From a Knowledge of Space be baumschlager eberle
Friday, 31 January 2014

A conversation between Matthias Böttger and Dietmar Eberle, accompanying the exhibition From a Knowledge of Space, in Aedes, Architekturforum.

Public Debate
Place: ANCB The Metropolitan Laboratory, Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin
Date: Friday, 31 January 2014, 4:30 pm

Exhibition
Place: Aedes am Pfefferberg, Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin
Opening:  Friday, 31 January 2014, 6:30 pm
Exhibition Dates: 31 January - 13 March, 2014

The architecture of be baumschlager eberle is concerned with the specifics of place – a quality that is also evident in the practice structure. The presence of the 10 offices in Lustenau, Vaduz, Vienna, St. Gallen, Zurich, Hong Kong, Berlin, Hanoi, Paris and Hamburg forms the basis for both an understanding of each cultural context and a close regard for the specific needs of the client. At the same time the knowledge from each place is constantly updated and refined so that it can be applied at any moment to the other locations of be baumschlager eberle. The office uses the possibilities of globalisation, tuning this newly gained resource to each individual project. The reflection on the existing leads to the development of a set of rules for external spaces and buildings. However this is not about fixating on “unique” volumes and images, but rather about creating elements that interact and complement each other. In this sense it has more to do with knowledge and less to do with intuition. The result is comprehensible solutions that prove their worth in the social and cultural context of their place of origin.

The title of the exhibition refers to the central themes of the architecture of be baumschlager eberle. Their aim is to enhance or create anew places that are developed in such a way that the users can identify with the project’s spatial intervention.

The exhibition presents seven selected projects. They vary in scale, function, location and material and show the whole spectrum of the practice, which reaches from the masterplan in Sheshan (China) to the villa in Los Angeles. The clients and users hold a special significance for the development of each project, which is also reflected in the exhibition concept. Along with the project leaders from be baumschlager eberle, they explain in video interviews how the particular wishes and ideas are reflected in the design and realisation of the project.

Speaking at the opening
Dr. h.c. Kristin Feireiss, Aedes Berlin
Dr. Georg Locher, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin
Prof. Matthias Böttger, The University of Art and Design Linz
Prof. Dietmar Eberle, Lustenau