Itinerary Through the Arts of Hans Hollein

architect Hans Hollein
project Albertina - Entrance Area (Soravia Wing) and Café, Vienna, Austria
written by Gianni Pettena

 

The conditions for cultural-architectural discussion in the second half of the 1950s, in other words in conditions totally lacking any analysis of the role of the main representatives of design research in the first half of the century and of their most original theoretical, conceptual and linguistic contributions, should be taken into consideration if these years are to be defined as the beginning of a serious review process taking place in the field of design. It is the consequence of the work of the most perceptive young architects who were becoming intolerant of the lack of didactics and information, which were completely frozen by the conservative approach.

 

Hans Hollein’s texts and pro­jects stimulated serious discussion about architectural thought and language; he was then already the most perceptive interpreter of his gene­ration’s efforts in its search for those cultural cornerstones capable of yielding a form and structure for their vision of the world.