Architecture - Themes

2009-2016: City

Members of this section have been examining the subject of the city since 2009. They have prepared an exhibition trilogy; with each segment presented at three-year intervals. The series began in 2010 with the exhibition Wiederkehr der Landschaft (Return of the Landscape, available in German only), which elucidated the urgent demand from an urban development and ecological perspective to develop the city of the 21st century out of the landscape. It was curated by the landscape architect Donata Valentien.

In 2013, with Kultur:Stadt (Culture:City), attention was focused on cultural interventions as the driving forces of new urbanity. This exhibition, which provided insights into the international creations of architects and artists, using 36 models from museums, libraries, theatres and art installations, was curated by Matthias Sauerbruch.

The exhibition DEMO:POLIS – The Right to Public Space, curated by Wilfried Wang, shaped the final segment of the trilogy. It was shown in spring 2016. It presented the complexity of today’s definition of public space and used international examples to illustrate that the public is making new demands on the basic principles of democracy, while simultaneously also expecting higher design quality.

In its special events series “Gespräche zu Architektur und Stadt” (Discussions on Architecture and the City) and “Gespräche zu Stadt und Landschaft” (Discussions on the City and Landscape), held between the exhibitions, the section addressed current problems related to public space, city planning, as well as memorial culture.