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With the short remark that „every site is different, every building task is different“ architect Othmar Barth (1927-2010) in a 2008 interview laconically outlined his design philosophy. Based in the alpine landscape of South Tyrol, Barth paired a particular sensibility for the genius loci with a love of experimentation and a keen sense for clear forms and surprising details.

As professor at Innsbruck University Barth from 1975 on also influenced an entire generation of students into whom he sought to undogmatically instill an open-minded, artisanal attitude towards architecture that was less based on premeditated know-how and more on collective problem solving.

But despite his significance for the architecture in South Tyrol there is surprisingly little substantial literature on his work, a circumstance that makes the present monograph even more precious: „Othmar Barth“, published in 2007 by Verlag Anton Pustet, came about in close collaboration with the architect himself and besides essays by e.g. Friedrich Achleitner and Kenneth Frampton contains a thoroughly illustrated work catalogue. Supplemented with texts, plans and drawings, key works like the Cusanus Academy (1960-62) in Brixen, the Seehotel Ambach (1970-73) in Kaltern or the Schigymnasium (1977-82) in Stams demonstrate the previously described qualities of Barth’s architecture as well as the often almost landscaped interiors of his buildings. Also included are photos of the models Barth produced in advance of a project that helped him situate it within its future context and which in tandem with the countless drawings provide insights into the genesis of the individual projects.

Accordingly, the monograph is the must-have reference to an architect’s work that only few know but which is highly worthy of exploring.

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Tokyo in the snow / 📸: @liamwong

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Spindle Cube Chair

Frank Lloyd Wright. circa 1906

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Louise Nevelson

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Pair of Rare Plycraft Lounge Chairs

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Weronika Gęsicka

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Church St Thomas Morus (1961-63) in Cologne, Germany, by Fritz Schaller

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R.J. Cleveringsluizen (1969) in Lauwersoog, the Netherlands, by K.F.G. (Karl Frank Gottfried) Spruit

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Olivetti, Herbert Bayer, 1959

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centrale nucléaire de belleville, belleville-sur-loire

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/ Robert Rauschenberg, Aqua Fanfare (Urban Bourbon), 1993

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In retrospect the 2000s seem like a succession of crises: greeted with optimism and high expectations the new millennium already in 2001 was deeply shaken by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and seen out by the global financial crisis. Accordingly the „Time“ magazine named it „The Decade from Hell“.

As Germany’s financial center Frankfurt am Main naturally is a seismograph for the repercussions of global shocks and especially in the aftermath of the financial crisis had to cope with a diminishing communal prosperity. At the same time the overall population grew by 30,000 during the decade, a circumstance that necessitated additional living spaces for an overall rejuvenating population. As a result the building sum for housing by the end of the decade was twice as high as that for office buildings and in addition created backlog demand for infrastructural projects like schools and daycare centers. Interestingly, Frankfurt in 2004/05 introduced instruments to secure architectural quality, namely a building consultancy and a centralized application acceptance.

That these instruments proved themselves documents the latest edition of Wilhelm Opatz’s architectural guide „Architekturführer Frankfurt 2000-2009“, recently published by Junius Verlag: the editor chose ten exemplary buildings (plus a selection of „bonus“ buildings) ranging from Esther Hagenlocher’s „House L“ (2000) over Nicholas Grimshaw’s exceptional „Messehalle 3“ (2001) and David Chipperfield’s „The Frankfurt House“ (2002) to Roland Hagmüller’s „The Seven Swans“ (2008). That the documentation of the buildings even for a local can become an insurmountable hurdle proves Christoph Mäckler’s „Portikus“ exhibition hall: instead of photographs by Opatz’s trusted collaborator Georg Dörr the reader is presented with the architect’s sketchbook documenting the genesis of Mäckler’s design and his analysis of historic forms.

Against this background one cannot avoid the impression that, despite the 2000s bad records, for Frankfurt am Main the decade is associated with a spirit of departure that already fills the reader with anticipation for the next volume. A warmly recommended and, as always, highly entertaining read!

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Aiwa AD-4200, 1976