Otto Steidle, München
Otto Steidle is one of the most well-known and versatile german architects, whose residential and office projects have consistently forged new directions in architecture over the past decades. Steidle creates city spaces and living spaces, which allow for the development of individuality and freedom. His architecture is one which offers an individual "democratic” occupation of spaces. This openness is also reflected in the spontaneous and sketch-like manner of his drawings and designs.
Over the years, Steidle’s interest has increasingly shifted from an emphasis on the single building towards the correspondence of structures within its urban context. As expressed in his guiding principle "not the building determines the city, but rather the city determines the building,” Steidle consequently seeks urban forms which develop out of their specific circumstances. He views the old urban structure not as a completed whole, but rather as an open system, which can still incorporate future urban, spatial or functional development. The transfer of urban elements, such as pathways, courtyards and plazas within residential areas, mixed use areas or campus settings, makes possible the urban reference as well as the opening up of formerly closed building structures. Steidle’s structures retain their contextual relationship, while simultaneously introducing new definitions. In this manner his signature remains recognizable and does not succumb to courteously reproducing typical local elements.
While global architecture increasingly displays a tendency towards high-tech and glass, as well as towards technological dematerialization, Steidle’s structures are determined by volume and material. They do not desintegrate, nor do they simulate transparency, but rather they create spaces: spaces which incorporate the old and new, the public and private, but which are not ultimately determined. This "unfinished” and yet simultaneously integrating element is perhaps Steidle’s most important contribution towards the renewal of cities and buildings. Behind his occasionally conventional-seeming facades lie an enormous functional diversity, the spaces of which allow for undefined inbetween zones, whose quality is best expressed as the "correspondence between aesthetics and democracy”.
The exhibition is presenting Steidle's recent work in Munich, Bremerhaven and Beijing by means of sketches, models, plans, film- and photo material.
Welcome:
Kristin Feireiss, Berlin
Christoph Sattler, Berlin
Hans Stimmann, Berlin
In the midst of his happiness and his creativity Otto Steidle suddenly left this world on February 28th 2004.
