Cordula Rau Livres

An industry manager who left his white-blue, silver-shimmering world of car bodywork and dove into the pitch-black, mysterious world of architecture for the first time during a competition asked me one day: „Ms Rau, why do architects actually wear black?“ Although I was wearing black and I am an architect I didn't have a spontaneous answer, so I responded: „Ask the other architects!“ That was in 2001, and it is why this small book came to be. I have asked the question at an international level and whenever it seems appropriate ever since. The sometimes amusing and other times programmatic or hair-splitting answers I have received over the last seven years are listed chronologically in this little black volume. Read, and please, don't ask me why architects wear black! - Cordula Rau, 22. 02. 2008

Helmut von Werz founded his architecture office in Munich in 1946. He was later joined by Johann Christoph Ottow, who became his partner in 1952. Erhard Bachmann and Michel Marx joined the firm as partners in 1971. The spirit of post-war architecture is visible in his work, which was defined by moderation and preservation, while remaining receptive to the influence of the avant-garde. This long overdue monograph documents 26 projects.

Sehnsucht, das Thema des deutschen Pavillons der 12. Architekturbiennale in Venedig, ist eine grundlegende emotionale Triebfeder architektonischen Handelns. In dem Band wird der Pavillon mit seinen atmosphärischen, die verschiedenen Sinne ansprechenden Räumen als Ausstellungsstück interpretiert und zu einem Sehnsuchtsort aufgeladen. Das Buch ist als eigenständiger Beitrag komplementär zur Ausstellung konzipiert. Bilder und Texte nähern sich dem Thema Sehnsucht aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven z. B. der der Kunst, Literatur, Architektur und Musik.