Werner Sobek: Badly Built World
There is an urgent need for action in the direction of a circular economy: Werner Sobek is one of the world’s most renowned engineering scientists and construction researchers. With the […]
Ken Adam: The Eye of the Director
All just scenery, theatre, stagecraft? Far from it. James Bond movies like “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” and the “War Room” for Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” made him famous. The opulent volume […]
Jaime Hayon: Designing with a third eye
Please, no Bauhaus puritanism: whatever he does, it is bursting with fantasy, colour, patterns and ornaments. Jaime Hayon, one of the most distinguished Spanish designers, pays homage to a Mediterranean […]
Karl Schwanzer: A Modernist – Cosmopolitan And Dance-like
He has been an architect of world class. The Viennese Karl Schwanzer was a visionary, an artist, a university lecturer, even a poet. His BMW high-rise in Munich is still […]
The good Spirits of Wood – on the book “Touch Wood”
Never before has wood been so highly in demand as a building material. The Zurich exhibition “Touch Wood” explores the future of building with wood. The book that accompanies it […]
Fritz Eichler. Birth of the Cool
Fritz Eichler (1911 – 1991) was perhaps the most important design manager of the young Bundesrepublik. Long before this job title became customary, he played a decisive role in shaping […]
50 Years of “The Limits to Growth”. At Any Cost?
50 years ago, the study “The Limits to Growth”, commissioned by the “Club of Rome”, was published. It became the founding document of the environmental movement and called for a […]
Architecture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fascinating facts about the culture and architecture of a continent
With the seven-volume “Architectural Guide Sub-Sahara Africa”, Philipp Meuser and Adil Dalbai have succeeded in creating a compendium that not only presents a panorama of Africa’s diverse architectures, but also […]
The Language of Spaces: How to catch and direct the eye
Of cabinets of curiosities, showcases and displays: Erika Thümmel has written a richly illustrated introduction to the history of staged spaces and presentation strategies with “The Language of Spaces”. An […]
Monobloc. What matters is that you sit
The best-selling piece of furniture of all time: With “Monobloc”, Hauke Wendler has succeeded in making a great documentary that is much more than a film about design. He tracks […]
Gio Ponti. Cheerful, Mediterranean, modern
Ornament and pleasure: He designed the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan, breathtaking villas in Caracas, a super-light chair and interiors of shimmering elegance. Now publisher Taschen-Verlag celebrates Gio Ponti’s versatile oeuvre […]
Children’s book highlights about design: Sparkly words, strange machines and many colourful suns
Children are always designing something. Design is basically a matter of course for them. So they are happy when they can play with letters, words and pictures and learn something […]
Charlotte Perriand – It’s not about the object, it’s about the person
The French designer and architect Charlotte Perriand argued passionately for modernism and put the art of living in bare, plain spaces to the test. A documentary on Arte hears from […]
Gerd A. Müller: design that is subordinate and blends in
He worked in conjunction with Dieter Rams at Braun, designed for brands such as Lamy and Wega; and developed the logo for Friends of the Earth Germany. Nevertheless, people still […]
Blade Runner: The trick to doing the future
Gigantic screens on skyscraper facades, flying cars, no sunshine, constant rain – and AI humanoids used for slave labour: a grim vision of the future once presented on the silver screen […]
“Brand New Brand”: Young brands hovering between closeness and distance
A brand-new book about successful brand development in a difficult era: “Brand New Brand”, published by gestalten, exhibits exciting examples of projects by international branding agencies. What can we learn […]
BIG. Formgiving: Gifts that keep on giving
“Formgiving” is the latest book by the Bjarke Ingels Group. It presents some 100 buildings and projects by the Danish architectural firm and takes us on a whistle-stop architectural tour […]
Jürgen Dahl: How to eradicate eagles with burgers
“In a world where no less than 400,000 litres of water are used to manufacture a car, it is ridiculous to urge people to use the water in which they […]
Frank Lloyd Wright: Building with nature, not against it
Many consider Frank Lloyd Wright to be the greatest architect of the 20th century. Sigrid Faltin’s documentary “The Phoenix from the Ashes” examines his visionary architecture as much as it […]
Paul Smith – Cheerful and stripy
Paul Smith is considered a charismatic designer who produces more than fashion. A new monograph published just in time for his brand’s 50th anniversary captures the spirit and coolness of […]