Their best-known building is certainly the GSW high-rise in Berlin from 1999 with its rotating sunshades in gradations of pink, orange and red. But the three-dimensional shell of the Brandhorst Museum in Munich, made of colorfully glazed ceramic rods that change with every step, also shows their signature. Nor should we forget the red, gray and white flamed ceramic walls of the new M9 Museum in Mestre, which pick up on the brick red of the surrounding area. All of these buildings are characterized by the highly visible trademark of the firm founded in 1989 by Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton: a multicolored flickering façade. Like few others, Sauerbruch Hutton redefined color as a material and accentuating feature of architecture, recognizing how space-creating color can be and how invigorating it can be on large surfaces.
Until October 21, the exhibition “open box” at the “aut” in Innsbruck offers an insight into the work of the Berlin-based and internationally active office created over the past 30 years in the form of an expansive installation. The show, which was created in cooperation with the “M9 – Museum in Venice-Mestre, the Berlinische Galerie and the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, also shows the way in which the office, which today has around 100 employees, dedicates itself to a wide variety of tasks and, in doing so, attempts to break new ground time and again. According to the announcement, the focus is on “the joy of dealing with space and material in a sensual way, curiosity about technical and spatial innovation, and the responsible use of available resources of any kind.
One of their most recent projects is the M9 Museum Quarter in Mestre. Here, Sauerbruch Hutton presented the exhibition “draw, love, build” in 2021, in which they presented their work of the past 30 years along three narrative strands: dealing with the post-industrial city, the concern for optimal sustainability, and the joy of sensual and surprising spaces that enrich the everyday lives of their users. The 60 or so works are now on view at aut and are presented – in keeping with the character of the former brewery – on their transport crates. Those wishing to delve even deeper into the world of Sauerbruch Hutton will find further information, drawings, photos and films via a specially developed app.
More on ndion
More Articles on the topic of design, architecture as well as current exhibitions.
Share this page on Social Media:
