A journey into contemporary architecture: Alvaro Siza and the feld72 collective on display at the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin

Berlin is currently home to two fascinating exhibitions that offer a unique perspective on contemporary architecture. The Aedes Architecture Forum is, in fact, hosting two exhibitions at the same time. The first celebrates the work of a renowned master of contemporary architecture, Álvaro Siza, while the second explores the creations of the feld72 Viennese collective. Despite their differences, both exhibitions converge on the search for architectural solutions that respond to the social and spatial challenges of our time.

"TWO TOWERS - 90 Years Álvaro Siza" is the exhibition dedicated to Álvaro Siza on the occasion of his 90th birthday, putting the spotlight on his long and influential career during which he redefined contemporary architecture in multiple ways. Architect, designer, artist, Álvaro Siza has left his mark all over the world with his projects, large and small, influencing several generations of architects. Curated by architect António Choupina, the exhibition focuses on an unusual typology in Siza's artistic activity: the tower. In particular, the exhibition presents two recently completed projects. The first is 611 West 56th Street, a luxury residential tower built in Manhattan and 137 meters tall, which, despite its modest height compared to New York's ever-growing skyline, stands out for its ability to "caress the sky rather than scrape it". The second project is a watchtower built in Proença-a-Nova, in Portugal, at 616 meters above sea level, designed to help prevent forest fires. Despite the difference between the two projects, both towers clearly represent Siza's vision of verticality and integration with the surrounding environment. The exhibition also presents sketches, models and photographs that highlight Siza's passion for towers and his search for a balance between modernity and historical roots, internationality and contextualisation.

In the second exhibition, entitled "Social. Spaces. Matter.", the feld72 Vienna-based collective explores social space in the context of his contemporary architecture projects. In addition to building designs that have already been completed, the exhibition also presents theoretical projects and experiments that address issues related to contemporary social challenges. The main focus of feld72 is to design places for coexistence in the city and in the countryside, educational buildings and public spaces. The exhibition offers a selection of projects that illustrate the collective's attention to social interaction in buildings and to the activation of spatial potential. A large tent forms the central element of the exhibition, representing feld72's experimental projects, characterised by an architecture that goes beyond conventions.
The two exhibitions, open to visitors until July 5, 2023, offer an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on contemporary architecture and on its social impact to grasp the challenges and possibilities it presents.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Images courtesy of Aedes Architecture Forum - Berlin

TWO TOWERS - 90 Years Álvaro Siza
Exhibition, 27 May – 5 July 2023

SOCIAL. SPACES. MATTER. - feld72, Vienna
Exhibition, 27 May – 5 July 2023

Venue: Aedes Architecture Forum, Christinenstr. 18-19 - 10119 Berlin
 

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