Reviving Ungers' Visions: Catalyst for Architectural Innovation at IBA 87 among Postmodern Architects

Simon Ganne; Benjamin Charvardès

doi:10.6092/issn.2611-0075/18174

Authors

Simon Ganne Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Lyon https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3221-6357

Simon Ganne is an architect from France. He attended the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Lyon and the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, from where he holds a professional Dipl.-Ing. (Arch.) degree. He participated in a one-year exchange program at Politecnico di Milano, during which he authored the paper “The Search for a Phenomenon for a Sustainable Architecture” for a course instructed by Andrea Canclini. His graduate research, titled “From Theory to the Block: The Influence of O.M.U in Postmodern Berlin”, delved into architectural theory within the context of the IBA 87 exhibition in Berlin and garnered honors in the master’s program “Architecture Heritage, Theory, and Creation”.
Benjamin Charvardès Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture de LyoN, Member of LAURe-EVS (Lyon architecture urbanism research)

Benjamin Chavardès is a professor at the Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture de Lyon and a member of LAURe-EVS (Lyon architecture urbanism research). His research focuses on the history and theory of postmodern architecture, intervention in the built heritage and religious architecture. He holds the SACRES chair (Architectural solutions for the design and conversion of sacred spaces). He is coordinator of the international scientific and educational network “Architecture Heritage and Creation”. He is the author of Quand le post-modernise s’expose (Éditions de l’Espérou, 2015) and L’Italie post-moderne. Paolo Portoghesi, architecte, historien, théoricien (Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2022). He is co-author of L’école d’architecture de Lyon. Un manifeste architectural (Libel, 2020). He co-edited L’avenir des églises. État des lieux, stratégies et programmes de reconversion (Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 2019), Les enjeux théoriques de la réhabilitation (Presses architecturales de Lyon, 2019), “Héritages Théoriques / Theoretical legacies “(2019) of Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère, of which he is a member of the editorial board, Ici par ailleurs (Éditions du Patrimoine, 2020) and Entre Rome et Las Vegas (ENSA Paris-Malaquais, 2021).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0075/18174

Keywords:

Architectural theory, Urbanism, O.M.Ungers, IBA 87, Postmodernism

Abstract

This contribution explores the impact of architect Oswald Mathias Ungers and his innovative urban concepts on contemporary city planning. Ungers, whose career began in the 1960s, played a pivotal role in bridging the gap between modernism and postmodernism while fostering a rich exchange of ideas between American and European architectural circles. He developed significant urban experiments, including The Urban Villa, Urban Garden, Grossform, Archipel City, and City within the City. These projects often used Berlin as a testing ground, transforming the city into a laboratory for his visionary ideas. Ungers’ influence extended beyond conventional architectural practice; this position granted him influence within a network of urban theorists who shaped the urban discourse of the late 20th century. A defining moment occurred in the 1980s with the IBA 87 exhibition in Berlin. This event provided a platform for Ungers’ ideas to permeate the architectural community. Architects like Aldo Rossi, Peter Eisenman, John Hejduk, and Rem Koolhaas, who were working on adjacent projects, diverged from the rules of the competition and proposed innovative systems, fed by Ungers concepts. The architectural visions and methodologies that Ungers pioneered remain highly relevant today as cities grapple with a multitude of challenges. By revisiting Ungers’ groundbreaking concepts and approaches, contemporary urban planners and architects can find valuable insights and inspiration to address the pressing issues facing our cities in the 21st century.

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References

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Reviving Ungers' Visions: Catalyst for Architectural Innovation at IBA 87 among Postmodern Architects

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