UIA Rhine-Main 2002
The
Cityscape as a Resource
Frankfurt, Darmstadt and Wiesbaden in the twentieth century and
the present – with an excursion to Documentat 11 in Kassel
Personality, character and individuality are positive human traits.
They are applied to cities for good reason. For a city to be perceived
as a special place, it needs a strong identity. People look for
such a strong identity because they have a need to identify with
their home town. Cities with a distinctive character make life easier.
In this respect, identity is an important aspect of the quality
of life, especially in the anonymity of mass consumer society.
Urban
Identity
A city that has developed and grown in the course of the centuries
often possesses a distinctive individuality, expressed primarily
by its architecture. Striking public spaces and public buildings
draw people’s attention and remain in their minds: historic marketplaces
and parks, boulevards and alleys, sometimes even entire neighbourhoods,
whether they are dominated by villas or by low-income housing, and
with that, of course, churches, town halls, museums, theatres, stadiums.
The
City without Qualities
Personality and character are less to be taken for granted in the
case of rapidly growing cities. Where there is neither awareness
nor sensibility, and where the will, the means and the ability are
lacking, the cities remain faceless.
This is true not only of many industrial centres built since the
19th century, but also, in Germany, of the cities destroyed by wartime
bombing and rebuilt after 1945 within a short time with limited
funds. Today’s service society produces its own sad examples, from
the suburban commercial complexes to the dormitory towns and shopping
malls surrounded by car parks.
Urban
Rivalry on a Global Scale
Global urban rivalry, with cities vying for investment and jobs,
has sharpened political awareness of the competitive disadvantage
created by a lack of individuality. As a result, programmes have
been drawn up since the 1980s with the express aim of strengthening
the identity of cities. Historical examples have served as templates.
In the current debate, the critical evaluation of the market has
played an increasingly important role, as have questions of the
quality of life and environmental responsibility. Further impetus
has come from the development of media, communications and information
technology.
The
Cityscape as Resource
In this situation, the political and economic sectors expect urban
design and architecture to help increase the city’s appeal to international
organisations and corporations and their staff. By creating technically
and aesthetically sophisticated and even spectacular buildings,
architect are responding to the demands of the media society. The
public awareness created by the media is one of the desired side-effects
of good architecture. Media presence is seen as enhancing a city’s
image.
As a rule, however, the realisation of individual buildings is not
enough to shape the face of a city. In order to change a city’s
public image, the overall cityscape has to be changed. Success can
be achieved only by means of long-term programmes with a solid economic
grounding, social outlook and clear cultural dimension.
Within the scope of such programmes, the town planners and architects
are responsible for implementing the spatial and structural objectives
of the urban community. If they succeed, they not only enhance the
infrastructure and appearance of a district, but the image of the
city as a whole.
City
Marketing and City Tuning
What is described in today’s business-oriented world as city marketing
and city tuning is not entirely new. Indeed, it has often been practised
in the past, as in the case of the Rhine-Main area around Frankfurt
in the course of the last two centuries.
For example, the centre of Wiesbaden, which was restructured and
largely rebuilt within the space of a few decades around 1900 is
one of the best preserved documents of historicist architecture
and urban planning in Germany.
Darmstadt, with its Mathildenhöhe park, exhibition buildings, Wedding
Tower and the homes of the artists and architects grouped around
Josef Maria Olbrich and Peter Behrens, is home to some impressive
masterpieces of Jugendstil.
Frankfurt am Main has worker housing by Ernst May and Mart Stam,
as well as buildings by Hans Poelzig, Peter Behrens, Martin Elsaesser
and others inextricably linked with the heroic period of Modernism.
Yet this, the smallest of the world’s global cities, has gained
its undeniably distinctive present appearance only in the last few
decades with the reconstruction of the medieval Römerberg square
and the riverside museums of the Museumsufer as well as the highrise
skyline with its Commerzbank, Main Tower, Messeturm and Torhaus
buildings.
UIA
Rhine-Main 2002
Against this backdrop, the Preliminary Frankfurt Conference in the
run-up to the UIA Congress in Berlin 2002 is addressing topical
issues of urban planning and architecture by way of example of the
Rhine-Main area. This will take the form of lectures at the Deutsches
Architektur Museum, tours of Frankfurt and excursions to Darmstadt
and Wiesbaden to view historically relevant buildings and structures
as well as highlights of contemporary architecture. The Preliminary
Conference concludes with a visit to Documenta 11 in Kassel.
Apart from the professional and specialist aspect, the BDA in Hesse
also values the opportunity of exchanging views with fellow architects.
We are looking forward to welcoming colleagues from many countries
and will do everything to ensure that they enjoy an interesting
and unforgettable week in Germany.
Receptions, parties and tourist attractions will also be part of
the Frankfurt Preliminary Conference. Participants are to be given
the opportunity of studying master works of historicism, Jugendstil,
Modernism, Post-Modernism and contemporary architecture in the region,
with local architects as their guides. The personal and the professional
are of equal importance.
In order to ensure a personal atmosphere, the number of participants
is limited to 100 architects, students of architecture and their
partners. The event is open to interested parties from all countries.
All the lectures and guided tours will be in English.
Programme
The programme is currently being drawn up and is subject to alteration
without notice.
Registration
Participants can register via the DER offices and hotlines.
The fee is € 120.- and € 80.- for students on presentation
of an international student card.
The fee includes participation at the receptions, lectures and visits,
including guides and bus travel.
The price does not include hotel accommodation, food and entrance
to Documenta 11.
Event
management
An
event of the Bund Deutscher Architekten BDA im Lande Hessen
in co-operation with:
Architektenkammer Hessen (AKH)
Bund Deutscher Baumeister Landesverband Hessen (BDB)
Deutsches Architektur Museum (DAM)
Stadt Frankfurt am Main
Städelschule Frankfurt am Main
Verband Freier Architekten Landesverband Hessen (VFA)
Concept and organisation: Dr Manuel Cuadra
Assistant: Martina Kempf
Programme
Friday, 19 July 2002 - 6 pm to 11 pm
Frankfurt Evening
Official inauguration of the UIA Preliminary Conference Rhine-Main
2002
Venue: Deutsches Architektur Museum
Saturday, 20. July 2002 - 9 am to 1 pm
Cityscape as Resource - The Conference
Venue: Deutsches Architektur Museum
Saturday, 20. July 2002 - 2 pm to 6 pm
Cityscape as Resource - The Excursions
1. The Historicist City: Imperial Wiesbaden
2. The Jugendstil City: Darmstadt and J.M. Olbrich
3. The Modern City: Frankfurt and Ernst May
4. The Postmodern City: Museumsufer Frankfurt
5. The Contemporary City: Skyline Frankfurt
Saturday, 20. July 2002 - 7 pm to midnight
Hessian Evening
Architectural discussions in a festive setting
A joint event of:
Bund Deutscher Architekten Hessen (BDA)
Bund Deutscher Baumeister Hessen (BDB)
Städelschule Frankfurt am Main
Verband Freier Architekten Hessen (VFA)
Venue: Städelschule Frankfurt am Main
Sunday, 21 July 2002 - 10 am to 5 pm
Architecture today: Rhine-Main
Excursions to buildings and offices in Frankfurt, Darmstadt and
Wiesbaden
Sunday, 21 July 2002 - 10 am to 5 pm
Art today: Documenta 11 Kassel
Guided tour of the world's foremost showcase for contemporary art
Sunday, 21 July 2002 - from 6 pm
Excursion to Berlin
Bund Deutscher Architekten BDA im Lande Hessen e.V.
Braubachstrasse 10/12
D-60311 Frankfurt am Main
eMail: uia@bda-hessen.de
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