LIVING

Dear Readers,

The topic of living accommodation concerns all of us and it is more complex than most other building types. It is not for nothing that the housing crisis and flows of refugees are a core theme, which is addressed by many architects in the scope of the 15th Architecture Biennale in Venice curated by Alejandro Aravena (starting on page 10). “Reporting from the Front” was his invitation to colleagues, and 88 international architects admonished, condemned or gave impulses – the focus was predominately on the housing situation in the respective country. You still have until 27 November to visit the event, we have already been there – amongst others, in the Nordic Pavilion on the therapy sofa (photo on the left)! The residential projects we selected for this issue (starting on page 84) are certainly less suited to solve social problems. By presenting the ascetic loft and minimal spaces in Berlin, the individual homes in Jois, Turin and Melbourne as well as the exclusive residences in Stuttgart and Katowice, we rather want to offer you stimuli and ideas für highly personal and future-oriented living concepts. With our reports on residential buildings by Horace Gifford and Robert Mallet-Stevens (starting on page 126) we take a look back at the period between the 1930s and the 1970s. Would you have thought that a novel published in 1857 – “Indian Summer: A Tale” by Adalbert Stifter – has not only been on the mind of many different architects in the last 150 years, but has also influenced them? The centre of the novel is the so-called Rosenhaus and the meticulous description of its individual living spaces. Our colleague Uwe Bresan (photo on the left) has rediscovered Stifter’s novel as one of the most powerful architectural narratives of the modern age and has written a book on it in the scope of his dissertation: “Stifter’s Rosenhaus” has now been released by our publishing house. Congratulations, Dr. Bresan!! The book is perfectly suited as architectural travel literature, maybe on the way to Wolfsburg – an unexpectedly exciting city, claims our colleague, Christine Schröder (page 50). Read for yourself!!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect