Hermann Czech, Essays on Architecture and City Planning

Zurich : Park Books, 2019, 252p. ill. en noir et en coul. 25 x 17cm, eng
ISBN : 9783038600206
Ed. et trad d’Elise Feiersinger. Préf. d’Eve Blau
Texte intégral
1Translated by Elise Feiersinger, this collection of notes allows the reader to interfere with Hermann Czech in an interactive way. His writing style is simple and conversational. On these essays, Hermann Czech can be seen as an urban philosopher whose definition of architecture recalls its role as a necessary ivy that coats the city. Architecture is, thus, a structural concept, a structural solution that must be functional above all else. It is a functionalism that can be inspired, either by the needs of the city itself or also by the works of different architects. Hermann Czech is very generous analysing and relating the works of other urbanists such as Christopher Alexander, Otto Wagner, Angelo Mangiarotti or even Josef Frank. Moreover, architecture should rely on the purpose of the city itself, the existent elements and a bit of irony. Method and accuracy are paramount. This funnel method of his seems a predecessor of the design thinking methodology, applied to city planning. In this sense, Czech’s philosophy demonstrates that buildings can be intelligent without technology, they are clever just being consistent with their purpose. Therefore, the Austrian architect hints the basis of today’s circular economy in cities, calling for a rational use of space and resources. His city is done in the proper way, so it can be consumed by inhabitants at a rational rate and not the reverse. Present time is also a must. The architect should of course be aware of the history of the city, as a dynamic element, but avoid hypothetical presents and distant futures. Doing, not dreaming; aware but not overcome by absurdity. Complexity can also be dangerous, city planning and architecture should focus on the essential. The transformation of the city relies on its identity, on its spaces, its culture. It needs a methodology. The simpler, the better. A building. Just so. And, of course, Vienna.
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Référence électronique
Tamara Espiñeira, « Hermann Czech, Essays on Architecture and City Planning », Critique d’art [En ligne], Toutes les notes de lecture en ligne, mis en ligne le 04 juin 2021, consulté le 13 décembre 2025. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/critiquedart/61892 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/critiquedart.61892
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