of building, thereby softening of building, thereby softening its its strong geometryand andopening opening brand brand strong geometry

Italian Antonio Sant’Elia and his friends belonging to the Nuove Tengroup, ofand the Russians denze group, the of Russians around around Wladimir Jewgrafowitsch TatWladimir Jewgrafowitsch Tatlin, lin, moved into veritable utopian dimoved into ver-itable utopian dimensimensions. Compared towe them, find ons. Compared to them, findwe ourselourselves down to earth and playing ves down-to-earth and playing with with well-known patterns. still well-known patterns. What What still hurts hurts me today is the fact we let me today is the fact that wethat let ourselourselves be persuaded to such an exves be persuaded to such an extreme treme density. density.

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Rob

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— corner — Marc

— corner — Marc

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he Berlin eaves height of 22 m still guarantees a perfect European city scale. Today, it corresponds to five or six storeys. We gave in to the pressure of the investors, as in two other projects, Nieuw Argentinie in Amsterdam and a residential complex in Bilbao, which was the direct result of these studies. Finally, I should talk about how to compose these very slender, high façades. During a study trip with my students to Moscow in the 1980s, I marvelled at the high building blocks from the

1920s/1930s which looked as if 1920s/30s which looked as if seveseveral individual houses ral individual houses had had beenbeen stastackedone oneupon upon the the other. other. We cked proceeded in a similar way. The sections of the façade always corresponded to the width of the flats behind. If we had to revise the design, important corrections could be made here. At first sight, the following themes can be recognised:

foundation and attic frame the middle floors, which are in turn partitioned when they are too slender or too high. These sections, isolated inwhich could couldbebe isolated divid-ually, fit individually, fit together harmoniously in both structure and proportion. I will give a detailed report on the subject in the context of the two other projects with my Paris friends Nada and Marc Breitman.

Of course, each of us draws first and foremost from our own personal design repertoires. We didn’t have to coordinate with each other, because we have worked according to similar traditional principles for many years. However, the orientation of the Breitmans is much more classical than mine. I undertook the task of arranging the puzzle and of piecing it together harmoniously.

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Leftand andright: right:two twodifferent different glass-covered lobbies,ininthethemiddle: middle:entrance entrancearrangement arrangementofofthethefour 4 blocks, Left glass-covered lobbies; blocks, drawing drawing by by Marc, Marc, 2004 2004

Every house gets a different brick colour, November 2004

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The piazza between the four blocks, November 2004

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Sleeping Shepherd 2008, inspired by Adolf von Hildebrand (1871–1873), the original of which is in the Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin

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NEW ARGENTINIE, IJHAVEN Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2005 with Nada and Marc Breitman

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hortly after we lost the competition for the construction on the IJburg island in the east of Amsterdam we were asked by the client ififwe wewouldn’t wouldn’tlike liketoto develop same client a concept to rescue one of his major projects which hadn’t found buyers because of its brutal architecture. Fortunately, it had not yet built. The Thearea area isislocated been built. located near near the central station, at the IJhaven, across from Java-

and was was formerly eiland, and formerly built built over over by a huge storehouse. I proposed small building with varied blocks with variedfaçades. façades. This This concept rejectedby bythe thecity’s city’s design commitwas rejected design committee, tee, whodemanded demanded the the reconstruction reconstruction of of the the who former industrial building volumes. At that point, I quit the project and left it to my friend Marc to carry out the project in line with the desires of the municipality. In my

In this project, we proceeded as in the previous one, in IJburg. We designed the façades alternatively, and Marc painted them in watercolours.

II compiled front is oriented to the north compiled all all houses houses in in aa dreamy dreamy diorama; diorama; unfortunately, unfortunately, the the water waterfront 10 October 2005

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eyes this demand, which the committee imposed upon me with unbearable aggression, was a misdirected reference to a function that is incompatible with housing. Marc didn’t want to give up a big project in such a prominent location; besides, he and the client were close friends. So he realised the two gigantic residential

machines with commitment and passion. Our romantic preliminary study was silently reactivated. The design should be taken seriously as a warning to not let yourself be arbitrarily tempted and to not violate your own principles. It especially appeals to colleagues who work in the field of teaching.

Asisisapparent apparentininthe thesigned signeddrawings, drawings,ititwas wasaahot hotdesign designsummer. summer.From Frommy myItalian Italiansummerhouse, summer house,I Isent sentmy mysketches sketchestotoMarc, Marc, As and andhehedid didthe thesame, samevice viceversa, versa,and andthen thenwe wemet metininhis hisholiday holidayhome homeininthe thesouth southof ofFrance Francetotodiscuss discussthem. them.

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I tried to design and again and again correct all façades in line with their own rhythmic divisions and proportions. The three most important ratios result from the partition of the circle in three, four and five parts.

Proportions from the partition into three parts = 1:0.866

four parts = 1:1.4

five parts (golden ratio) = 1:1.618

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The area of the last building block, which was never constructed, was irregularly shaped and allowed the formation of a courtyard open to the water, as shown above. In the last version there is an elevation like a tower at the back, which offers a fascinating play of proportions. Of course I also also provided provided for some figures.

This would have been an exciting courtyard. Due to the opening, more flats would have profited from views of the water. 9 October 2005

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Nada and Marc Breitman are responsible for the realisation of this housing estate. The client demanded an extremely high attention to detail which, in my experience, can only be guaranteed by the repetition of many identical building elements.

It would have been difficult to realise in such a high quality the variety of different façades that we had sketched in the preliminary design. But Marc is very able to assert himself on the building site and in relation to the client who, in this lucky case, was a long-time friend.

I have to admit that I got frightened when I received these pictures, despite their remarkable quality of workmanship. The nightmare of the machine à habiter (Le Corbusier) had reappeared, only wrapped in a flattering sheath. However, it cannot mitigate the oppressing presence of the huge building volume, and the quality of the building elements also suffers from the repetition. What a pity, Marc, I would have been glad to keep at it! We will make up for it all in Bilbao.

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Inspired by Caravaggio June 2008

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LIVING IN THE HISTORICAL CENTRE

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Bilbao, Spain, 2005 with Nada and Marc Breitman and Iñaki Aurrekoetxea

his project in the Abandoibarra district in the centre of Bilbao, in collaboration with my Paris friends, immediately followed the IJburg adventure in Amsterdam. The first design sketches have been taken over from that project — not to make Dutch candies palatable to Basque clients, but simply to rapidly test whether the new client was willing to embark on such an adventure with us. With Anton, the boss, we hit the nail on the head.

The master plan by Pelli, Balmori and Aguinaga, 1998 Cesar Pelli recommended me for the block between the piazza and the park on the left. He was one of my architects architectsin inDe DeResident Residentin inThe TheHaugue. Hague.

Besides, he was also a potent art collector; he also promised to order a series of sculptures for the building. In the end, I made 40 figures, partly in plaster, partly in bronze. Our contact contactarchitect, architect,Iñaki, Iñaki, isis an old friend who, at the end of the 1980s, had asked me for a big sculpture for one of his projects. Excellent prerequisites for an exciting project! The mayor, too, declared that our sketch was his favourite project.

The first design collage of 23 different façades, 18 January 2005

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The first plan

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Some significant façade details, especially oriels, seen in the medieval city centre

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Corner buildings from the 19th century

Dramatic balconies

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The problem of the corner house. The building law forced us to keep a straight line on the ground floor, so the oval tower could only begin at the first floor.

A ontop topof ofthe thecorner cornertower towerin infront frontof ofthe themuseum museum Abeautiful beautifulflat flatfor forour ourpromoter, promoter Antón, Antón on

A sequence of geometrical spaces inside the flat

Position of sculptures on the building

Sketches of the design process,; my corrections were made by correspondence

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Discussion about the corner towers, the geometries of the courtyards, the divisions of the houses, and the proportions in the composition of the façades, mainly after the golden ratio, M:m = 1:1,618

In all my projects you can find my adherence to different proportions according to the measures deduced from the partition of the circle in three, four or five parts. Have a look in my book Architectural Composition, in the chapter about proportions.

This is my favourite design in the whole building. The façade is composed of different layers, as a superposition of four elevations. The pillars are decorated with figural inscriptions. I had a hell of a time getting building permission.

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At the beginning of the planning process, we had the progamme for a private museum over two storeys, the whole ground floor behind the arcade and one floor below. An irregular forest of columns, baring the walls of the upper floors, defines the space.

Our promoter is a art famous art collector whoawanted a permanent exposition close to the museums famous museums of the city, Our promoter is a famous collector who wanted permanent exposition close to the famous of the city, Museo de Bellas Artes justthe in Museo front ofdeBellas our building minutes away.Guggenheim, Unfortunately, thisminutes programme was cancelled. Artesand justthe in Museo front ofGuggenheim our building 3and the Museo three away. Unfortunately, this programme was cancelled.

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Every house was drawn in that way in Breitman’s office.

Typical Spanish flat plans: very deep and narrow rooms,; the only comfortable spaces are at the corners. Life happens on the streets,; people only sleep at home.

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On the left: this is how you discover the building block coming from the Guggenheim museum,; above: this is how it faces the oval square. The left sunny side looks to the Museo de Bellas Artes.

Coordination meeting between Marc and Rob in Duomo, Liguria, supervised by Roswitha, with the caryatids in the background

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These six caryatids have an older story. They were originally conceived for the City of Justice in Luxembourg, a project that I will present later. They were rejected by the minister of building affairs and found a new destination in Bilbao, escorted by some fellows.

Nineteen caryatids were prepared in Berlin as 30 cm high clay models. From A4 drawings, I enlarged them to their full size of 1.8 m, ordered Styrofoam blocks 50 cm × x 60 cm × x 180 cm and with a hot wire, cut away the superfluous material on three sides. 3 sides.

Then I began, with the help of my sculptor friend Rudolf Borkenhagen, to peel out the naturalistic bodies. Afterwards they were transported to my workshop in Italy for the final touch.

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I had to make make dramatic dramaticcorrections correctionsfollowing followinga critique critique from my wife, Roswitha, who is still not happy with the result. I must confess that it was the first time that I plunged into a similar experience, having no definite control where they would be placed or how they would be seen from below and

Myfirst first error error was was the naturafrom far away away on on the thestreet. street. My listic size of 1.80 m. They should have been at least 2.20 m high. The second error was that I worked on them upright, as if I would stand at the same height as the building, instead of being in an almost horizontal position.

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uring my work on the caryatids, I always alwaysassembled assemthem them as if they bled as if were they engrossed in deep in were engrossed conversation. A tordeep conversation. turous uncertainty A torturous unceraccompanied my tainty accompanied sculptural work,work, my sculptural as my workshop in

as my isworkshop in Liguria so far away Liguria so far away from theisbuilding site from building site in thethe Basque region. in the Basque region. The photograph in the The photograph in the middle illustrates the middle illustrates the problem; these figures problem; these figures would need a frame to would needtheir a frame strengthen apto strengthen theirisappearance, which too pearance, which is too

delicate. But I couldn’t verify the dimensions of the figures or how they would appear from a distance on site. Thus, they seem to be standing helpless and lost in front of the screaming shear walls.

Their intimately whispered conversations die away in the loud built environment. Our very emotionally charged architecture was built on a dialogue with the Basque tradition. A further experiment could profit from these experiences.

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He fell into a frightened helplessness

The same figure seen in different angles from the square

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Everybody is concerned with their own problems

Marc came to my home in Liguria to survey the production of the caryatids.

Leave me alone

Intimate whisper

Iñaki

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We tried to organise the party. The happy dog by Jeff Koons in front of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, close to our building site

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I had a great time with the caryatid family in my Ligurian garden before they had to travel to Bilbao.

Their destiny to carry architectural elements on our building left them looking a bit sad. Is it a punishment?

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In front of our building block there is a monument with a fountain enriched by a beautiful figure sculptured out of a light-blue stone. I decided to paint the caryatids in the same colour, imitating also the irregular texture of that stone.

What a hell of an architectural drama in the façades looking onto the oval square!

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The side of the building looking to the Museo de Bellas Artes

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A quieter aspect of the façade facing the oval piazza

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A detail in one of the houses facing the oval square. There is a discordance between the scale of the figures and their supporting socles, a lack of coordination between Marc and I. Too late for a correction,; I am sorry about that.

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On the northern street façade, we assembled two figures in order to strengthen their sculptural presence on the large socles.

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Still You bloom, but in the dews of night unwrap the journey’s riddle without the almond’s shell

In the colours plunge and dive silent, harbouring exigency silent, draw near uncertainty.

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The desire of dreams sucks you up like astral dust into the flickering beyond. The waning light beckons.

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Dramatic accumulation of architectural elements on the square between the two towers. Every house is a different colour.

From the oval square to the northern street – the tower (R) with the golden head (M) and two bronze figures on the base, and one of the northern façades, with a dense composition of oriels (M) and figures (R)

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The east façades (M, R, M), the corner (M), facing the park and where the gothic house appears (R)

Marc’s generous oriels with the best view of the park. On top, a terrace with two of my bronze figures, observing the outdoor activities in front of the living room. This flat was sold at the best price.

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Square side (M)

South, park side (R)

South, park side

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East side (R)

East side corner (M)

South, park side (R)

West side, facing the museum (R with M details)

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All of the façades’ architectural details were elaborated in the Breitman office in Paris, and the plans for the flats were drawn up in the Bilbao office of Iñaki Aurrekoetxea, who was also responsible for the construction management.

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The gothic house, my favourite design … caught between Marc’s houses. The blue-grey colour of the different gothic figures changes slowly from dark to light.

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Two dramatic bronze heads carrying the first gothic elements

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Life stories

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A proud and self-confident expression

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A deeply forlorn expression, sorrowful

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Crestfallen, resigned to my fate

I turn a cold shoulder to your hypocrisy

Stop embellishing

Unsettled, but it didn’t break me

Noble reserve, without commitment

The enlarged drawings were carved up to 3 cm into the material. I had begun to work out the designs as bas-reliefs, but I realised that they were not recognisable from a distance.

How smartly did I trick you

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The drawings carved into the pillars

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They support a heavy balcony

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The caryatids on the corner house facing the park and the museum

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The bronze figures waiting to be brought to their final location on the building. They were all cast in the foundry of Marco Flierl in Berlin in 2010.

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The encounter of architecture and sculpture Invitation card for the inauguration party of the sculptures in the Museo de Bellas Artes in the presence of the and the the mayor mayor,Iñaki IñakiAzkuna Azkuna thepromoter promoterAntón, Antón Iráculis, Iráculis and

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Ten people carried the double figure into the arcade’s round foyer.

It was called Light and Shadow.

This double figure has a long story. It was moulded in clay, 55 cm high, in Vienna in 1985, then enlarged in plaster to 150 cm in the rooms of my institute at the Technical University in Vienna. Later, two of my collaborators brought it to the monumental size of 5 m. I finished it in my workshop in Bargemon, France.

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The first model in terracotta, 55 cm, 1985

Its Its first first version, version, made made of of artificial artificial stone, stone, stands stands on on my my Camillo-Sitte-Platz Camillo-Sitte-Platz in in Vienna Vienna 23, 23, Breitenfurterstraße. Breitenfurterstraße. finally cast in bronze and brought to my project, project De It was then finally De Resident Resident,ininThe TheHague. Hague.

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The Bettembourg figures were copied in glass fibre-reinforced plastic. They were meant to be mounted on the façades, but our client preferred decorative positions in the house lobbies.

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Angry

Judicious

Haughty

Devoted

These figures, 170 cm high, were sculpted for the castle of Bettembourg/Luxembourg and cast in solid iron in 1988.

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The different geometries of the extremely narrow courtyards and the 5 m wide shopping arcade

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One of the nicest sunny living rooms with two oriels, looking to the Museo de Bellas Artes and the park

The flats in the round tower facing the oval square, with a view to the Guggenheim museum. Photograph by Aitor Ortiz, taken from a book about our project, edited by Iñaki Aurrekoetxea, animation by me.

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HOW TO BUILD IN BILBAO? The concept and implementation of the architecture of a block in the heart of the Basque city.

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ne of the most important matters in all of my urban development projects is to involve a team of like-minded architectural colleagues in the design of the individual buildings around a block. With this, the single buildings should be once more emphasised as individual components of an overall composition and the ensemble should gain in vitality and variety. In my presentations, I like to invoke the everyday scene of thethe fourth floorto to her a family, in inwhich whichthe themother mothercan cancall callfrom from 4th floor children playing in the street that their dinner is ready and they can also differentiate their apartment windows and doors from those of the neighbours; an age-old quality which allows urban development to create the places of identity and security that we call “home”. In contemporary architecture, this basic philosophy of democratic and human construction has been sacrificed to rational, economical and, not least of all, political arguments. Dictatorial regimes abused mass housing, so that people, as individuals, were rendered submissive in their thinking potency and brought into line with the crowd. In capitalism, the achievements of building technology for making money quickly and effectively were welcomed with open arms and, in many places, abused without compunction. We architects were aware that our endeavours went against the flow to the prevailing zeitgeist. Yet we were validated in our stance by the spontaneous acceptance of our designs by buyers, users, and passers-by. Added to this, there was also the fact that, prior to drawing up our design ideas, we had conducted intensive studies of Bilbao’s architecture and documented it in countless photographs. We wanted to reinterpret the essential typological features of the architecture in material and colour, clear in the knowledge that our budget could only recall but a touch of that old quality. Only in the restoration of old monuments can traditional craftsmanship be revived and solid natural materials be deployed once more. I have enjoyed a long friendship with Nada and Marc Breitman;

one which goes far far beyond beyondour ourshared shared professional passion. I have included them in many of my urban development projects, Holland.And Andvice viceversa, versa, they they have incorporated above all in in Holland. me into their projects as a sculptor. Shortly before the invitation from Bilbao overtook me, we had had just just completed an unwitting test run for the Bilbao project as part of a competition for an urban development project on an island off Amsterdam. Instead of my tried-and-tested method of teamwork with a large number of architects, we decided, as teachers of architecture, to implement an example of the team process ourselves. We designed the buildings around the block perimeter alternatingly; Marc would design one, then me, and so on. As can be easily imagined, we had a terrific amount of fun in the process. As Marc is a strict classicist, I would take the opportunity to break ranks from time to time. In this way, my pen created a tree house, later a gothic building, which I then incorporated into the Bilbao project. The intention was that it should cater to its own vortex there. At this point, I must add that I didn’t always have positive experiences in my dealings with the colleagues I had incorporated by urban into my urbandevelopment developmentoperations. operations. II had had to to cope cope with quite a few disappointments as regards their willingness to play within the team. They also frequently failed to meet the quality standards I had envisioned. I was only able to enforce high standards of architectural quality if I had political support from the master planner. planner. In In precarious situations, this moved me to carry out whole ensembles by myself with my young employees, or to incorporate my students. I was always certain of the quality to be achieved in collaborations with Marc. Allow me to explain here how the small-scaled solution for the façades came about in the Bilbao project. The unusually solid block was, by Spanish proportions, a typical architectural guideline; one which I had had no prior experience of. Town houses on the block perimeter were not possible here. The courtyards were too small. For this reason, we decided to accentuate the apartment axes on the outside. One could accuse us of producing pure backdrop architecture, which is something we are unable to dispute. However, the identification aid that this method provided for the inhabitants, enabling them to locate their apartment in the façade, seemed to us to justify the solution. You will recall the story about the children that I mentioned at the start. We too wanted to avoid having our enjoy-

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ment and passion for the playful handling of architectural language dampened and to present a fireworks display of compositional variants for building façades. HOW DID THE BILBAO PROJECT COME ABOUT? Years earlier, Cesar Pelli was one of my architects on an urban development project that I realised with a team of international designers for the city of The Hague in the Netherlands between 1988 and 2002. By way of friendly revenge, he recommended me as one of his architects for an urban development he had won in Bilbao. Of the great number of colleagues who I have incorporated into my projects, this is only the second time I have received a return invitation. Thank you, Cesar! He closely tracked the development of our project, asking for frequent reports and calling for corrections. The City of Bilbao was very anxious that Cesar gave his blessing to our extravagances. was absolutely absolutelydelighted delightedabout aboutthe theinvitation invitationtotoBilbao, Bilbao,asasI I was Ihave havehad hadprofessional professionaland andclose close personal personal contacts contacts with the and Spain Spain since sincethe the70s. 1970s. in Swiss TiBasque region and JustJust as inasSwiss Ticino, cino, a group of extremely talented architects had gathered in a group of extremely talented architects had gathered in the the Basque region the beginning 1970s and organBasque region at theatbeginning of theof 70sthe and organised archiised architectural symposiums in San Sebastián, to which my tectural symposiums in San Sebastian, to which my brother, brother, andregularly I were regularly invited. This isI met where I met Leo, andLeo, I were invited. This is where Manuel Manuel de Sola Morales Rubio, who first published my book de Sola Morales Rubio, who first published my book “Urban Urban Space withinGili in 1974, first in Spanish, (under the Space” with Gili 1974, first in Spanish, (under the title title Stuttgart, Teoria y Practica de los Espacios Urbanos), “Stuttgart, Teoria y Practica de los Espacios Urbanos”), before beforereleased being released one year in German. littlearound later, being one year later in later German. A little A later, around the middle of the 1980s, Manuel recommended me as the middle of the 80s, Manuel recommended me as a sculptor a sculptor for two monumental figures Port of Barcefor two monumental figures at the Port at ofthe Barcelona, which lona, which were unveiled for the Olympic Games. During were unveiled for the Olympic Games. During one of these one of thesethe gatherings, the Spanish publisher of gatherings, Spanish architect and architect publisherand of the magazine the magazine Nueva Forma, Juan Daniel Fullaondo, asked me Nueva Forma, Juan Daniel Fullaondo, asked me for publication for publication material. He printed everything sentway, him.the In material. He printed everything I sent him. In Ithis this way, the whole body of my early architectural and artistic whole body of my early architectural and artistic works up to worksappeared up to 1975 appeared in his magazine. 1975 in his magazine. In the period 1988–91, the city of Irun appointed me to design the district between the old city hall and the church, which was still in ruins from the civil war. At almost the same time, Leo á to draw up and I were appointed by the city of St. Sebastian the urban development plans for a former industrial site, “Venta

Berri”. Both designs fell victim to changes in political leadership; the same happened with an assignment from the city of Bilbao for a housing block in its “Txurdinaga” district, which had made it through all stages from design performance up to planning permission. The block, measuring 54 m ×x 54 m, was 6 building composed of six buildingtypes typeswhich, which,depending dependingon on their their oriorientation, had varying typologies of floor plan and elevation design. A seminar had even been staged on the subject and was attended by practising architects. It should have held good as a model procedure for an entire city district, a forerunner of the now realised complex at the City Museum in Bilbao. As though it were a late reward for these efforts, the sculptural assignment presented to me by Iñaki Aurrekoetxea followed; I was to produce a figure for his project for a pedestrian promenade in a suburban district of Bilbao. Leo designed the base with a 9 m high pillar to support the figure. In March 1993, this and other works from my architectural and sculptural portfolio were published in the high-quality Basque magazine Composicion Arquitectonica in a quite uniquely beautiful way. It must be quite plainly discernible from my descriptions that the link between the fine arts and architecture is very close to my heart. Sculpture and painting have been crowded out of modern architecture and almost completely banished to a mere museum existence. Only very few architects have made them an inseparable part of their buildings, such as Le Corbusier, for example. As he himself was a passionate collector, our client was thankfully quite prepared to support this concern. WHERE THEN COULD SCULPTURES BE MOST MEANINGFULLY DEPLOYED? One of the most characteristic building elements in Basque architecture is the mirador – these wonderful glazed loggias, protected from wind and weather, which project slightly out from the façade and create a transparent extension of the living space into the street space. I designed a series of 20 caryatids that were to act as playful supporting structures for these miradors. They consisted of female and male figures with a height of 1.8 m. They are modulated in the classical manner, naked in thefaçade façadewith withaaweatherproof weatherproof finish. finish. stucco, and coated coated across with the reliefs over over 22 m m In the Gothic House, towards the park, carved reliefs high have been integrated into the piers in the façade. These, These

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too, depict human figures, whose poses can only be poetically construed. In addition to these, there are a number of 2 m high bronze figures at particularly prominent points. One of these, a double figure, stands at the beginning of the arcade along the oval space, opposite the Museum of Classical Art. Each building entrance has also been enhanced with a 1.7 m high figure in semi-relief. In all, just over 40 figures were installed. I have already spoken of the poetic message in my figures, as I like to paraphrase their expression with lyrical lines. I have taken the generic title of my theme from Balzac, who summarised his novel works under the heading Comédie humaine. The poses of the human body embrace a virtually inexhaustible abundance of possible expressions, which I cannot reveal here. To do this, I would have to show every single figure from various viewpoints and explain them with the help of the corresponding texts. In this publication, with an architectural focus, these should be perceived as a sculptural enrichment that touches on a declarative plane in a way that the pure geometry of the construction construction cannot. cannot.This Thisproject projectshould shouldbebe directed at my colleagues as aa critical criticalexperiment, experiment, independent independent of the selected architectural language, which will provide sufficient fuel for conflict on its own. We have made every effort to blend our design as carefully and sensitively as possible into Bilbao’s existing architecture, as if it had always stood on this spot. As it is, many observers on the street fancied that it was a renovated old building. I took this commentary as a flattering compliment. We were fully aware of just how much we would be working against the zeitgeist. The just-completed neighbouring buildings pay conspicuous homage to the modern fashion. The role of trends practised today can only be weighed up and judged in this hard confrontation. We are grateful that Bilbao made this experiment possible for us. Without the courageous and committed support of the officiating Mayor, his specialist team, the open-minded clients and m the dedication of our contact architect, Iñaki Aurrekoetxea and his team, this project would not have been so consistently executed. The final construction plans for the façades were drawn up in the Breitman practice in Paris. As university lecturers, Marc and I were obligated to enter into this venture at the risk of having to accept bitter criticism from our own professional circles. We are aware that this experiment represents a playful beginning in expression and form – one which must mature fur-

ther over the course of many more attempts. With this test run, we hope we can encourage some of our colleagues to continue our experiment and to finally put a stop to the serial and repetitive addition of identical architectural elements. Berlin, October 2011 RK *

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Ignudi 2009 on the ceiling ceiling of of the the Sistine Sistine Chapel Chapel in in Rome, Rome, at the painted paintedby byMichelangelo, Michelangelo,1508—1512 1508–1512

“Between the narrative scenes, and frequently overlapping them, are twenty nude youths or ignudi. ... Like living sculptures sitting on the architectural frames of paintings, the ignudi are animated bodies without precise narrative justification or meaning. Arranged in every conceivable manner, they appear natural, even comfortable, but most of their poses are utterly impossible. As with his

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figures in marble, Michelangelo suggests relaxed languor while inventing unlikely, even painful, contorions. In bodily contortions. Inthese thesefugures fugures–– twenty painted reconstructions of ancient statues – Michelangelo created a repertoire of poses and forged an ideal of male beauty that would serve as a school of art for centuries.”

The Artist, Artist, (William E. Wallace, Michelangelo. The the Man and his Times, Cambridge 2010) I couldn’t resist the temptation to translate the two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional works – an exercise that I would like to realise with students.

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MY SCULPTOR’S WORKSHOP Duomo /  ndora, Italy, Duomo /A Andora, Italy, 2003 2003

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fter moving from my studio in Bargemon in the south of France to Liguria, I was searching for a piece of land where I could build a sculptor’s workshop. But my long search was in vain, and finally our Italian neighbour allowed me to use his private road as well as his plot of land and his barn. The only access to the little village of Duomo is via a bumpy and steep donkey’s pathway. I had got a loud and rattling transport crawler to carry carry my my materials, materials which was now used on the building site. From there I could easily deliver my materials.

The drawings illustrate the conversion. The old roof structure was unsound. The thick masonry had been erected in dry construction and its instability was alarming; there were even some wide splits in the walls. The exterior construction had to be stabilised with an interior reinforced concrete shell cast against the walls and a floor slab. In front of the house, there is a very old olive tree of 15 m. In order to have a full view of this natural wonder from the house, I broke into the gable wall of the barn, adding a tall gothic portal.

Only when the roof was uncovered did I discover the beauty of the view offered by the whole panorama of the landscape from this dais, and decided to build a pavilion-like turret.

Thus, the pavilion with its panoramic view now sits like a captain’s perch on top of the roof and dormer ridges. My Sicilian master builder Ferro was builder,Salvatore Ferro, well versed with all trades up to the installation of a bathroom.

The first version was a square, the second, as expected, an octagon and certainly much more difficult to be cut into the roof construction.

I found a brilliant local, Egyptian-bornwindow windowmanmaEgyptian-born nufacturer,Giorgio Giorgio Shoukri, ufacturer, for the gothic portal, the windows and the pavilion. He made the whole body out of one piece, and it was lifted with ladders and ropes.

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The ground floor

The tribune with the air space

The woodwork of the roof

Cross-section

Longitudinal section and side façade

The masonry is flush with the roof tiles

Front view and back view,; an equilateral triangle determines the ridge height

Eaves – the rain gutter is slightly recessed from the masonry

The position of large pale stones. Two of them form the capstone,; above it, there is a round boulder found in the river bed.

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The dormers and their stone masonry, seen from outside

Ascending to the tempietto

The masonry of the dormer lies on a Longitudinal section seen through double layer of supporting beams. the dormers

The lattice design of the gothic portal

The relation of the radii of the arches to the width of the gate is that of the golden ratio.

The stairs are steep, like in a ship.

The dormers, seen from inside

The latticework in the gothic figure was constructed with shifted centres.

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Fireplace with figures on pedestals

Here with Here, with aa round round shape shape

Chimney with stone ornaments

Top of the chimney

Concept for an extendable table

The square tempietto

In the end, I thought that the square, temple-like turret was too solemn, and the penetration of the chimney also bothered me.

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Detail of a window of the square tempietto

Finally, Finally, aa return return to to the the octagonal octagonal look-out lookout

My also did did the the woodwork woodwork of of the the pavilion pavilion up up to to the the balustrade balustrade. Mymason, mason Salvatore, Salvatore also

The kitchenette and the studies of the staircase which was finally executed in single masonry

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The end result was something similar.

Walls in the courtyard with niches for sculptures

Final chimney design

A SalvaA challenge challenge for for my my mason, mason Salvatore, who made many adjustments

Different designs for a fountain with figures; the one shown in the middle was realised

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The two-storey living room and workshop

My daughter Nadine and her boyfriend Christian, who use the house quite a lot in summer, wanted to add a touch of Bauhaus style. Let’s wait and see how long we can stand the effect of the intense colours.

Glimmering evening light in the olive tree

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A steep staircase with staggered steps leads to the pavilion on the roof.

A chestnut trunk carries inserted pieces; pieces, steps made of Olive wood olive wood

The staircase is like an abstract sculpture. In the village, I found a retired train conductor, Enzo Bianco, whose passion is carpentry. He is a true artist. I came upon the chestnut tree trunk 50 km away,; Enzo found the branchless olive wood steps deep in our valley, where the olive trees are rather sturdy.

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Our village of Duomo/Andora with the castle and the chapel, with Roswitha’s house at top right, my barn with its tempietto to the left of the defence tower

My barn, seen from the donkey’s path. The mulatiere is a strada comunale, a communal road.

View out of my tempietto into the hilly western landscape

The tempietto, surrounded by olive trees. Curtains protect me from the sun.

View to the east and to the west. When there is direct sunlight, it gets very hot. But the temperature can be regulated very quickly by letting a draught in. Every other window is a hopper window. Constant ventilation avoids the appearance of water condensation on the window frames made of aluminium.

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On the balustrade, there is an accumulation of small sculptures, including one of my paternal grandmother.

Terracotta model of the Jumper who sits enthroned over the fountain in the courtyard

Reading corner at the southern dormer

The Marc Breitman, Breitman, and and to to its its right, right, in in The bust bust of of my my friend, friend Marc white terracotta, my paternal grandfather

Ascension to the tempietto with the circular work plate

The closable stairwell, seen from above. When we have guests, we close the hatches and put a stool on it.

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Wild crowding crowding on on the the tribune. tribune. This This is is the the place place where where II send send faxes faxes and and e-mails, emails, whereas Wild whereas II draw draw in in the the tempietto. For my guests, there is also a TV connection. In the evening hours, I take pictures of my small figures in front of white canvas in a stretcher frame, illuminating them with spotlights.

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The enchanted enchanted atmosphere atmosphere in in my my courtyard, courtyard which is protected on all sides. Here, under the flickering The flickering light shining in through the delicate leaves of the olive tree, I create the models of my sculptures.

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The barn, seen from my lower meadow. I worked here before buying it. The communal donkey’s path passes between them. A model of the Catalan poet, Joan Salvat i Papasseit, decorates the water basin.

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The Jumper greets all passers-by on the donkey’s path.

The Jumper above the water basin, which is fed by the little brook flowing along the donkey’s path, which itself frequently fills all the garden basins in the village. My oleanders had just been brutally trimmed. The flickering light makes the olive leaves shimmer silver. The place where I work on large sculptures is behind, on the upper plateau.

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The Jumper should have dived over a wall of water

His reflection on the water, in which a figure lies slumbering

Sinking into an ocean of oleander blossoms

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The series of 19 caryatids was created in this place. Most of them were made for the Cité Judiciaire in Luxembourg, but the Minister of Public Works wouldn’t have them. They finally found a new destination at our building complex in Bilbao.

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In intimate dialogue

friend Marc My friend, Marc Breitman, Breitman, with with whom whom II planned planned aa block block of of 23 23 houses houses in in the the centre centre of of Bilbao, Bilbao, came came to to Duomo Duomo to to visit visit my my caryatid layer and and caryatid family. family.They They were were destined destined to to carry carry the the glazed glazed oriels oriels in in the the façades. façades. II had had coated coated them them with with aa weather-proof weatherproof layer they were ready for transport.

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25 June 2004

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OLYMPIAKWARTIER

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Almere, Netherlands, 2004

he planning area can be seen at the bottom right edge of this aerial photograph. It is via this tongue of land that a new motorway and railway shall connect the new city of Almere, with its nearly 200,000 inhabitants, with Amsterdam. This exposed location is to be expanded to act as a gateway district to this new city. The town-planning office had predefined a fan-shaped layout of the blocks at the northern edge of the planning area which was to be included in our design. The first of the below sketches shows a strong foundational idea, but it was

unfortunately diluted by too many panellists. The elevated railway line and its station painfully cut the district in half. It would have been better to clearly frame it with massive architecture. An example for beenbeen the subthat could couldhave have the urbans crossing suburban crossing of of the Museum Island in Berlin, where it virtually melts into the museum buildings. On ground level, a pedestrian crossing between the two district halves could have run undisturbed. For legal reasons, a certain distance around the railway line had to be kept free.

The first strong idea for a centre with connections to the existing Almere

Under the new conditions, the district develops like a fan on both sides of the railway line.

A central boulevard ring connects the two district halves.

Difficult perspective. You can feel that the two halves will lead their own independent lives.

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Above, a last attempt to connect the two halves

Labyrinthine road systems

In search of a varied urban layout. The only possible connection at ground level was defined by the railway, which, on top of that, runs at a slant.

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Towers at the edges of the block

District centres

Streets running east-west

More streets creating spaces

Circuits in the districts

Spaces and gates

The spatial backbone north-south

This is the score for an urban design choreography.

The edge of the district with its road junctions and gates

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Sketches of spatial situations, transferred to Almere from other projects

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The architectural variety, so often demonstrated, was also to have unfolded here. The project was torpedoed by the modernist approach of the town-planning officers.

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The railway line is anti-urban; it could have been challenged with a cluster of towers. This would have simultaneously had the effect of emphasising the district’s centre.

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Inspired by Gogol: Fair at Sorochyntsi 26 January 2004

4 December 2004

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Lecture tour to Kuwait December 2005

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NEW DISTRICT BANGERT EN OOSTERPOLDER Hoorn, Netherlands, 2005

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n the time preceding the great financial crisis of 2008, Dutch towns tried to spur large urban development programmes, which then all broke down miserably. The Hoorn authorities didn't̓ want to fund a new and autonomous town in the open landscape, as was the case with Brandevoort. Instead, and unfortunately, a huge plot of land was to be attached to an existing settlement with scattered buildings. This makes it difficult for the inhabitants to think of their settlement as an independent village. The individual districts are arranged

The building site with its centre

A round town centre

The first structural sketch

perpendicularly along a central route. In order to control the dimensions in my first design, I transferred parts of the Brandevoort project to this location. The centre was originally to have formed a solid unity, but unfortunately it was broken into two entities in the course of the needs assessment. Thus, a sort of twin figure came into being, with parking in in multi-storey multi-story car parks in the two centres. The houses climb up the parking decks as if they were hills – which is unique in the flat Dutch country. Two models, shown below, were up for debate.

This version is more severe.

The decision of the communal authorities to build a reduced centre on an artificial parking hill was economically unrealistic. This solution would have had a chance in a big city, but not in the countryside.

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This sketch shows that the central access and the division of the centre destroy the homogeneity of the town layout. Even graphic efforts undertaken in a New Year’s Eve mood couldn’t help.

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Model of half the town centre

This three-dimensional visualisation looks like a toy model.

A school and sport centre are hidden in the hill town.

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Ascension to the upper square

A linear urban development in the landscape

The main square

A central canal emphasises the division of the districts.

The numerous stairways recall Mediterranean cities and are not very suitable for people with disabilities. This vision was a pleasure to draw, but it was doomed to failure.

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MELCHIOR HOUSE Ersange, Luxembourg, 2008

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n the very same day when the Cité Judiciaire was inaugurated, aa young young teaching teacher couple asked me to design a single-family home in the vicinity of the city of Luxembourg. They had a large private library that they wanted to expand.

The books were to lend the house its special atmosphere. Between the pillars that define the living room, shelves pile up and continue on the first floor. Above the oval air-filled space, the central room unfolds into the living library.

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MONUMENT TO FREEDOM AND UNITY

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Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Germany, 2009 2009

he he reunification reunification of of Germany Germany was was the the result result of of aa nonnonviolent revolution by the citizens of the violent revolution by the citizens of the GDR, GDR, in in contrast contrast to to such such earlier earlier historic historic events events as as the the French French and and –– later later –– the the Russian Russian and and Chinese Chinese revolutions. revolutions. Those Those had had taken up the cause of similar humanistic ideals, taken up the cause of similar humanistic ideals, but but in in the the end end didn't didn't̓ hesitate hesitate to to resort resort to to brutal brutal frenzies frenzies of of violence. violence.

houses West with with aa great great variety variety of of artistic artistic means. means. houses East East and and West The artworks can be observed from the central The artworks can be observed from the central room, room, which which is is always always open open and and accessible. accessible. These These activities activities make make the the place place aa memorial memorial that that is is always always changing. As Germany, in general, and the city of changing. As Germany, in general, and the city of Berlin, Berlin, in in particular, particular, also also have have much much work work before before them them to to achieve achieve unity, unity, this this house house should should also also actively actively document document the the fusion fusion of a people. of a people.

The The reunification reunification was was aa gift gift –– the the peaceful peaceful miracle miracle of of the the East German movement for unity and freedom. The monuEast German movement for unity and freedom. The monument ment should should recall recall the reunification. Here, the reunification. Here, aa meeting meeting II would like to replace would like to replace should should ememcreate erge, create the the atmoatmoerge, one one that that tells tells sphere the sphere of of this this event event the story story of of the the culculvia the artistic tural upheavals via the artistic tural upheavals of of means reunification means of of archiarchireunification not not tecture. shown tecture. With With its its shown anywhere anywhere geometric forms, it else in Berlin. As geometric forms, it else in Berlin. As National Kaiser Kaiser Wilhelm WilhelmMonument, Monument,sculptor: sculptor:Reinhold ReinholdBegas, Begas,architect: architect: Gustav Gustav Halmhuber Halmhuber National is able to define the the first of the fouris able to define the National Kaiser Wilhelm Monument, sculptor: Reinhold Begas, architect: Gustav Halmhuber the first of the fourinterpretive year-long interpretive scope scope year-long installatiinstallatiof the topic – reaching far and allowing many interpretaons, I propose to represent the CITY as of the topic – reaching far and allowing many interpretaons, I propose to represent the CITY as aa backdrop, backdrop, using using tions. aa site tions. site plan plan and and elevation. elevation. It It is is the the immanent immanent picture picture of of the the social social structures structures of of the the two two different different regimes. regimes. My My idea idea was was to to give give to to both both Eastern Eastern and and Western Western Germany Germany one house each, as an empty shell. Both On one house each, as an empty shell. Both houses, houses, with with their their On the the east east side, side, the the repetitive, repetitive, row row upon upon row row of of blocks blocks that that open side, are attached to a curved withe, like two cylinder destroy the individual. On the west side, the traditionally open side, are attached to a curved withe, like two cylinder destroy the individual. On the west side, the traditionally halves, grown halves, split split by by aa grown open open city. city. narrow gap. The Two pavilions narrow gap. The Two pavilions walls frame walls have have empty empty frame the the former former window openings plinth construction. window openings plinth construction. and In and symbolise symbolise aa In one one of of them, them, aa still unready and staircase leads still unready and staircase leads to to uninhabited house, the uninhabited house, the lower lower historic historic standing vault. standing between between vault. It It is is meant meant to to East and West. permit further East and West. permit further actiactiThese vities These building building vities in in the the monumonuparts are made of ment at a parts are made of ment at a later later date. date. brick, The brick, just just like like The second second pavilpavilSchinkel’s ion Schinkel’s building building ion shall shall serve serve The monument came through the Second World War relatively undamaged. The monument came through the Second World War relatively undamaged. aa cc aa dd ee m y a n d information purpoThe monument came through the Second World War relatively undamaged. my and information purpoItIt was demolished in the winter of 1949/50. It was was demolished demolished in in the the winter winter of of 1949/50. 1949/50. Friedrichswerder ses. Friedrichswerder ses. II would would appreappreciate it if historic building materials could be sought and Church. As the point is to represent process still under way, if historic building materials could be Church. As the point is to represent process still under way, ciate if historic building materials could be sought sought and the reused. the ideal ideal house house of of the the aspired-to aspired-to unity unity is is to to be be inserted inserted into into reused. The The two two lions lions from from the the zoo zoo retake retake their their place place on on the the the reconstructed the centre centre of of the the split split cylinder cylinder as as an an open open steel steel structure. structure. It It reconstructed plinths plinths of of the the former former memorial. memorial. This This proviproviis sion is slightly slightly taller taller than than the the other other building building parts, parts, covered covered with with sion also also contributes contributes to to the the rehabilitation rehabilitation of of the the old old vault vault glass, and towers over the memorial site by frosted tower over the memorial site by day and below. frosted glass, and tower over the memorial site by day and below. night night like like aa bright bright crown. crown. With With this this project, project, II intentionally intentionally wish wish not not to to realise realise aa classic classic My proposal: and rigid idea of a monument. It can only thrive My proposal: and rigid idea of a monument. It can only thrive if if the the city city of of Berlin Berlin and and the the federal federal authorities authorities really really engage engage themthemThe selves The whole whole project project is is like like an an open open stage stage which which can can be be used used selves in in this this active active project project over over time. time. by numerous directors, changing every four years. Repreby numerous directors, changing every four years. Representatives sentatives of of all all arts arts should should be be invited invited to to stage stage the the empty empty

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East façade, seen from the entrance of the palace. The two lions from the memorial by Reinhold Begas should be mounted here once more.

West-east section through the middle

Section through the base, with south elevation

Floor plan. The site is across from the entrance of the palace.

South-north longitudinal section on the existing sub-construction

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The west façade in front of the palace in the background

Seen from near the palace bridge, with the reconstructed façade of the palace

A presentation of the western urban world – a confrontation of an ideal and the world as actually constructed

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The monument in front of the palace contour

The monument monument between between the the building building academy academy and and the the reconstructed reconstructed place; place, in in the the background, background the The the Old Old Museum Museum by by Schinkel and the Bode Museum

Presentation of the misery of the GDR’s prefabricated buildings

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Here they areare deconstructed, clearly diIt is immensely immensely difficult difficult to toexpress expresssomething somethingsymbolic symbolicwith withabstract abstractbuilding buildingelements. elements. Here they deconstructed, clearly vided into two curved curved divided intodifferent differentlayers layersand andarranged arrangedsynoptically. synoptically.The Thecentral centralcylinder cylinderintended intended to to represent represent unity is divided into two factthat thathas has become become painpaindiscs and highlighted in crimson crimson in in this this perspective. perspective.Even Even20 20years yearslater, later,unity unityisisnot notaccomplished, accomplished, aafact fully apparent today with with the the problem issue of of refugees. The curved refugees. The curvedwalls wallsofofthis this“German “Germanhouse” house”don’t don’thave havewindows, windows, merely merely blind blind niches, suggesting the hope of later vitalisation. An lattice open latticework over this problematic describing imaginary niches suggest the hope of later vitalisation. An open work archesarches over this problematic centre,centre, describing imaginary domes. domes. In my perspective drawing, I have visually exaggerated this connecting archawith a lacework of lights shining at night that In my perspective drawing, I have visually exaggerated this connecting arch with lacework of lights shining at night that symsymbolise the desired unity as an image from a dream. bolise the desired unity as an image from a dream.

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work to to represent represent the the fragile fragile desire for unity. It is littered with varying seaThe arched structure is designed as a transparent lattice latticework sonal flowers that find their breeding ground in hydro-cultures. They are intended to keep alive the yearning for unity. The centre is represented as an elevated stage from which the different sections are accessible. The two empty house shells, East and West, open up from the centre and can be used alternatingly by Eastern and Western artists, as in a dialogue. The exhibitions can also be organised by private galleries. As the subject of East and West will someday be exhausted, this open pair of houses will become the stage for an open debate between opposing artistic tendencies.

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Floor plans for spatial stagings in the open niches of the Memorial to Freedom and Unity in Berlin

Slabscut cutwith witharches archesdivide dividethe theroom roomup... ... Slabs

… tocomplex complexspatial spatialcompositions, compositions,offering offeringvarious variousexhibition exhibitionopportunities opportunities … up into

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was tempted to add some examples showing how many different spatial layouts can be built into an empty room. These are subjects that have been solved in the past with bravura, using vault constructions. With today’s modern building techniques,

unfortunately, they have practically been lost. Spatial ambiance is extremely important when presenting works of art. Discs and pillars as load-bearing elements can be arranged regularly and irregularly, thus creating differentiated parts of rooms in floor plan and elevation.

The most important sources of light in the daytime are skylights. The exhibiting artists would design their exhibition spaces themselves. They can also have two storeys. As installations are much in vogue nowadays, the room type should be adapted as closely as possible to the contents.

Artists are hardly ever involved in the design of contemporary museums. Here, they find a space for practical experimentation. As the presentation should change over time, academies of art should also be involved in this processual project.

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SCULPTURE DEPOT Duomo / Andora, Italy, Italy, 2009 2009 Duomo /Andora,

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ince I produce around 25 figures every year, each summer when I stay in Liguria, you can easily imagine that storing my sculptures is a pressing issue. Furthermore, the stockroom must be burglar-proof, as it is unwatched for half of the year. Not long ago, a whole year’s worth of production was stolen from my studio. It is almost touching that I found a lover of my sculptures in that way.

The studies of my memorial to unity and freedom in Berlin preceded this sketch. The house should be made of visible local shale, with many niches for the sculptures. It was not just about a stockroom in which the objects of art could stand tightly stacked in shelves. I also wanted to increase their aesthetic value by giving them a real home.

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Sant’Andrea in Mantua

Sant’AndreaininMantua, Mantua,by byLeon LeonBattista BattistaAlberti, Alberti,1472—1514 1472–1514 Sant’Andrea

Mantua, the dome of Sant’Andrea, by Philippo Juvara, 18th century

Cremona, the cathedral with bell tower and baptistry

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Above: A birthday sketch for Jessika, 2009 Left: Sketches from my voyage to Lombardy, Mantua and Cremona, 2009

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Two interpretations of the subject Help me

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EUROPEAN EMBANKMENT St. Petersburg, Russia, 2010–2012

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received the invitation to participate in a limited competition while in hospital following a hip operation. The preliminary urban development competition had been won by the office of nps tchoban voss, with offices in St. Petersburg and Berlin. They had proposed an intelligent block concept with a central square and a new dance theatre, but the architecture is abhorrently modernistic. The urban development concept included the participation of different architects. This promise was kept and 18 practices invited to take part.

I received the assignment for the building Neva riverbank, on the Newa riverbank, marked marked with an arrow. From the riverside promenade you can see the rear façade of the Hermitage. It was thus a highly challenging location, and was furthermore oriented to the south. In accordance with the tradition of the city, I wanted to create monumental architecture that would present itself generously as a whole, but with filigree and surprising variation in the details. In order to achieve this, I wanted to enrich the façade with an extensive array of sculptures.

The location in the city plan of St. Petersburg

During the competition phase, we had to design a waterside and a square-oriented façade on a given house format. This is my riverbank façade...

…and this is the slightly curved façade facing the square. Both are modelled on classical compositions, accentuating the edges and the centre and emphasising the ground floor and the attic storey.

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The house on the riverbank with its corner towers and central portal

The house facing the square is in line with the spatial requirements; the portal in the centre offers passageways to the slightly elevated interior courtyard. The building lines don’t allow any profound modulations of the building volume.

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Proposal for a corner facing the square. On the right: I summarised my sculptural decoration under the heading Comédie humaine.

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Presentation of the approved project, end of October 2011, with the extensive pictorial programme ...

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ollowing the first phase of the competition, I received the assignment for the location on the water described above. The only task was to design a façade for a given floor plan. As the façades that my colleagues had to develop in the neighbourhood had similar dimensions, it made no sense to offer differently designed house parcels. So I tried to enliven my 130 m façade by dividing it into parts that were differently shaped and rhythmically arranged.

... of sculptures and bas-reliefs with the theme Comédie humaine

From the edges inwards, the avant-corps projections decrease, so that the portal in the centre withdraws almost bashfully — a purposefully anticlassical composition. Here the proof of the division of the circle into four parts (1:1.41) and into five parts (1:1.618, the golden ratio).

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SKETCHES OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE BUILDING

The corner avant-corps, left and right, with their common proportions and slightly different details

The vivid projections left and right of the corner avant-corps — two fascinating exercises in composition

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The small central portal

The background façade with its rhythmic composition. The storeys are overlapped by ornamental building elements.

This is the background façade upon which the vivid projections are silhouetted. The green steel elements shove themselves in front of and between the stone elements, simulating different surface layers.

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The Hermitage museum complex, seen from the European embankment. From left to right: Hermitage Theatre —

This palace-like façade architecture doesn’t match my lifelong ambition to create relatively small lots at the edge of a block.

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— Old Hermitage — Small Hermitage — Winter Palace (the New Hermitage is situated behind the Old Hermitage.

St. Petersburg with its neo-classical architectural tradition has seduced me to find an answer to the vibrant architecture of the Hermitage and the Winter Palace.

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We spent another year working out all the details for this version of the plan until we got a letter from the project coordinator, Sergei Tchoban, dated December 18, 2012 informing us of the sad news that the Russian Federation had taken back the property. The new idea was for local architects to construct court buildings there. Thus, my Comédie humaine came to a cynical end.

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Just Justbefore beforethe thecancellation, cancellation,IIhad hadpublished publishedmy myproject, project,including including the thewhole wholepictorial pictorialprogramme, programme,ininaabook bookwith withtexts textsininGerman, German, English, English,and andRussian. Russian.ItItshould shouldhave haveaccompanied accompaniedan anexhibition exhibition of ofour ourprojects projectsininthe theHermitage, Hermitage,but butthis thisexhibition exhibitionalso alsofailed failedtoto take takeplace, place,even eventhough thoughall allthe thearchitects architectsinvolved involvedhad hadgiven giventhe the museum museumthe theoriginal originalplans plansas asaagift. gift.

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THE FOUR DIFFERENT ENTRANCES TO THE HOUSE

Foyer in front of the lifts

Entrance A, seen from the river bank.

Foyer in front of the lifts

Entrance B, seen from the river bank.

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Foyer in front of the lifts

Entrance C, left corner building

Foyer in front of the lifts

Entrance D, right corner building

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Divided passion drives you on brawny wings 31 August 2011

By hook and crook 27 September 2011

Captive in the scent of jasmine 6 July 2011

Carry me to the other side January 2005

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By force I must bind you to the injured ways of the heart 4 July 2011

Maternity 2014

Icy grasp for lucky streaks 14 August 2011

Rescue January 2005

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14 June 2011

Whereto in the panic pulse of rescue 17 December 2004

Winged Harmony, the worldly scales glide towards her, voracious and heavy with lust, in the ecstasy of spring 14 April 2010

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No holding back under my rosy gateway 5 September 2010

To hold in shifting perils 19 August 2010

Resistance, what should I care about shared roots 12 August 2010

Divided in frantic flight 12 September 2010

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Soul-hunter, chased like an animal 27 December 2003

En route to you, half turning back, half pushing you 17 July 2010

Enchanted realms, my angel 4 July 2010

My reflection July 2010

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The night is a scream that burst my chains 21 July 2010

There is no host of stars 14 August 2010

No escape from this strong-arm track, oh, bloodthirst unleashed 13 September 2011

Tango, whirling in perfect accord 25 July 2010

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Whither are you guided by tormented yearning (May 2010)

A breath of confused devotion 12 June 2011

Triumph of tender seduction 6 August 2011

Tangled like branchwork 24 June 2011

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Reluctantly part the ways 10 June 2011

Triumph of tender seduction 6 August 2011

Show me Show me the theway way 17 July 2011 2011 17 July

By force I must bind you to the injured ways of the heart 4 July 2011

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Left: Drunkenly floating, tangled like thorn bush and nettles 27 June 2011

Master Eckhart: “More anonymous than if it had names, and more unknown than it would be known” 29 September 2011

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Dignified 6 July 2010

e Vain Entrance 3 May 2010

Hypocritical show 7 June 2010

Without reproach 25 June 2010

Unwavering 6 July 2010

Without sacrifice 6 July 2010

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Humble 28 June 2010

Troubled 28 June 2010

Without twilight trilight Without 28 June 2010

Drop of ploy 18 August 2010

Lost in the starry vortex 13 August 2010

To the preacher 10 June 2010

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These multi-part grisailles, 65 m × x 1.3 m, were made for the Cité Judiciaire in Luxembourg. They weren’t hung there permanently.

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Based on these subjects, I created the bas-reliefs shown on the following pages for my building in St. Petersburg. They should also have been 1.3 m high.

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T

he bas-reliefs shown on the following pages are made of white terracotta and are 20 cm high. This is the reason why the details could only be moulded very roughly. The final height should have been 1.3 m! Before enlarging them to their final size, there should have been an intermediary stage of at least 50 cm height to ensure the quality of the final product. Considering that the heads of the following figures are only 1.5 to 2 cm, there would have been much correction work to do. A huge amount of sculptural work lay ahead of me, and it would have only been possible with the help of professional workshops, like those doing the reconstruction work of the historical façades of the Berlin palace. I had already made the relevant enquiries just before the job was cancelled. The most promising had come from New York. The reconstruction of the sculptural ornaments of the Berlin palace shows that, even today, ,you can find academically trained sculptors who are able to set ambitious figures in stone.

Schlüterhof, Berlin Palace

On the following pages the bas-reliefs can be seen without their assignment to the places on the façades where they should be mounted. Each relief’s theme is given as a red caption, followed by a lyrical description.

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Dimensions in the execution planning façades concerning the sculptures and bas-reliefs

DISTRUST

Which ineradicable poison erodes our sensitive world?

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The thematic background of the sculptural ornaments is the Comédie humaine, the human comedy

Does a corrosive net enclose brain and heart until the desired unity suffocates within it?

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CONCORD

In resistance resigned to doubt, after yoke and affliction defying all entreaty

DEFENCE

What seems to bind us together so unrestrained and at the same time divides us with wild force?

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The brand of sorrow veils the void with faded dignity

Defence is the slogan when doubt corrodes the brains and slowly poisons heart and body

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RECONCILIATION

No in between, no frenzy, no obfuscation

STRIFE

No protection from powerful, brutal spirits that one calls evil

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No renunciation of the light or false triumph, cast the anchor stone

Ever-stalking phantom, that in its ghoulish course tears limb the sphere of man

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CLAIMING HIS RIGHT

Always one step ahead, always reluctant, always vehement,

Lusts, wild and crude, let the idle delusion rule unrestrainedly

IN FORCED HARMONY

In the hereafter’s talons caught ...

… bound coward’s flight in the world

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NO LIMITS ...

Carry me with you into your timelessboundless dreams

… does your wild wandering through the treasures of reason and fantasy know?

UNISON ...

The bond they entered into knits them together to an inseparable unity

… is the magic word, that enchains all fears of life with soft ties

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RUSH FORWARD

Steamroll everything with injurious violence

SETTLE THE DISPUTE

One broken by guilt, stifled in rancour

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in a blind delirium

whose embers burn conscience and soul

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FORGIVENESS

A human place, day of the cunning

DESPERATE

Your idle dominions are hopeless, a struggle with crushing violence

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Power of the unrestrained on the path of broken hearts

because in the end you always destroy what you have created

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RECONCILIATION

Protect the moment of unstressed emotion

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and flee from the evil spirits who disturb the peace

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CITÉ JUDICIAIRE Luxembourg, 1991–2008

The finished project, in 2008

Site plan, as built

n the Holy Spirit Plateau on the edge of the old centre of Luxembourg, the design brings together the various departments of justice of the city as well as the country country on on the the floor floorplan planofofana historic for-tressby byVauban. Vauban. Developed Developed in in conjunction with fortress Léon Krier, this was achieved by proposing a new city district with streets, alleys and squares accessi-

ble to the public and by assigning the various departments to individual buildings. One of the registered build-ingswas wasgutted gutted and and integrated integrated into the Tribubuildings nal d’Arrondissement (District Court). The ensemble fits in architectural and urban terms into the historical context. In 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved the project.

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All buildings with their ground floor plans, as realised

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The Saint-Esprit plateau with the planned Tower of the Winds

Two important parts are missing: the tower as a symbol of the third force in the state, and the portal building of the Supreme Court. Both fell victim to political intrigues.

The court houses fit fit into into the the historical historical substance substance of of the the city city — — aa view view in in the the morning morning sunlight sunlight courthouses

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CITÉ JUDICIAIRE IN LUXEMBOURG Basic concept and building type Shortly after we were appointed in 1991, my brother Leo and I presented two different designs to the Minister of Public Works, Robert Goebbels:

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A classical type in the form of a large and coherent building complex. A palace of justice with one single central access and an interior division into different departments. This has the advantage of economic accessibility, with only one doorman, but the disadvantage of a difficult orientation inside, which – if the buildings are lowrise – can only be resolved with a complicated navigation system. Due to the closed building form at the outside, the site security of the complex is easy and cost-efficient.

Our professional reputation is based on the propagation and advocacy of a classical, traditional building philosophy. By choosing us to carry out this architectural undertaking, the Ministry of Public Works had made a clear choice. The state had made a programme of pursuing harmony with the historic fabric of the city in terms of typology and architectural division into small sections.

II The second building type in the form of a city of justice is an original idea by my brother Leo. In France, the name of Cité Judiciaire is widespread, but it has never generated a corresponding urban design in which each function is assigned its own individual house or block. It is a disadvantage that each department needs its own doorman and safety arrangements. As far as I know, this building type was realised for the first time in Luxembourg. The fact that my brother could land such a big score out of his ideal interpretation of a large complex precisely in our home country particularly embittered our Luxembourg critics.

III The second proposal found general and spontaneous approval. It is an open, democratic design that takes its toll in terms of planning and maintenance costs, but shows a clear commitment to a human social system.

V The architectural design of the different functional units should be varied and at the same time ensure a consistent appearance. For the colour scheme of the façades, we chose slightly different shades that fit in with the houses of the old town. We also applied the design regulations of the historic centre. All buildings have steep slate roofs and all windows have white glazing bars. When composing the façades, I kept to the rules of classical architecture with the formation of socle, central section and attic in the horizontal arrangement of storeys. In the different buildings,the storeys are clearly distinguished and separated from each other with individually shaped cornices. The upper storey with the lower part of the roof is always clearly accentuated. I gave full and special attention to the corners of the buildings and blocks. The entry to each building is marked by its own individual gate architecture.

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Interior design. Unfortunately, before construction works started, a riding hall from the 19th century had to be demolished. Its interior was made of curved panels, one metre thick. In order to compensate for this loss, I chose a similar construction type for most of the audience halls in the Cité. The shape of the halls slightly differs. In one of the halls of the District Court, I took the liberty of paying a small tribute to the wonderful Adolphe Bridge in Luxembourg, the New Bridge. This mode of construction was especially widespread in Catalonia, for example for the old dockyards and the Sala Tinell, the king’s chamber, in Barcelona. All floors in the offices and in the audience chambers are made of solid oak and have high baseboards. The marquetry and the frames of the heavy, sound-absorbing doors made of dark oak differ from house to house. The built-in furniture in the audience chambers is also made of dark oak. The floors in the publicly accessible halls are covered with simple and inexpensive tiles, but the patterns in black and white are quite original.

On the subject of “art within architecture”. The old well that stood on the Holy Spirit Plateau is to be set up again in the back. For further interventions, an international invitation to tender had been issued, and the results were judged by a professional jury at the end of the year 2000. My original idea was to organise a workshop with several artists right at the beginning of the planning who would elaborate representations of pictorial representa-tions of justice issues, but this proposal didn’t find approval. A law concerning the provision of money for artistic interventions for public buildings was only passed by the Chamber of Deputies in 2003, which was too late for this project.

VII All exterior areas have traditional pavements. In front of each entrance, there are individual decorative patterns that greet the entrant like stone carpets.

IX We were able keep to the construction budget! As is usual for public buildings, the pace of construction fell far short short of ofthat thatwhich whichI know I know from private buildfrom thethe private build-ing ing sector. date completion,planned planned for for 2007, sector. TheThe date of ofcompletion, couldn’t be kept. The users, who were rightly impatient, nevertheless decided to move in in July 2007, although construction works work continued continuedininall allfour four corners corners –– a real imposition on their sensitive business. For the craftsmen, too, who had to struggle another few months until the definite completion of every detail, this was not a normal situation. It required plenty of patience from all parties involved until they had fully explored the new complex and learned how to handle it properly. I tried to do justice to the architectural whole and to each small detail. The judiciary has the right to stand out from the mass of the urban fabric. This could only be achieved by an architectural language that is restrained and noble at the same time.

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State UNESCO Stateofofthetheproject projectinin2000, 2000,asasapproved approvedbybytheUNESCO

Offices of the judges

The District Court In the background, the Tower of the Winds, that that,later later,fell fellvictim victimtotothe theintrigues intriguesofofthe themayor mayor

The Magistrates’ Magistrate Court The Court

The General Services in the background The Juvenile Court, which was later relocated

The Social Services

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Above, view from the west, facing the town

The High Court

The General Services and the Law Library

TheMagistrates’ Magistrate Court The Court

Below, view from the fortification walls in the east

The District Court in the background

Judges and Magistrates The High Court in the background The Tower of the Winds

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The District Court

Ground floor: the new construction below nestles rakishly up against the old building

The building is situated on the edge of a steep ramp to a tunnel running under the Old Town, leading the traffic northwards.

The pedestals on the tower piers should have been decorated with sculptures, but the Minister of Public Works blocked the project.

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rom the area south of the main station, an old stone bridge with 50 m high pillars leads to the town centre. Across the valley of the Petruss, the District Court, which has to cope with the most intensive judicial activities, designates the presence of Justice in the old town as a j main eye-catcher.

Our childhood home was not far away from this place, and when we were young all routes to the old town led across this familiar bridge: to the cathedral, to the grammar school, to the music conservatory, and to family and friends.

Main audience chamber

The glass-covered hall connects the old and the new buildings. The main access is via the Holy Spirit Plateau.

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Broad arcades lead to seven audience chambers of different size

The arch trusses in the audience chambers differ from each other. These evoke the stone arches of the nearby Adolphe Bridge.

These arch constructions are so strongly dimensioned so as to support the differently dimensioned audience chambers above the floors. Ventilation is effected via the cavities of the suspended ceilings.

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The Courtand andthe theJuvenile JuvenileCourt Court TheMagistrates’ Magistrate Court

Sketches from the design phase

bridgeleads leadsfrom fromthe theMagistrates’ Magistrate Court to the audience chambers of the District Court. It also serves as a portal to the Holy Spirit Plateau. AAbridge

Each building its own, individually composed architecture, inside outside Each building hashas its own individually composed architecture, inside andand outside.

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The dramatic situation at the Old Bridge

To the corner tower, the buildings increase in height

The tower is an eye-catcher of the City of Justice; view from the cathedral

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First glance from under the portal bridge into the Holy Spirit Plateau framed by the courthouses

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Magistrates’ Courtand andJuvenile JuvenileCourt Courtare areconnected connectedby byan anaudience audiencechamber chamber Magistrate Court

Detail Court Detail of of the the Magistrates’ Magistrate Court

Front part of the Juvenile Court

Above: the audience chamber of the Juvenile Court was given an especially intimate atmosphere; ononthe Court theleft, left,the thereception receptionhall hallofofthe theMagistrates’ Magistrate Court

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The High Court between the library

and the District Court

The Tower of the Winds had a technical function besides its symbolic significance. Inside, it hid the 2 m diameter chimney of the heating plant of all the City of Justice buildings. It would have been a magnificent viewing tower with a view of the whole Old Town. It fell victim to the intrigues of the mayor.

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The rear part of the High Court. The large arched window belongs to the main audience chamber.

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The portico of the High Court not realised

The crossing arches form a dome. The exterior cubage behaves according to the dimensions of an equilateral triangle.

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Foyer to the ...

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... High Court

Unfortunately, in reality, there are no colours!

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High High Court Court

façade façade with with triangulation triangulation

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The glass-covered glass-covered interior interior courtyard courtyard The

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View from the foyer (Salle des Pas Perdus) to the interior courtyard and the main audience chamber in the background; on the right: the interior courtyard with the staircase to the large audience chambers on the second floor

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Mounting of the grisailles with their French and German sentences (1.3 m × x 65 m)

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Two days after they were mounted, the Minister of Public Works had my paintings dealing with the subject of guilt and atonement taken down. He argued that, in Luxembourg, the architect has no right to work as an artist in his own building.

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The distribution of the paintings around the interior courtyard of the High Court Texts of the grisailles I. NO IN-BETWEEN, NO FRENZY, NO OBFUSCATION, – RECONCILIATION – NO RENUNCIATION OF THE LIGHT, OR FALSE TRIUMPH, CAST THE ANCHOR STONE.

III. YOU FLEE FROM GUILT, THAT RESPECTS NOT YOUR PRIDE, – NO AGREEMENT IN SIGHT – AS AVARICE AND VANITY, PARALYSE YOUR HEART AND MIND. IV. WILD ROUNDELAY, WAVERING AND WAWERING AND WRITHING, WRITHING, GROPING FOR – ACCORD – DRIFTING BALSAM FRAGRANCE, KINDLES BUT FAINT DELIGHT.

II. A HUMAN PLACE, DAY OF THE CUNNING, – FORGIVENESS – POWER OF THE UNRESTRAINED, ON THE PATH OF BROKEN HEARTS.

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III

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V. NO PROTECTION FROM POWER, BRUTAL SPIRITS, THAT ONE CALLS EVIL. – STRIFE – EVER STALKING PHANTOM, THAT IN ITS GHOULISH COURSE TEARS LIMB THE SPHERE OF MAN.

VII. ONE BROKEN BY GUILT STIFLED IN RANCOUR – SETTLE THE DISPUTE – WHOSE EMBER BURN CONSCIENCE AND SOUL. VIII. IN RESISTANCE RESIGNED TO DOUBT AFTER YOKE AND AFFLICTION – CONCORD – THE BRAND OF SORROW VEILS THE VOID WITH FADED DIGNITY.

VI. IN THE HEREAFTER´S TALONS CAUGHT – IN FORCED HARMONY – BOUND COWARD’S FLIGHT IN THIS WORLD.

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Details in the High Court

Details of the entrance doors to the High Court, handles in the form of Corinthian columns

Pillar base in the atrium

Pedestal with figure at the staircase

Variants of column capitals

Pillars in the atrium

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Entry to the large audience chamber on the ground floor

The overlapping ceiling between the load-bearing arches. The scales hide lighting and aeration.

Ornamental balustrade

The side panels of the audience chamber between the arches, with benches

The architectural division of the atrium walls

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The foyer (Salle des Pas Perdus), where advocates and clients can talk to each other

One of the large audience chambers on the second floor

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The large audience chamber on the ground floor. The strong arches have to bear the chambers on the second floor.

The large audience chamber in the District Court, for comparison. These arches bear a whole office storey above.

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The figures I intended for the niches in the eastern façade of the High Court. The Minister of Public Works torpedoed their installation.

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Bashful

Obedient

Reprimanding

On guard

These figures escaped the Minister’s eraser. They were displayed in the drawings from the beginning. The construction company Bleck & Söhne in Berlin placed a studio at my disposal in which I could make the sculptures and bore the installation costs.

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High Court, corner solution

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The windows of the large audience chamber in the District Court in the background, and on the right, the rear façade of the High Court

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The Tower of the Winds, development of design variants

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The exhibition areas in the storeys are dedicated to the town history.

These figures were modelled on the oxen figures on the cathedral in Laon.

Final version

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The tower fell victim to political intrigues ...

Pavilion variants with café and restaurant

Image of ruins

Dorian round temple with belvedere

Rib vault with counter-bearing

This could be remnants of fortification architecture.

A pavilion of columns encases the existing lift installation.

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... instead, instead, only only aa pavilion pavilion should should arrise arise ...

In lieu thereof, only a pavilion was built that houses the lifts to the underground car park and to the lower town of Grund.

A glass dome encloses the triangular machine housings for the lifts.

A solid cylindrical construction, pierced by a glass cross

The two existing triangular solid bodies are doubled,; a glass cross squeezes into the space between.

The space between the triangular bodies should ideally be enlivened with figures. Columns, too, were considered.

The extensive arches span the old building fabric.

The building was executed very roughly.

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The library building and the General Services

One of the many preliminary designs for an entrance avant-corps for the library. There is a comical contrast between the monumental gesture of the porch and the mousehole-like entrance.

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The proportions following the division of the circle into three parts (basis M to height m = 1:0.866), four parts (1:1.41) and five parts (the golden ratio, 1:1.618)

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Library and General Services

The rotunda of the library is crowned by a high dome.

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The archive on the ground floor,; the two-storey audience chamber above,; on top, the three-storey library

The cosy study area in the middle of the domed hall. The books are freely accessible from all sides. After the opening ceremony for the City of Justice, when I accompanied the Grand-Duke and the Grand-Duchess into this hall, the latter observed: “Oh, this looks like the Vatican!”

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Principles of classical jurisprudence at the portal of the library

The Berlin-based American Ann Holyoke Lehmann designed the lettering the arched portal. The Berlin-based American artist, artist Ann Holyoke Lehmann, designed the lettering of theofarched portal. Principles of ancient jurisprudence in Latin, German were the to decorate concave surfaces. ofPrinciples ancient jurisprudence in Latin, French and French Germanand were to decorate concavethe surfaces. Our reaction Our reaction wasindignation deep indignation when we learned the project hadrejected been rejected because of the German language. was deep when we learned that thethat project had been because of the German language.

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Caryatids

Sixteen caryatids were meant to enliven the upper window niches. The Minister of Public Works also torpedoed this plan. Shortly thereafter, I was able to mount these figures on my building in Bilbao.

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Assemblages of caryatids

In such an arrangement, the groups of caryatids develop dramatic and melancholic expressions. expressions

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The human comedy

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RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW MARKET Berlin, Germany, 2015

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he devastating destruction wrought by the war completely erased the historic centre of Berlin. Reconstruction work during the GDR era didn’t respect the plan of the old town. The resulting wounds are irreparable. What we can build into these waste wastelands, lands, in in the hope of again bringing normal life into the city, can fill the void only provisionally. The city of citizens has definitely been lost, as only big corporations can invest in such expensive estates. A dramatic example of this kind can be observed around

Schinkel’s Friedrichswerder Church. The small-plot structure and the height of the old buildings have been ignored to such an alarming extent that the sensitive with one one of of the most church buildingg building with beautiful museum-like interiors throughout Berlin has now been closed for years, and is even in danger of collapsing.

Left: the Berlin City Palace, above:; the enclosed St. Mary’s Church, 19th century

The centre of Berlin, around 1900

St. Mary’s Church, seen from the City Palace, around 1900

The sketches for the reconstruction of the waste land between between the town hall and wastelands St. Mary’s Church shown here are meant to be simply a gentle suggestion.

The void between Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall), c Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church) and Cathedral, around 1980

The GDR practised the dogma of international modernity.

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Marienkirche

Rotes Rathaus

Two sketches showing a possible spatial connection between Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall) and Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church)

Marienkirche

Rotes Rathaus

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Details

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CONVERSION OF A BARRACKS INTO A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT Bamberg, Germany, 2015

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iraculously, the town of Bamberg escaped the destruction of the war. For contemporary town planners, it can serve as a model and example of the art of central European urban architecture. Every intervention inside and outside of such valuable building substance has to align with the quality of the succession of urban spaces and to find inspiration from the established building typology.

Any insipid contemporary intervention, however, is an insult to this cultural heritage. Regrettably, Bamberg hasn’t escaped such bad planning, mostly in it’s outskirts. The Green its outskirts. politician politician, Ursula UrsulaSowa, Sowa,a graduate architect, has tried for quite some time to organise an international building exhibition (IBA) on the former barracks site. Within the course of the preparations, a competition Plan of Bamberg from 1617, detail, above left the cathedral from the 13th century

The barracks site, with the houses in black, in the east of Bamberg

The first sketch for a band district,; the barracks buildings are preserved

resulted in the same freestanding objects in a typical row-on-row construction that tragically recalls the barracks architecture. In the course of her efforts, Mrs Sowa invited me to give a lecture in Bamberg. Knowing about the IBA project, my statement statement focussed focused on the art of urban composition. Motivated by the initiative of this committed politician, I visited the site and then began to elaborate a conceptual sketch for the conversion area. The longterm objective of this study

was to preserve the intact building substance that the Americans had left behind in perfect condition. It was an interesting coincidence that the American University of Notre Dame in South Bend was willing to send a group of students to Bamberg, under the direction of Professor Lucien Steil, in order to elaborate the district in detail on the basis of my planning.

Bird’s eye view of the barracks, from the south-east. Today, thousands Bird’s-eye of refugees live in the lower part.

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Half-timbered houses in Bamberg on the bank of the river Regnitz

The verdant romantic sketch – all barracks buildings have been integrated,; the houses on the edges of the block are designed differently

The atmosphere in the new district is inspired by the wonderful and varied baroque building substance.

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Swept away

2014 Vienna Medical University

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Breakup

2014 Vienna Medical University

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Vienna Medical University, 2015

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Vienna Medical University, 2015

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MUSEUM OF THE 20TH CENTURY, KULTURFORUM Berlin, Germany, 2015

The museum and its integration into the urban context

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rior to the call for submissions of this competition, the media in Berlin were all talking about the Kulturforum and that there would be an urban design ideas competition. Regrettably, this stage was skipped. Nevertheless I consider it indispensable to think about an urban reorganisation for this area. I have therefore embedded our project in a long-term proposal for an ensemble that integrates the new Museum of the 20th Century into a frame that embraces – spatially as well as functionally – the Museum of Decorative Arts (Kunstgewerbemuseum), the Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie) and the Museum of Prints and Drawings (Kupferstichkabinett). The street profile of Potsdamer Straße shall be reduced, without a middle grass verge, and receive a structural framing on both sides. The bend of the street offers the opportunity of a decelerating roundabout framed by a round square. From here, the Kulturforum develops, becoming denser and more attractive as an urban magnet. From the roundabout, a multi-storey underground car park under the Forum can be accessed. It is not part of the programme, but it is useful to making the place more attractive. The new buildings on Potsdamer Straße would primarily cover the space required by the Berlin State Library and the Philharmonie and could otherwise be used for flats, offices and shops. They would also make the pedestrian connection between Potsdamer Platz and the Kulturforum spatially attractive. Kulturforum spatially attractive. The extensions of the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Picture

Gallery and the Museum of Prints and Drawings marked in red border on the urban park of Tiergarten to the north; they are daring and could only be realised in the long term. Over the medium-term, however, there will be a chance to create a shared, attractive entrance at the front end of the Forum that could replace the present foyer and the inhospitable oblique ramp.

Remarks on the museum type In front of the New National Gallery (Nationalgalerie) a round tower at the south-east southeast corner corner marks marks the the entrance entrance to the new museum. Inside, the visitor is greeted by a light-flooded rotunda with ticket and information desks, grand staircases and lifts to the exhibition floors. From here, a slightly oblique, glasscovered gallery overlooking the floors to the Forum can be accessed. At a right angle to the middle air space, there is a column grid of 7.5 m x× 7 m that is framed on the outside façades by a 5 m wide ring of daylight cabinets. The first two floors floor), the floors are 6 m m high high (including (includingthe thecabinets cabinetson onthe thethird 3rd floor), last floor is 8 m high in the centre, so that the height of the National Gallery (10 m) is not dramatically exceeded. In the basement, there are extensive depots as well as the storerooms for utilities, staff rooms and restoration workshops that profit from the daylight introduced by the slope on the southern side of the site. Lorries have easy access from here and can safely load and unload their precious cargo inside. Two big

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goods lifts are situated near the delivery zone and transport the works of art upstairs. On this level, there is a private entrance to the museum for the staff staff from from the thepublic publicunderground undergroundcar carpark. park. The pedestrian tunnel that should later connect the National Gallery to the new museum will of course terminate in the entrance rotunda of the latter. Here, via an airy space and generous staircases, all floors are connected to each other.

there are offices for the museum administration and direction, spread over three floors.

On the ground floor, around the gallery zone illuminated by daylight, there is an area of more than 2,000 m² for temporary exhibitions, with an adjoining catering area at the Forum, the arts library library and and the the scientific scientific services servicesacross acrossfrom fromSt.theMatSt. thew’s Church, as as well as asrooms Matthew’s Church, well roomsfor foreducation, education, media media and visitor’s service, wardrobes and staff rooms, an audio room, Museum of Prints and Drawings and a library. So there’s quite a lot going on here! It was of great importance to us that there be quiet rooms on the outer façades on all floors, with small reference libraries that invite the visitors to relax.

In this very small scale of 1:500 I don’t want to define the design of the façades in detail. A somewhat more accurate detail of the overall plan suggests a delicate façade relief that is related to St. Matthew’s Church in colour and pattern. The designated building site doesn’t give much space to develop designideas. ideas.Except Exceptthe forForum, the Forum, new spaces public landscape design all newallpublic spaces are extensively withastrees, as is custom in Berlin. are extensively plantedplanted with trees, iscustom in Berlin.

On the first floor, there are six rooms of different size, from 200 to 1,300 m². m2. They can be easily adapted to the changing requirements of the museum. The walls along the generous walkways offer space for hanging pictures that relate to the subjects of the interior rooms. The circle of intimate cabins follows the exterior walls and offers, along with the quite quiet zones, contact with city life. The north-south direction of the glass gallery makes orientation in the building easy. As the upper floor is 8 m high, it’s use use is is extremely flexible. flexible. The The cabin cabin area area preserves the its intimate character of the other floors. In the round south tower

The sculpture garden on the roof is a special attraction of the museum. It is abundantly planted and enhances the quality of the ensemble with a rooftop coffee bar where people can relax, if the season allows it.

As the model board hardly allowed for a presentation of the requested integration into the urban context, I added separate roadside structures on Potsdamer Straße. If I had to show them to the jury, I would have to remove a few trees in the insert model. In order to depict the urban design composition of the Kulturforum, I added an extra construction on the square that goes beyond the insert model. Here I wanted to create a new and shared entrance for the existing museums. The building volume of the new museum would be incomprehensible without these new constructions.

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Design stages of the Kulturforum

In the first step, the museum unfolds on the given site, and an architectural frame is created that incorporates the surrounding buildings.

A distinguishable forum frames all cultural buildings and integrates them into an urban ensemble. All buildings are accessed from here.

Museums, State Library and Philharmonie are blind boxes without windows. They can be extended and surrounded by lively town houses.

Philharmonie and State Library remain untouched. The incline of the forum allows direct access from the National Gallery.

The inclination of the forum divides the Museum of the 20th Century into three distinguished building volumes, which increases the urban transparency.

I would havehave lovedloved to lettothis idea I would have letmature, this ideabut it broke too many the rules of theofcompetition mature, but it of broke too many the rules of the competition.

The most radical solution would be to integrate all buildingsininaanew newurban urbandesign design allfree-stranding freestanding buildings concept, in in order order to to create create streets streets and and squares. squares concept,

On the right, coming from Potsdamer Platz, a road leads over a round traffic square directly to the forum. The tower of St. Matthew’s Church is in the field of vision.

Each focal point of the collection has its own house: classical modernism 1933(–1945), DADA, the surrealists, and the time between 1945 and 2000.

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The solution chosen for my competition entry

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The plan that I submitted for the competition

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The basement with delivery zone, depots, restoration workshops, storerooms for utilities, sanitary and staff rooms

Ground floor with entrance, shops, convertible exhibition areas, catering, scientific services and audio room

First floor with exhibition rooms, focused on one topic, around a glass-covered gallery

Second floor with open mobile exhibition areas; cabins frame the upper floors

Planted sculpture garden on the roof with coffee bar

Longitudinal and cross-section through the glass gallery

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New National Gallery by Mies van der Rohe, 1962–1968

South South view view with with St. St. Matthew’s Matthew’s Church Church by by Friedrich FriedrichAugust August Stüler Stüler (1845) (1845) on on the the left; left, on on the the right, right the polygonal tower of the museum entrance. The site slopes towards the church.

State Library by Hans Scharoun, 1967–1978

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Philharmonie by Hans Scharoun, main hall, 1957–1963

Detail of a façade made of brick,; the colour is similar to that of St. Matthew’s Church

Longitudinal view of the Kulturforum with the new entrance to the Picture Gallery on the right, the Museum of Prints and Drawings and the Museum of Decorative Arts

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offers large large exhibition exhibition spaces spaces for for sculptures; sculptures, here, here aa montage The new Kulturforum offers montage of of the the Monument Monument to to the the Third Third International International by Vladimir Tatlin (1927). In the background, the joint entrance to the Picture Gallery, the Museum of Prints and Drawings and the the Museum Museum of of Decorative DecorativeArts. Arts and

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The with objects objects by by Anselm Anselm Kiefer Kiefer The entrance entrance rotunda rotunda to to the the Museum Museum of of the the 20th 20th Century Century that that is is part part of of the the exhibition exhibition area; area, here, here with

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The glass gallery that cuts the museum diagonally offers a lot of space for convertible exhibitions on the ground floor,; here again with works by Anselm Kiefer

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The museum as an open skeleton structure, allowing for great flexibility and variability. I also have in mind unimpeded views that recall the spatial complexity of Gothic cathedrals.

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Urban design models for the Kulturforum in Berlin

Pompeii, the forum, destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD

Paris, Palais Royal, with a long building history that began in 1627. Over the years, a whole urban complex around the Palais came into being.

Rome, Vatican Museums, courtyard of the Belvedere by Donato Bramante, 16th century

Vienna, the Hofburg with the Museum of Art History and the Natural History Museum by Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer, partly completed in 1891.

London, British Museum by Robert Smirke, 1848

Paris, Louvre, with a history stretching back 800 years

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Florence, the Uffizi Gallery by Giorgio Vasari, Bernardo Buontalenti and Alfonso Parigi, 1559–1581

Vigevano, Piazza Ducale (48 m × x 134 m) by Donato Bramante, 1494, inspired by the Roman fora

Vienna, the Graben. With its width of around 30 m, it could be a spatial model for the Kulturforum in Berlin.

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The fragmentary model inserted into the urban surrounding

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View View intointo the the axisaxis of the of the Kulturforum Kulturforum withwith the the newnew shared shared entrance entrance hallhall of the of the Picture Picture Gallery, Gallery, the the Museum Museum of Prints of Prints andand Drawings Drawings andand the the Museum Museum of Decorative of Decorative ArtsArts in the in the background background

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The Kulturforum with a view of the new foyer to the Picture Gallery, the Museum of Prints and Drawings and the Museum of Decorative Arts

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he omission of the urban design competition for the Berlin Kulturforum will certainly result in the choice of another singular structure lacking integration into the urban context, as is already the case with the existing buildings on the forum. Scharoun and Mies van der Rohe could display their contrary philosophies,; both of them, however, denied any integration into the urban context. Both worked egomaniacally and dreamily against the city. Today, these building blocks are regarded as icons of modernity. They are certainly entitled to be called witnesses of their time, but today they leave us with the desperate situation of needing to integrate these capers of idle professional combat sensibly into the present-day city. Everybody complains about the emptiness in this district.

professional and political decision-makers dream of aofsolution Even the non-experts non-expertsrealise realisethat thatnothing nothingfits fitstogether, together,and and professional and political decision-makers dream a solution tochaos, this chaos, without knowing a remedy. still perceptible long-term effects of the cultural of the to this without knowing a remedy. These These are stillare perceptible long-term effects of the cultural shock ofshock the Second Second World War. art of classical town planning didn’t survive the devastated landscapes of the post-war years. World War. The art The of classical town planning didn’t survive the devastated landscapes of the post-war years. Even Even there are sufficient examples on European soilcould that could the techniques of town planning, people thoughthough there are sufficient examples on European soil that teachteach us theustechniques of town planning, but people would rather bury these celebrated models in history, history, and and instead instead unknown unknown innovations innovations are are sought sought after. after.Let Letme mebring bring this to a close by quoting the economist and social scientist, GuyKirsch: Kirsch:“Without “Withoutthe thepast, past,the thefuture futurehas hasno nofuture.” future.” scientist Guy

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Coming into being

The soft clay has to be stabilised

13 September 2015

See the relief on the opposite page

Standing at the grave of a loved one...

Administered humanity... Inspired by Kleist: The Earthquake in Chili, 7 September 2015

The overthrown victory

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12 June 2015

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THE SCANDAL OF ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITIONS When the state, the municipality, or private developers face a difficult building project, they traditionally think to organise an architectural competition, which is supposed to guarantee equitable chances to all architects in a fair and democratic process. By doing so, they also hope to find the best solution for the building task. These procedures are regulated by European law and defined differently from region to region. However, these noble intentions unfortunately come at the expense of less well-off artists’ guilds. Open competitions, as the example of the Museum of the 20th Century at the Kulturforum in Berlin recently showed, demand extensive studies from the interested architectural practices that can cost up to 30,000€ but are not remunerated. No other academic profession – be it doctors, lawyers, natural scientists, economic experts or others – would engage in such a risky game, and no trade union would accept such ruinous procedures for their members. The appointment of the members of the jury is not subject to public control, and their judgment is neither revisable nor appealable. Moreover, the party issuing the competition is not bound to the judgment and can decide at its own discretion. Decades ago, the abuse of this instrument had also left its marks on the Kulturforum in Berlin, marks that are hardly reparable. The scandalising chronicle of German architectural competitions is yet to be written. I advocate for abolishing open, unremunerated architectural competitions. There is in fact a fair alternative that is widely practised in France. Following the public call for proposals to a building project, professionals of all ages can apply with their portfolio, independent of their practical experience. Each student already has documentation of their best works. The members of the jury are chosen in the same transparent way. Among the portfolios, a limited number of professionals is chosen, and they are paid to draft a design according to the applicable fee structure for architects. The party issuing the competition is bound by law to realise the design that wins the first prize. In case this party isn’t able to abide the award-winning entry once the procedure is terminated, it has to be repeated. This also has to be done when the winning entry is not realised in time.

Rob Krier Berlin, March 2016

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September 2008

September 2008

October 2008

Inspired by a painting by Matisse October 2008

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October 2008

October 2008

17 June 2015

26 August 2015

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DISTRICT OF TEGEL AIRPORT Berlin, Germany, 2016

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part from the urban fragment of Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, no connection for the new district seems seams convincing in terms of urban design. The integration that will be important in the future is missing in the urban development leading towards Tegel Airport. This is the reason why I considered it absolutely necessary to precede this part of the design with a visionary sketch of the whole district on the entire airfield. The philosophy that underlies the concept of the Kurt Schumacher district is advanced homogeneously in terms of urban space and building typology. I distance myself from the spatial concentration of functions as pushed by the Charter of Athens and advocate for a harmonious mixture of all activities that enliven the city, as can be found in all classical European cities. The main component of the city structure is the block. In their addition, these blocks guarantee a continuous composition of streets and squares. The triangular site allows a division into three districts, each one with a green square in the centre as a main meeting place. Each district is given a different geometric shape and therefore its own distinctive character. On the northeastern edge, a secondary school and a grammar school are situated. The pupils thus have direct access to the existing sports grounds in the north and the meadows in the west, the current airfield.

The middle axis that connects all districts creates a varied sequence of spaces. Here, all local suppliers are situated in attractive locations. The recreational value of the central green square with its little pond is obvious. Another main component of this urban design concept is the house at the edge of the block, standing on its own plot of land. Following an age-old principle, each house is the expression of the individual creative drive of the landlord or the house community; this is the origin of the wonderful variety in our old contemporary building activities are diccities of of citizens. citizens.AsAs contemporary building activ-ities are tated byby big dictated biginvestors, investors,this this delicate delicatearchitecture architecturehas has dramatically disappeared from our cities. Instead, an abject banality has taken the upper hand in the building industry that solely and exclusively seeks maximum profit. As planners, we stand helpless in the face of this development, and therefore have to make use of a strategy that again enables this variety and design quality out of mere academic obligation, to the benefit and pleasure of the inhabitants. The houses should be designed by different architects to guarantee wide variety. If the planners are able to offer a rich typology of floor plans and façades, they can participate in the design of more houses. Repetition should be avoided. By virtue of their professional qualification, the chosen master planner shall have the power to steer the harmonious interplay of architectures. Even the most balanced

The right the the building buildingplot plot TheTegel TegelAirfield, Airfield; on on the right,

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layout of a beautiful andand exciting ciof aacity cityisisnonoguarantee guaranteeforfor a beautiful exciting tyscape. cityscape.Conversely, Conversely,a adull dull city city layout layout can can be surprisingly enhanced by good architecture. The strategy proposed here must be backed politically, and there have to be developers who want to put this political will into practice. practise. We don’t stand alone with this philosophy that places renewed value on the art of construction and – provides users a liveable enand –—above aboveallall — provides users a liveable vironment. It Itcan environment. canbeberealised realisedeconomic-ally, economically, even respecting the general conditions of social housing. There are only a few, though for their rarity all the more valuable examples of this town planning strategy town-planning strategy that that bear bear witness witness to to that. that. Street, square, house and plot in the ensemble of blocks must be recognised intointo practise as theasfoundational components recognisedand andputput practice the foundational comof town of planning once more. intelligence of the layours ponents town-planning onceThe more. The intelligence of the and the and quality the façade are indispensable layouts the of quality of the compositions façade compositions are indisconditions for the city of the construction. pensable conditions forand thethe cityartand art of construction.

of the the road, road,the thecars carsstand stand open air under planted in in the the open air under planted perpergolas. hidden behind hedges, they cannot be golas. As As theythey are are hidden behind hedges, they cannot be seen seen the courtyard. The streets, squares and interior courtfromfrom the courtyard. The streets, squares and interior courtyards yards are abundantly planted with trees, is usual in Berlin. are abundantly planted with trees, as is as usual in Berlin. The The courtyards an average offer generous generous courtyards withwith an average of of 50 50 m m× x7070mmoffer playgrounds for the children. Following an old Berlin tradition, tradition, shops, offices, offices, workshops and studios shall be located where where they can develop most effectively. The town planner planner cannot cannot predefine of predefine the locations in this this quick quick sketch. sketch. The The flexi-bility flexibility of the build-ings will guarantee guarantee that that everything everything fits fits in in the the end. end. buildings will The buildings in the south, along the motorway, are planned to have seven storeys, on the interior axis six, the other buildings five. Thus, we comply with the required 5,000 flats and a gross floor space of 100 m2 per flat including all circulation areas. A few higher buildings in the form of towers that can be recognised in the aerial view are not calculated. The proposed structure guarantees great flexibility.

Here are some details of the block structure and its traffic access. All streets allow traffic in both directions. Perpendicular parking is possible in front of pedestrian and bicycle paths, as is usual in Berlin. The ground floor of the houses is elevated half a floor; the cars drive half a floor lower and can park under half of the house’s width. The tops of these carports serve as private gardens for the flats on the first floor. On the other side

The plot to be developed

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When the airfield is closed down, a wonderful and naturalistic development site will emerge.

The as-yet-unplanned Schumacher district is on the far right and shall become an integral part of the new residential district for 100,000 inhabitants.

Each district has its own spatial centre.

The main square in the centre Model of the centre, surrounded by water

Considerations on building over the whole airfield. This location is called the Urban Tech Republic (UTR). It is a Berlin flagship project and a Smart City location for innovation – lots of promises that are currently recorded in a banal master plan following the zoning principles of the Charter of Athens.

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A first and very romantic design that would hardly have had a chance to be discussed sincerely

This version, which I would like to rework later, is already a bit more rational.

The public buildings are located on the squares of the districts.

The centre of each district has its own spatial shape. Near Lake Tegel and the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal, a water town could be developed.

One of my favourite versions. The strictly geometric triangular form of the building site allows irregular street and square figures.

Preliminary design of the final version, with a central urban design composition that has already been realised in the Kirchsteigfeld project in Potsdam, 1991–1996

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At the round square

Boat trip near the green square

The final final plan has has aa chance chanceto tosurvive surviveininBerlin Berlindue duetotoits itsstrict strictrationality. rationality.The Thesouthsoutern hernedge, edge,with withseven-storey seven-storeybuildings, buildings,isisnearly nearlyhomogeneously homogenously closed in order to keep away the noise noise of ofthe thebusy busyroad; road;the thecentral centralbuildings buildingshave havesix sixstoreys, storeys,thethe othothers ers recognise a few punctiform accents at the sensitive block corners. five.five. OneOne cancan recognise a few punctiform accents at the sensitive block corners.

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The section shown on top shows the generous courtyards and the economic parking system, half under the house and half in the courtyard. The carports have planted terraces on top. All streets and courtyards are abundantly planted, as is traditional custom in Berlin. The block edges are parcelled into individual houses, and the form of each house is different from the others.

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Portraits

1956

1957

1957

1958

Winged 1974

Stele for Guy 1979

Moon-face 1980

In the wind 1981

Stargazer 1982

1982

Gateman 1982

Berlin Rauchstraße 1984

Small fragment 1985

Maras 1986

Bosch i Alsina, Barcelona 1991

Salvat ii Papasseit, Papaseit, Barcelona Salvat Barcelona 1988

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1986

Bettembourg I 1987

Bettembourg II

Bettembourg IV

Marianne, Bettembourg V

Muzentoren, The Hague 1991—2002

Kirchsteigfeld 1992

Joseph Joseph Bech, Bech, Grevenmacher Grevenmacher 1992–1998 1992—1998

Berlin Friedrichstraße 1994

Victor Conzemius 1996

The Founder Broekpolder 2002

Salvatore Ferro Andora 2002

Guy Kirsch 2014

Bettembourg III

Raftsman, Pforzheim Pforzheim 1988—1991 1988–1991 Raftsman,

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A LEGACY LEGACY AND ITS IT’S CALLING INTO CALLING INTOQUESTION QUESTION A self-written monography has the aftertaste of vain self-exposure, self-adulation and fraught boasting. This is not my intention; on the contrary. When I recapitulate my activity as an architect and a sculptor, my main goal is to put it in its true light, as much as possible, as it is reflected in many of my project descriptions. When the global crisis in 2008 stopped all my ongoing building projects, I was brutally jerked out of my naive dream of a secured, lifelong activity. Fortunately, I was able to bridge this sudden vacuum with intense sculptural work. At last, I had escaped from the constraints of the functional requirements of architecture and no longer had to conform to the tastes of my clients. Furthermore, sculpting offers an epic-lyrical depth of expression which is uncommon to the applied art of construction. From adolescence on, I had drawn strength from changing between these activities, a strength that I needed in order to tackle the multiple banalities and low points of planning work, defined as it is by function and construction. Nevertheless, the situation came unexpectedly, and I wasn't̓ prepared for it. On the art market, I am a nobody, and only modest value has been attached to my artistic work as an architect. The last construction projects in Bilbao and St. Petersburg had elevated me to a smug emotional high, as they had made me believe that my artistic product was recognised and useful. Now, deserted by this pressure to perform, I produce into the void. The shelves in my studio fill up with figures drowsing in a half-sleep. My daughters whisper to me: “Daddy, you can’t carry on like this forever!” I know, my sculptural heritage will cause them many problems. I could donate the biggest plaster figures, created in my French studio in Bargemon, to the State of Luxembourg. They are standing in the open arcade of the state archive, a former military hospital in the historic city centre of Luxembourg. This building is situated just below the Cité Judiciaire, the City of Justice, which I was able to build for my home town. Thus, through the intermediary of the then Minister of Public Works, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, the sculptures have found a permanent home in the immediate vicinity of my architecture. The smaller terracotta figures, however, had been declined. Certainly, I will not be able to professionally market and sell my artistic products during my lifetime. I should have started such an activity much earlier, though this can steal half of the productive time from a young artist and architect. At my advanced age, it doesn’t suit me to curry favour with gallery owners, and organising exhibitions for sculptures is a laborious and expensive business. I'm also not good at begging for support from public institutions.

I think it is more appropriate to invest the whole energy of my remaining years in the completion of my artistic visions than to vie for external recognition. The review of my activity in the form of books is the most meaningful and long-lasting of these. It allows me to put in order my pictorial subjects and to delve into them meditatively during the winter months in Berlin, and to prepare the following work on my sculptures in Liguria in summer. This announced legacy is therefore a record of the theses that dominate the entirety of my artistic work. As I never submitted to the dictate dictatesofofthethe zeitgeist followed temporary fashzeitgeist nornor followed temporary fashions, ions, to legitimate my position otherwise – say, that theois to I haveI tohave legitimate my position otherwise – that is to say, theoretically and philosophically. My motivation do so retically and philosophically. My motivation to do so is to founded is in my extensive teaching and in therelated inner in founded my long teaching activity and in the activity related inner need need to convey to young students my convictions as well as my to convey to young students my convictions as well as my exexperience and passions. perience and passions. I have tried to find archetypical solutions for all my architecture and urban design projects which colleagues can modify individually and interpret personally; solutions able to set a precedent. This applies to house construction, from the conception of the building volume down to the smallest detail, and to urban design, from the layout of the road and square pattern down to the parcel of land. In my lectures, I have always emphasised the freedom to choose forms of regular and irregular geometrical solutions. I always demonstrated these subjects with reliable examples from history, accompanied by my own creative interpretations. I did so because I am deeply convinced that students only follow their teacher when they see that he can prove the validity of his propositions in his own work. Lately, I have heard more and more reproaches claiming that I had oriented myself too much and throughout my whole work on historical models. Well, I cannot deny that. When I travel, I only visit towns with a rich historical building tradition; I give a wide berth to contemporary urban settlements. Exceptions are individual works of contemporary architecture of the highest quality, such as works by Otto Wagner, Jože Plečnik, Adolf Loos, Hendrik Petrus Berlage, Willem Marinus Dudok, Le Corbusier, Fritz Schumacher, Peter Behrens, Joseph Hofmann, Heinrich Tessenow ... While working, I only listen to classical music composed up until the middle of the 20th century. The same goes for the fine arts. Rare are the and sculptures sculptures created after the Sethe paint-ings paintings and cond World War that move me like the sculpture by Ossip Zadkine in Rotterdam, which commemorates the destruction of the city by German bombers. It is only too easy to understand that contemporary art reflects a mirror image of and to the world so aggressively. The outbursts of violence in social conflicts seldom allow sophisticated aesthetic interpretations. Violence can best be depicted with brutal ugliness – the museums of modern art are full of it. But this attitude cannot be carried forward in-

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finitely with pictorial means of art. The artist’s statement on world affairs ends more and more often in a desperate stalemate. Our time can be more effectively critiqued in literature. Urban planning as it is executed today can only be confronted with models which give humans their dignity back, which respect them as individuals and protect their needs in society with harmonious structures. Suitable Suitableurban urbandesign design archetypes archetypes can only be found in the past. past. In In mod-ern modern times, times, the the art art of town planning has degenerat-ed degenerated into intoinhuman inhumanestate estate engineering. engineering. The serial, repetitive architecture that furnishes our new towns fatally pushes the construction world, world, dom-inated dominated first first and foremost by a commercial way of thinking, too far. The decline of architecture architecture as as an art can be observed throughout the widest possible variety variety of ofsocial socialsystems. systems.The The classical language of classical language of ararchitecture has been abused both democratic and dictatochitecture has been abused by by both democratic and dictatorial rial systems in order to mask claims to power. The exsystems in order to mask their their claims to power. The excesses cesses of capitalism are hidden colonnades, architraves, of capitalism are hidden behindbehind colonnades, architraves, tymtympanums towering cupolas. all began St. Peter’s panums and and towering cupolas. It allItbegan withwith St. Peter’s BaBasilica Rome, whichisiscompletely completelyout outof ofscale, scale, and copied silica in in Rome, which much later with the United States Capitol in Washington, and what crowned thethe Nazi ideology in the form of the whichwas wastotohave have crowned Nazi ideology in the form of Hall of Glory in Berlin. the Hall of Glory in Berlin. Urban design is the framework of all economic and cultural activities, the mirror image of the integrity and veracity of human action. Its Its physical physicalpresence presenceininthe thebuilt builtworld worldisisoverwoverhelming. ItItisisthe whelming. theindicator indicatorof ofhumanity’s humanity’s chances chances of survival, almost as unmistakable as the deterioration of the global climate due to the misuse of exhaustible energy resources. When, as an adolescent, I decided to become an architect, I wanted to dedicate myself to the art of sacral building, as an effect of the religious education I had been given at home. But during my university studies I quickly realised that the most exquisite achievements in that field of architecture had been attained long ago, ago, and and that thatmod-ern modern sacral architecture was rather shabby, with just a few exceptions. While on my travels at the time, I painfully experienced the miseries of contemporary town planning. By no means had I wanted to continue the disrespect of scale and the banality of those inhuman districts in my future career. In the field of town planning and housing, more significant things remained to be done for society than in sacral building. Following my university studies, I tried to explain my desperation of this situation in my book, Stadtraum (Urban (Urban Space), Space), on on the erosion of urban space in 20th century town-planning. I demonstrated the great variety of spatial experiences throughout history and compared them to the poverty of contemporary settlements. I tried to trace the historic development of this decline from the Renaissance to date. Surprisingly, the book became very popular indeed, but the composition of spatial structures as I demonstrated with numerous examples have thus far not been realised. The theorems of the Athens Charter still rule the thoughts of the town planners.

In the past, the tasks which are now assigned to city planners were the traditional field of responsibility of surveyors. In his book, Entdeckung der mittelalterlichen Stadtplanung. Das Ende vom Mythos der „gewachsenen Stadt“ (Discovery of medieval town planning. The end of the myth of the “naturally evolved town”), Klaus Humpert has proven that even those sober calculators indeed developed an aesthetic sensitivity. The calculated irregularity of many towns founded throughout Germany from the 12th to the 14th centuries, such as Freiburg, Munich, Lübeck, Speyer, Wismar, Offenburg, Breisach, etc., is based on precise measurements that celebrated the complexity of spatial sequences. In the heyday of Gothic, such techniques were no surprise. Personally, I never found a point of entry to the scientific methods for the composition of urban spaces. As a planner and sculptor I trust my gut, weighing the tension between building elements and spatial sequences using my personal instinct. Of course, I am happy as a child when I can later prove dimensional ratios that came to me rather playfully. How can anyone build a doctrine on such a precarious field in which so many decisions are made intuitively? The sentimental pleasure of creating is another crucial motor in my proGoethe’s dictum, youdon’t don’tfeel feelit,it, you’ll you’ll never fession. Goethe’s dictum, “If“If you get it”, drills like a tantalising needle into the problem of all creative activity, and it reminds us to keep our hands off the business unless we feel a deep calling to it. A calling, however, is just another uncertain factor that can blind and trap young people. When I was 12 years old, I felt a vocation to become an architect, and after my first journey to Rome, at the age of 16, I drifted to sculpture. At the age of 20, I was completely convinced that architecture, as a mater artium, could unify all fine arts, as it had in earlier times. After gaining a small amount of work experience, I was desperately disappointed when I realised that this conclusion was false. In the 20th century, the arts have moved apart slowly, but definitively. Art within architecture is branded a commodity and therefore has no value on the art market, and museums hide large parts of their collections in inaccessible depots. Rarely, sculptures are designed for a special building and engage in intimate dialogue with the building and its function. In most cases, they are artificially added after its completion, as a piece of furniture, in order to meet the “art within architecture” quota. Architecture has fancied itself as a substitute for art. Museums, opera houses, airports, train stations and high-rise buildings look like sculptural structures themselves and make the addition of any sculpted element superfluous. In their out-of-scale dominance they even make all sculptural and pictorial ornamentation look silly. Whenever I was commissioned with a work of architecture, I tried to create some space for sculptural features. I mostly had to pay the costs out of my own pocket, as there was no money insocial socialhousing. housing.My MyBerlin Berlinclient, client,Dieter DieterGraalfs, Graalfs, hofor art in howwever,had hada afond fondweakness weaknessfor forart artand andalways alwaysfound found aa budget budget ever, to cover the costs of casting. It was in Bilbao that I found the most generous sponsorship in an investor who financed more

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than 40 figures on a block of buildings. A similar bit of luck seemed to arise in St. Petersburg, but it shattered shortly before realisation. In order to present the interplay in my work between architecture, sculptures and drawings as homogeneously as possible, I scatter my artistic works in chronological order between the build-ingprojects projectsand andarchitecture. architecture.As As they they inspired each other building throughout my working process, they should also stand firmly firmly to one one family, in the printed overside by side, as ifif belong-ing belonging to view of my works. Dimensional ratios, i.e. proportions, are common to all pictorial and sculptural work. In my lectures, I dedicated a central place to this subject, and in all analytical exercises my students were obliged to verify the proportional qualities of the object they were examining or the design they were drafting. In my book, Über architektonische Komposition (Architectural Composition), an extensive chapter is devoted to the subject. As a student, I came across Le Corbusier’s Modulor, my knowledge of which I was able to deepen later when I measured the Gothic cathedral in Auxerre. Doing this work, I discovered that, besiRatio,there there are are other other dimensional dimensional ratios that des the Golden golden ratio, can be deduced from the division of the circle and that can be proven in all great architecture. Le Corbusier was fixated fixated on and proposed proposed a series of the proportions of the the Golden golden Ratio ratio and numbers, based on a body height of 1.83 m, that he alone could apply consistently. In his book, Le Modulor, he doesn’t give any instructions on how to use his series of numbers. I constructed a proportion compass with which I could determine proportions according to the partition of a circle into three, four, or five parts. With this tool, the most fascinating analyses can be made from plans and photographs of architecture throughout history. This subject runs like a thread through all my projects and pictorial pictorialworks. works.I found I found passion confirmed thisthis passion confirmed whenwhen I obIserved observed works of nature. youthefind theamazing most amazworks of nature. ThereThere you find most geoing geometrical variations, alwaysfeature feature perfect perfect metrical var-iations, and and theythey always proportions and never degenerate into kitsch. My mother always said: “If you feel the need for harmony, then take a walk in the forest. You will find no mistake in nature, not even in dead branches or dry leaves.” The most dangerous thing in architecture is the temptation for over-the-top showing off, and this is true for public and private clients, and for the architect himself. I already mentioned St. Peter’s Basilica., which is certainly not a place of contemplation, but a pretentious testimony to an unrestrained display of power. One could fill entire folders with this kind of embarrassing examples, nurtured by the fury of the representation of state apparatuses, business interests, and private investors. The bigger the concentration of power, the more oppressive and brutal the architectural excesses. Compliantly, our guild lets itto these these aberrations. aberrations. To To resist resist them them would be a self be roped in into testament to ethical and moral stability.

Another postulate that I tried to communicate to my students was respect for the particular regional traditions in which they would later exercise their building work. Two examples from c especially touched me. While building a my practise neighbourhood in Berlin-Kreuzberg with 20 young colleagues, an elderly couple addressed me on the site, saying: “Oh, this really looks like Onkel Toms Hütte!” The housing estate of that name had been built in the 1920s by the well-known architect, Bruno Taut, and it remains remains aa fav-ourite favourite and popular residential area to this day. I was paid a similarly wonderful compliment on my building site in Bilbao: “How nice that you are renovating this old house so beautifully!” Vox populi ... unmistakable evidence that my architecture was a nearly genuine rendition of the Berlin and the Basque traditions. Whenever I received a building commission in a European city, I first intensively studied the local architecture and let myself be inspired by the floor plan typology and the composition and materials of the façades. In this way, I was able to build the town of Brandevoort in Brabant, the Netherlands, which looks as if it had been standing there for centuries. Dutch experts had a positive view and judged it to be the best planning of the past decades. In Germany, this new town was demeaned as retro, unoriginal, and out-of-date, and it passed unmentioned in the architectural magazines. The reason why my teaching activity in Vienna left no enduring traces behind is that the few loyal supporters of my tendency were kicked out of all competitions early on, as I am wanted to to survive survive economically economically had to even today. Who-ever Whoever wanted modernistic bow down to to the thezeitgeist zeitgeistand anddeliver deliver modernisticproducts. products.I mymy hope on the effect effect of publications whose Inow nowpinpin hope on long-term the long-term of publications lives are more than arethan those buildings. Trends whose lives aretenacious more tenacious areofthose of buildings. fade quickly when generations change,change; culturalcultural eras, oneras, the Trends fade quickly when generations other staying that common will on thehand, otherhave hand, have power. stayingI hope power. I hope thatsense common lead us to lead turn us away fromaway the cheap, repetitive and globally sense will to turn from the cheap, repetitive and conformist architecture that is the of theof current conglobally conformist architecture thatresult is the result the current struction mania. Needless to say that aa conversion conversion of the soconstruction mania. Needless to say, building called professionals professionals and andbeneficiaries beneficiariesofofthis thismiserable miserable buildculture cannot be expected. It is It theispain theofdamage done ing culture cannot be expected. the of pain the damage that will the protest of those who who mustmust endure it. it. done thatprovoke will provoke the protest of those endure The social economist, Guy Kirsch, coined the dictum that must lead to a new way of thinking: “Without a past, the future has no future.”

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Portraits

On 2002 On the Lookout Lookout 2002

Demeaned2002 2002 Demeaned

Justice II 2003 Justice

JusticeIV IV 2003 2003 Justice

Justice III III 2003

Justice Justice II 2003 2003

Moonface Moonface 2003 2003

What What happened? happened? 2004

Nadine Nadine 2004 2004

Self-sacrifice 2004 Self-sacrifice 2004

Desire of dreams 2005 2005 Desire

Desire of of dreams dreams 2005

Sinking Sinkingdown down2005 2005

Man Man melting melting 2005

2005 Startled 2005

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Do understand understand 2005 Do

Makeshiftsail sail2005 2005 Makeshift

2008 2008

2008 Törbel 2008

Törbel 2008 Törbel

2008 2008

2008

2008 2008

Inspired by Hildebrand Inspired Hildebrand2008 2008

2009 2009

2009 2009

2009 2009

Studies Studies inspired inspired by by Michelangelo’s Michelangelo’s Ignudi Ignudi in in the the Sistine Sistine Chapel Chapel in in Rome, Rome, 2009 2009

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THE KRIER BROTHERS, LEO AND ROB asseen seenbybyMarianne MarianneMajerus, Majerus,London London1995 1995

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POSTSCRIPT

T

his book can unfortunately only hint at what I would like to have achieved in practice during my 30-year struggle for a valid conception of urban development structures and integrated, clear housing typologies. For many years, vehement criticism of my work and defamatory public disputes consumed an excessive amount of my energy and time. When I did get the chance to build, the modest budgets (for social housing, for example) and the undermining of the architect's̓ authority in the construction process effectively ensured that my ideal concepts were only realised in schematic form. I still find it miraculous that I had the chance to build two real squares: Schinkelplatz in Berlin and Camillo-Sitte-Platz in Vienna. When I was working on my book, book, Urban Urban Space, I would never have believed that I would be so lucky. Though these places are modest in scope, I know that they will provide a fitting setting for public life, blossoming with time and growing old with grace. No architecture critic's̓ commentary

could give me an equal sense of success. My very traditional approach to architecture and urbanism sets me – and some of my friends – far apart from successful mainstream architecture at the end of this millennium. Still, we have had time to prepare our theories well, to separate our ideas from everchanging fashions, and to lay a foundation for building in the future. My teaching activities have taken up much of my time, but they have also given me the means to try out different theories and strategies. My work as an architect has had a distinctly ‘applied’ character. I have never had the opportunity to advance to the higher ranks of the profession and to produce public buildings, such as town halls, museums, churches and schools... the true realm of the architect. I have gambled a lot and lost a lot. This book bears witness to that. Yet, ideas can have strength even if they remain unbuilt. I hope that my drawings, along with their practical message, will recall something of the visionary dream.

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PROJECT STAFF The following are were staff members office of Rob Krier in Vienna to 1994, the office thethe staff members in in thethe office of Rob Krier in Vienna fromfrom 19761976 to 1994, in theinoffice Rob Rob • Nicolas Lebunetel in Montpellier 1992 to 2004 in the office Krier • Christoph Kohl KrierKrier • Nicolas Lebunetel in Montpellier fromfrom 1992 to 2004 andand in the office RobRob Krier • Christoph Kohl in in Berlin from 1993 2010. Berlin from 1993 to to 2010.

Vienna staff H. Auer S. Becker S. Bidwell M. Bier S. Böhm W. Cernek M. Cufer F. C. Demblin B. Dewey G. Fellner S. Fritz M. Geiswinkler D. Henke B. Hönigmann U. Kainzinger (AS) P. Katzberger N. Kostka M. Maggio M. Mauss W. Mayr G. Miller G. Misiek C. Muller K. Müllner R. Newald O. Özer F. Rassad K. Rhomberg A. Roventa W. Rudolf A. Sarnitz U. Schauer M. Scheibl D. Steiner W. Stelzhammer A. Stiller

[AS = administrative staff]

B. Trzeja K. Vouk A. Wald L. Weisser J. Wooding H. P. Wunsch K. Zweifel Montpellier staff M. Candillon J. Ciccariello L. Delafont P. Laporte V. Launois (AS) M. Neri T. Planes C. Robin P. H. Roy R. Urbani Berlin staff F. Altpeter S. Armenia D. Bank P. Berenz R. Branschofsky J. Brunetto H. Buijsen A. Burgio D. Byrne M. Carmen S. Chapoknysch C. Cianfarini (AS) J. P. Colas C. Eberhard H. Ehlers

F. Espinosa Caro M. Festa W. Flegel D. Gamble U. Gardeler S. Hampe W. D. Harmon S. Henning P. O. Hermansson R. Hermsen D. Jones C. Jörder C. Kautz M. Kersting K. Klembt (AS) D. Krämer N. Kraut A. Lehnerer O. Louhivuori D. Lovric J. O. Luhn U. Mahadeva J. Meyer-Arendt P. Niesert D. Nightingale G. Peuntinger S. Raetsch (AS) J. Reif A. Schott R. Seidel S. Sprenger P. Theodorakopoulou B. Utz D. Wagner (AS) K. Wagner T. K.Wille Wilke K. Wilke T. Wille I. Zimmermann

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BIOGRAPHY ROB KRIER BIOGRAPHY 1938

Born in Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

1959–1964

Study of architecture at the Technical University of Munich, Germany

1976–1994

Office in Vienna, Austria

1982

Architecture award of the city of Vienna

1986

Visiting professor at Yale University in New Haven, USA

1965–1966

Collaboration with Oswald Mathias Ungers in Cologne and Berlin, Germany

1988

1967–1970

Collaboration with Frei Otto in Berlin and Warmbronn near Stuttgart, Germany

Über architektonische Komposition (English edition: Architectural Composition)

1989

Honorary doctor of the Technical University of Stockholm, Sweden

1973–1975

Assistant of Johannes Uhl at the Technical University of Stuttgart, Germany

1992–2004

Office in Montpellier, France, in association with Nicolas Lebunetel

1975

Stadtraum in Theorie und Praxis (English edition: Urban Space, 1979)

1993

Office in Berlin, Germany, in partnership with Christoph Kohl

1996

Honorary member of the American Institute of Architects

1975

Architecture award of the city of Berlin, together with Léon Krier

1997

1975

Visiting professor at the École Polytechnique de l’Universite de Lausanne (ÉPUL), Switzerland

Honorary member of the Bund Deutscher Architekten (Association of German Architects)

1997

Potsdam Kirchsteigfeld – Eine Stadt entsteht / The entsteht / TheMaking Makingof ofaaTown Town

1998

Retirement from my professorship at the Vienna University of Technology, permanent residence in Berlin

1976–1988

Professor at the Vienna University of Technology, Austria, at the newly founded Institute for Architectural Design

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2003

Town Spaces. Contemporary Interpretations in Traditional Urbanism

2005

Retrospective of my architectural work in the German Architecture Museum (Deutsches Architekturmuseum, DAM) in Frankfurt a. M.

2008

Inauguration of the Cité Judiciaire in Luxembourg. With the global financial crisis, all projects in the Netherlands stopped in the autumn of this year

2010

Resignation from my partnership with Christoph Kohl. Since then, dedication to sculpture

2014

Last designs for a residential and commercial building in Saint Petersburg, a residential district in Berlin-Tegel and a cultural forum near the Philharmonie building and Potsdamer Platz in Berlin

2018

Joint exhibition of my sculptures and tapestries by Roswitha Grützke in the Diocesan Museum in Bamberg and in the Valentiny Foundation in Remerschen, Luxembourg. Our works will be preserved in Luxembourg on permanent loan