Österreichische Architektur seit 1970

The main concern of the project was to investigate architectural history utilizing scientific criteria as opposed to a more essay based approach, which has dominated Austrian architectural criticism since the 1960s. One research starting point was the examination of the effectiveness of sociopolitical developments for architecture. Thereby it turned out that that the extensive social and cultural upheavals "1968" and "1989" were of critical influence. At the end of the 1960s a profound change occurred in the industrial world. It evolved into a society without obligatory norms and values, characterized by individuality, democracy and pluralism, by consumption and electronic media. In these social changes, whose consequences are still felt today, are also the roots of determining tendencies in architecture and art. The consequence of this is an expansion of the project to developments of the 1960s. The historical curve from the 1960s until the present is especially relevant for today`s questions. At the end of the 1980s a world order, unchanged for more than 40 years, broke down which, in regard to Austria, was accompanied by a certain isolationism. In addition "1989" meant the unchallenged domination of a global liberal market economy which also had a great effect on architecture and art. This change, of which there had been signs since the mid 1980s, led to an openness and new positioning in architecture, after Postmodernism to a change in paradigms: namely a continuation of the ideas of the "Moderne". Another important research point was the international context - a point that has only slightly been pursued by Austrian architectural history since the 1970s. This starting point has therewith been confirmed since architecture has become enormously internationalized in the past few years which, in Austria, has affected construction itself, chairs at the universities, and theoretical debate. One approach was a discussion with the designers instead of a purely interpretational representation of a building. The interview series "Architecture and me" (with Gerhard Steixner) resulted from the research project. The discussion series cumulated a generation of architects of this country for the first time: those personalities, born in years of the first republic, who decisively influenced building structure in the second republic. The interview series showed that an integral part of understanding a work should include personal life stories and the time context influencing each generation. For the concept I received the "Theodor-Körner-Prize 2001". From the main focal point "residential building" arose the project "At home. New Perspectives for Dwelling." (with C. Angelmaier). For the concept we received the "Margarete-Schütte-Lihotzky-Grant" 2000. Upon invitation of the Austrian Cultural Service (ÖKS) we made a paper in order to convey the topic "architecture for living" in schools and used it for a school project (SS 2001). A summary of the research project is outlined in my contribution "Architecture in Austria since 1945" in the six volume publication "History of the Visual Arts in Austria, volume VI, 20th Century" which was partly sponsored by the FWF.