Wilfried Wang - Böcker

How should a diverse metropolitan region such as the German capital Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg reinvent itself, while preserving its character, nurturing its attributes, and simultaneously preparing for climate change? 21BB-Model Region Berlin-Brandenburg offers an analysis of these important strategic questions, along with constructive solutions. As a comprehensive survey of the entire Berlin-Brandenburg region, this book presents essays; striking visualisations, maps and graphics; and projects in a large-format atlas. Its findings are based on extensive research at University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture (UTSOA) into complex subjects such as the circular economy, social equity, mobility, energy and water management, environment, population growth and density, inclusion, and urban culture. Wide-ranging essays are supplemented with proposals developed by UTSOA’s students. The book also features a radical urban and regional design submitted to an international competition for Berlin-Brandenburg’s long-term development by Berlin-based firm Hoidn Wang Partner. Given the urgent need for a public debate about the future of Germany’s capital region, this volume offers a solid factual basis and offers new approaches, projects, and ideas.

Should architectural criticism be enlightening? Should it help in the creation of a better built environment? Is there a factual basis to it? Does it have a duty to present evidence in the evaluation of a building? Or should it take on what architects say about their designs? In the context of a flat internet, should architectural criticism be able to define best practices? Does it wield the power over who is in and who is out?Architectural criticism, like all human endeavours, is at a crucial juncture. While serious architecture struggles for recognition, much so-called architectural criticism is merely a poorly paid, decorative legitimation for hyperbolic practice. Incisive architectural criticism is rare, while the definition of criticism itself has become opaque.The 2021 International Conference on Architecture Criticism has gathered exceptional papers that define the purposes and methods of architectural criticism: What should be the ethical basis of architectural criticism? Can it be objective in the context of paid content? Should it outline ideal practices? Or what else should it do? All contributions in this book address either the duty or the power of architectural criticism. In both cases, the authors offer the outline of one analysis of an existing building.

Can buildings themselves express criticism? Wasn’t modernist housing a collective criticism of unsustainable living conditions? Can a state’s embassy convey differentiated, critical messages to the home and host country? Can architects express explicit criticism with their buildings? And if so, how can they do so? The essays collected in this volume present a wide range of effective built criticisms. Their authors’ concise analyses broaden our view of an insufficiently explored field of knowledge.The 2023 International Conference on Architectural Criticism at Shanghai’s Tongji University introduced the critical positions of leading international architects and architecture firms. The debate between tradition and modernity gave rise to varied approaches, such as opposition against unstoppable progress or against autocratic family ideals.

The essays collected in this volume cover the spectrum of issues that determine the quality of architecture. For example: What exactly is architectural quality? Is it based on physical facts? Is it a matter of cultural context? Does it lie in the eye of the beholder or is it actually beauty that matters? Do architects’ intentions and ideas provide the keys to a building’s evaluation? Does it rest primarily in its form? Or in the ethical attitude it expresses? Or is it just a group of critics deciding these issues among themselves?While quantitative-technical evaluations of buildings abound internationally, the qualitative assessment of architectural works has so far been largely neglected. This unique anthology on definitions of architectural quality ranges from general observations and theories to case studies, and lays a rigorous foundation for assessing works of architecture.

Bienefeld’s distinct approach, which he developed in fierce opposition to the prevailing spirit of the times, is a source of fascination to the architectural photographer Klaus Kinold and the architecture writer Wilfried Wang: his ground plans were modelled on classical models such as Vitruvius and Palladio, he had a passion for measure and proportion, and he was devoted to the smallest details of craftsmanship and the pursuit of beauty. In his text on the “Architect of Silence”, Wang also discusses Bienefeld’s close relationships with his predominantly private clients.