Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
POST-MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
Jurgen Habermas
Voit and Werder: The Munich Glass Palo.ce, Munich 185J,from Ludwig
Hilbmheimtr: 'Hallen Bauten: Leipzig 1931, p 107
Contemporary cityscape
The need to undmtand the fondammtal issues underlying the crisis and
confusion in rTU!dLm architecture over the W.st years is only too clear,
particular~y befort one can consider the question of the future facing
architrcturr Uxlay: a critical continuation ofModernism or a radical break.1
A possible answer to this dilemma is given in thefollowing ttxt; an inaugural
sperch presmtrd by Professor jiirgm Habermas in December 1981 at the
exhibition 'The Other Tradition - Architecture in Munich from 1800 up to
Uxla)". This text was first published in the Siiddeutschr Zeitung of 5-6
December 1981. It rrcmlly appeared in Der ArchiUct No. 2, 1982,joumal
ofthe BDA- the West Gmnanequivalenttothe RIBA -onthtoccasionofthe
lOth Goddtsberger lecture on 'The Architecture of Modernism
an
Incompletr Projtct', triggered by Professor Habermas's ideas and organiud
by the BDA.
In this text Professor Habermas analyus the present dispute between
Modernism arui Post-Modernism., criticall)' delineating the main trends in
opposition to the Modem Movement. In order to evaluate the inherent
arguments and possibilities ofthe twofronts, Habermas reassmts the social,
economic and technological conditions. in response to which the Modem
Movtment arost,the problems it attempted to answer through itsprogramme,
its successes- whtrt historical architecturefailed- and itsfailures tofact the
overpowering mechar1isms of the development of industrial capitalism
Within this context, a 1110rr 'objrctivr' assessment of the W.test trends and
1/lOtJtmmts in architecture- (Post-Modernism., Neo-Hirtoricism andA/ternatzvr Architecture), becomes possible; b;critismgopposing trends to Modem
Archittcture, Habermas suggests that a critzcal continuation ofModemzsm
which is still an 'fncompkte Projrcl' constitutes a viable alttr110live.
/V OPPOSITION TO UOJ)fRNIS\1
It" not taw w <hwmanglt til<' fronuer\ for all parties agree in the
P _'>09
and town planning. I would like to mention the three best known
challenges:
- tht qualitativclv new requirements in architectural de~ign,
the new material\ and comtruction techniques, and finally:
- tht \ubjugation of archil<'cture to new functional. above all
economic. unpetati,e~
Waltrr Gropun: 1-agur Factor,, Al/rld an drr Lrinr 191/.from W MiillaWulckow: 'Bautrn drr Arfmt und dt.\ Vukrhrs'. Lrtpz.tg 192 5, p 21
p 2)2
jo1rph Pa'l:ton Cmtal Palacr. l.Jmdon I 'iH-18~4. photograph ofthL
bui/dmg uru/a CtlllllrudtOTI. from lht l !pprr .Vont'Ood Public LJbrary
f lM Cry1tal Palau Foundalton). London
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Bruno Taut: Sudlung BriJ1. 'Das Hufwm', Btrbn 1927,from W MiUltrWuldow: 'Wohnbautm und Sudlungm', Ltlpug 1928, p 106
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TIIC0.\1PULSIONOFTHSYSTEM,ARCHITCTURANDTH
WIU TOUF
JufKtn Habennas has anl'CI "' lht Diuttm .11 lht \ta,Piant 1.. hl,tiluw.u
St.lmlxfK for reearch imu tht li' ing <"onduwoh in !Itt' ' l inuifit
H't hn1cal world \Inn 1971 . I k wa'" rncard1 a~i\lant a1 the lmtitutt for
Snti.ll Swdu:' in Frankfurt from 19'ih 111 1<159. He held lht Chaor for
Plulmo11ll\ a1 1he Unnr\U\ of llt-iddb<f'K from 1961 10 19b1 .utd
"'h't'qutn!lv he wa' appoinlt'd 1lw Ptofl'\'iOr for Philo,oph\ .:tnd
Sunulo~ ;u1hc Uni,el\il\ ofl-r.ml..fun Jurgtn Ho~benna~ ha., publilll'd
wideh. among\! his mo'' \\Til-known boo I.., .m Thrort ar1d Prn-.:11 of I t)63
ilnd CultuuatldCriltnll11of1973. In 1976. he received llwSigmund-Frcud
Prite for ~dcmilic prose awarded bv llw Ctrman Acadcnw for L..utgu.tgt
,mel Poe1rv.
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