Beyond the Minimal

Author: Otto Kapfinger

Beyond the Minimal presents four of the most interesting practices in Austria today: Artec, Adolf Krischanitz, PauHof and Riegler-Riewe. Certain qualities of formal reduction are evident in the work of all four architects, but none of them equates minimalism with negation or absence, in the sense that the term has been used in writings on architecture. They have been brought together because of the affinities in their approach –their common interest in materials, structure and the contribution of the building to the larger environment.
Each practice is represented by a survey of around a dozen projects, including houses, schools, offices and exhibition pavilions. The survey is complemented by texts that link the work to broader developments in European (particularly Swiss) architecture.