COOP HIMMELB(L)AU: 7+

On the occasion of Prof. Wolf D. Prix’s 70th birthday, the Architekturforum Aedes in Berlin is devoting an exhibition to COOP HIMMELB(L)AU entitled "Wolf D. Prix & Partner: 7+ Projects, Models, Plans, Sketches, Statements" from 13 December 2012 to 24 January 2013

70 years, 7 projects, the 7 lives of an architect...
The magical number 7 has been integrated into the exhibition concept in a variety of ways. This show, which opens just one day before the 70th birthday of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU founder Wolf D. Prix, begins with a backward glance at the founding year of 1968 and the theoretical roots of this architectural partnership. The exhibition then proceeds with a detailed presentation of 7 buildings chosen by Wolf Prix, each from a different decade, and each with special significance for his oeuvre as a whole, before concluding with a foretaste of future projects. On the basis of a range of media, the exhibition provides a retrospective of more than 40 years of continuous architectural practice, joined by a highly personal forecast of the studio's future.

7
In the gallery of Aedes, the focus is on 7 different projects which made substantial contributions to the studio’s development and to its architecture. From the world-renowned "Cloud" project which launched the COOP HIMMELB(L)AU story, to the Dalian International Conference Center in China, and finally to the new building for the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, these 7 projects are presented to viewers via large-scale models, sketches, construction plans, and computer animations. The multifarious character of these materials on the 7projects provides insight into the design process and DNA of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU.

+ “How soon is now?” (Wolf D. Prix)
By building on expertise in the area of city planning acquired through earlier projects, including the first-prize-winning competition design for Melun Sénart (France) and a high-rise study for Vienna (Austria), COOP HIMMELB(L)AU takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigating future urban planning challenges and possible solutions.
Currently, familiar urban planning parameters, in conjunction with the expectation that issues related to energy generation and resource utilization will condition future building tasks, are transforming our (urban) spatial environment to such a degree that innovative solutions are proving indispensable. The study “2050” is being shown in the Aedes Studio in a “work-in-progress” phase. The study poses questions concerning these new, three-dimensional transformations, and searches for answers in the form of planning scenarios for energy-efficient urban spaces. Also presented will be the latest competition designs and design concepts on the basis of singular selected projects which stand in an associative context with the urban planning ideas of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU.

For more info please see: http://www.coop-himmelblau.at

Exhibition: December 12, 2012 – January 24, 2013

Venue: Aedes Am Pfefferberg, Christinenstraße 18-19, 10119 Berlin. Germany.

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Wolf D. Prix

Wolf D. Prix, born in Vienna in 1942, a co-founder, Design Principal and CEO of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. He studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology, the Architectural Association of London, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles.

Most formative among his many international teaching positions was his tenure at the University of Applied Arts Vienna: from 1993 to 2011 he was Professor for Architecture (Studio Prix), and stepped down from his position as vice chancellor of the Institute of Architecture in 2012. He taught as a visiting professor at the Architectural Association in London in 1984 and at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1990.From 1985 to 1995, Wolf D. Prix was active as Adjunct Professor at the SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. In 1998 he was a faculty member of Columbia University in New York.

In 1999, Wolf D. Prix was awarded the Harvey S. Perloff Professorship at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2001, he served as adjunct professor at UCLA and became a Doctor Honoris Causa de la Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 2002, Wolf D. Prix was made Officier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres and was also awarded the gold medal for merits to the federal state of Vienna. He received in 2004 the Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education for his commitment to teaching and training and was awarded with the Jencks Award: Visions Built prize for his major contribution to the theory and practice of architecture in 2008. A year later, Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer bestowed the Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Art on Wolf D. Prix for his outstanding creative achievements. In 2011 he was honoured with the “Silberne Komturkreuz des Landes Niederösterreich” as well as the Honorary Citizenship of the City of Busan, Southkorea.

From 1995 to 1997, Wolf D. Prix was a member of the architectural committee in the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts. He is a member of the Austrian Art Senate, of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as of the Advisory Committee for Building Culture. Furthermore, Wolf D. Prix belongs to the Architectural Association Austria, the Association of German Architects (BDA) in Germany, the Architectural Association Santa Clara in Cuba, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Chamber of Architects Île de France and the Architectural Association Italy.

The work of Wolf D. Prix has been published in numerous books and his architectural designs have been featured in many museums and collections worldwide. In 2006, he was the commissioner for the Austrian contribution for the 10th International Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.