Big!Bad?Modern: Four Megabuildings in Vienna

This book is the result of a unique undertaking. Nearly all students and faculty at the Institute of Art and Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna dedicated an entire year to a common subject: the perhaps most-hated period of modernism, the late fifties through seventies. Four Viennese megabuildings, the Allgemeines Krankenhaus Wien (AKH), the Wohnpark Alterlaa (Alterlaa housing estate), the ORF Zentrum Wien (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation Vienna) and the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU or Vienna University of Economics) were at first analyzed and interpreted.

Finally the students created designs and proposals for moderate to radical changes for these buildings. The glossary of key terms derived from the projects in this publication provides easy access to the comprehensive collection of materials and heterogeneous positions, with the intention to open up new perspectives. This volume presents projects and texts by teachers and students, further contributions by Hermann Czech, Françoise Fromonot, Harry Glück, Sabine Kraft, Michael Zinganel and others. With a Preface by Nasrine Seraji, who initiated the project along with the faculty in 2010.

Published by Park Books Zürich (336 pages, english text, numerous illustrations)
ISBN 978-3-906027-96-8
http://www.park-books.com/