Gee whizz - slipped some images by my favourite mad architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser into a presentation yesterday. Always stimulates a reaction! An Austrian artist, architect, environmentalist and social commenter / reformer, his philosophy was that straight lines are inhuman and should have no place in architecture. He was quoted as saying “The straight line leads to the downfall of humanity!”. His most famous creations are the way he beautified the waste incinerator on the Danube in Vienna and the apartment building he designed in Vienna itself. I find his work inspirational, not necessarily because I love it architecturally, but because he actually genuinely challenged convention. Unlike some modern architects who write worthy tomes saying we should challenge convention, but then accept high value commissions that eschew the principles they say are important, Hundertwasser never “sold out”. If you are ever in Vienna, he has a museum in the apartment building - so you can see it up close, and find out more about him. If you do go, make sure you go to the toilets - they are amazing! https://lnkd.in/ec8wat-y If you are interested, you can find out more about Hundertwasser, his life, art and work here: https://lnkd.in/euYzxudc Isn’t what we do endlessly fascinating? We get to make places that people live their entire lives in - I think we owe it to them to be as creative as we can to provide places where everyone can reach their absolute potential. (But I am just a Transport Planner on a bit of a mission, so what do i know!!).
This is fabulous! Wonder if Hundertwasser would have liked Thomas Hetherwick who is also not a fan of straight lines and what he dubs the ‘blandemic’ of boring buildings.
Thanks for sharing with us - love it!
Freelance transport planning and strategy specialist.
9moAll us transport planners are on a mission, Tim. If that's the waste incinerator, that's a fantastic piece of work. It certainly challenges the convention of such structures being big boring boxes. Whether it's quite the aesthetic that its neighbours appreciate is in the eye of the beholder. I really like what this design has done in 'subverting the form'. Though the philistine in me thinks it looks like a cross between a mosque and a children's play area. Great stuff!