FREt OTTO

COMPLETE WORKS
LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION
NATURAL DESIGN
EDITED BY
WIN FRIED NERDINGER
IN COLLABORATION WITH
IRENE MEISSNER
EBERHARD MOLLER
MIRJANA GRDANJSKI
ARCHITEKTURMUSEUM
DER TECHNISCHEN UNIVERSITAT
MONCHEN
.
ur,'f,

BIRKHAuSER - PUBLISHERS FOR ARCHITECTURE
BASEL BOSTON BERLIN
CONTENT
Foreword
FreiOtto
WorkingforaBetter"EarthforMankind"
Winfried Nerdinger
NaturalForms- Architectural Forms
Rainer Barthel
The LightweightPrinciple
Eberhard Moller
Frel OttoandBiology
Ulrich Kull
In HarmonywithNatureandTechnology
OnFrei Otto'sArchitectureandWorkMethod
Irene Meissner
MODELSANDEXPERIMENTS
WhereArchitecture
andCivil EngineeringMeet
Rainer Graefe
InstituteforDevelopmentofLightweight
ConstructionandAtelierWarmbronn
Ewald Bubner
TheInstituteforLightweightStructures
UniversityInstituteandSpinners'Centre
Berthold Burkhardt
FrelOttoandOveArup
ACase ofMutual Inspiration
Christian Brensing
Frel OttoandTed Happold
1967-1996andBeyond
Michael Dickson
Ethics,AestheticsandInnovation
A Speech by Frei Otto
6
8
16
WORKSHOPOF IDEAS
DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES
CATALOGUE OF WORKS
Buildings andProjects 1951-2004
Irene Meissner, Eberhard Moller
130
168
32
44
56
64
70
Appendix
Frei OttoandProjects in theOrient
A PersonalAccount
Bodo Rasch
HomagetoFrel Otto
Biography
Bibliography
Contributors
Glossary
IndexofNames
IndexofLocations
Thanks
IllustrationCredits
360
362
368
370
383
384
386
388
389
390
80
90
102
110
124
Impressum
This bookispublished ontheoccasion oftheexhibition
"Frei Otto Construction, Natural Design"
attheArchitekturmuseum derTechnischen Universitat
Munchenin derPinakothekder Moderne from 26May
to28August 2005.
Edited byWinfriedNerdinger
In collaborationwith: IreneMeissner, EberhardMtlller,
MirjanaGrdanjski
Authors: RainerBarthel.ChristianBrensing, Ewald
8ubner. BertholdBurkhardt,MichaelDickson, Rainer
Graefe. UlrichKull, IreneMeissner, EberhardMtlller,
WinfriedNerdinger. Frei Otto. BodoRasch
Photographs: GabrieleWinter, BarbaraSchulze,
ArchitekturmuseumderTU MOnchen
Researchassistants: Michael Bacherl. Florian Bartoschek
Translationsfrom German intoEnglish;
Christian Brensing, Berlinandlondon:pp.l02-108
lauraBruce, Berlin: projectnos. 1,2,7-10, 12. 16,
18-26, 30,32,37,39-40, 43, 45, 47, 50, 55, 83
Eva Jaksch, SI. Konrad (A): pp. 16-55, pp. 70-89,
pp. 125-128,p. 361; projectnos. 3-6,11,13-15,17,
27-29,31,33-36,38,41-42,44,46,48-49,51-54,
58-63,66-68,70-73, 77-B2, B4-B6, 88-89, 91,
93-96, 102-103, 105-111, 114, 116-121, 124, 129,
131, 133, 135, 137, 140, 142-145, 147, 151-152,
154, 160-162, 167, 169, 171-173, 175-177, 181,
183-IB4, 188, 191-194
WilliamMartin.Berlin: pp. 56-63
Joe O'Donnell, Berlin: pp. 362-369,pp. 383-385
MichaelRobinson. london:pp. 6-15,pp. 64-4>9,
pp. 90-101, pp. 130-171.p. 386; projectnos. 56-57,
64-4>5, 69, 74-76, Bl. 90, 92, 97-101, 104. 112-113,
122-123, 125-128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138-139,
141, 146, 148-150, 153, 155-159, 163-166, 168, 170,
174,178-180,182,185-187,189--190,195-196
AtelierWarmbronn
Cover: Projectstudy ofaconvertibleroofcovering
the MultimediaStadiumofFarbwerkeHoechst, multi-
pleexposureofthe roofin motion, Photo: Atelier
Frei OttoWarmbronn
Frontispiece: Frei Otto, around 1972, Photo:Fritz
Dressler, Worpswede
Illustrationonthispage:AtelierWarmbronn, Archi-
tekturmuseum derTechnischen Munchen
illustrationcreditson p.390
BibliographicinformationpublishedbyDieDeutsche
Bibliothek
Die DeutscheBibliotheklists thispublicationinthe
Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailedbibliographic
datais available in the internetathttp://dnb.ddb.de.
Thiswork issubjecttocopyright.All rightsare reserved,
whether the whole orpartofthe materialis con-
cerned, specificallytherightsoftranslation, reprinting,
re-use ofillustrations, recitation, broadcasting, repro-
ductionon microfilmsorin other ways, andstoragein
databanks. For any kind ofuse, permission ofthe
copyrightownermustbeobtained.
C 2005 Birkhauser- PublishersforArchitecture,
P.O. Box 133,CH-4010Basel. Switzerland
www.birkhauser.ch
Part ofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia
Thisbook is alsoavailableinaGermanlanguage
edition(lSBN-l0: 3-7643-7233-8
ISBN-13: 978-3-7643-7233-0)
Printed onacid-freepaperproduced from
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Printed inGermany
ISBN-lO; 3-7643-7231-1
ISBN-13: 978-3-7643-7231-6
987654321
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Peaceflagsforleonberg,
;
drawingNovember27, 1997
1 'DerHerrdesAugenblicks, SeineLiebe gilt
I
dem leichtenundBeweglichen: Ein
:i mitFrei Olto""DieZeit, February2, 2003
2 "Terredes Hommes' was themaltaofExpo '67
t
1
in Montreal, quotingthetitleofabookbyAntoine
deSainHxupery; followingquotation:Fre; Otto,
"Umweltvon morgen- Baukunstimwandel".
Wie werden wirweiterleben? Documentationof
the talksand discussions. 42. Bundestag ofBOA
Hanover 1967, quotedfromBertholdBurkhardt.
FreiOtto, SchriftenundReden 1951-1983.
Braunschweigand Wiesbaden 1984, pp. 73-74
3 'ImDialogmitderNatur, Frei Otto1m
Gesprllch".WolfgangPehnt. DieErfindungder
Geschichte. Munich 1989, p. 161
4 BrunoTaut. DieAuf!6sungderStadteoderdie
Erde eineguteWohnung. Hagen 1920
5 Frei Otto. "DieZeitdervielenArchitekturen".
AllgemeineBauzeitung, 1972,quotedfrom
Burkhardt. 1984(note. 2), p, 123
6 Frei Olto. 'Subjektivesunci Kritischeszu dem,
wasanderealsmeinWerkbezeichnen". Karin
Wilhelm.Arcnitekrenheute. PortraitFrei Otto.
Berlin 1985, pp. 132-133
7 Frei Otto. "StuttgarterArchitektur- gestern,
heuteundmorgen".StadtebaulichesInstitutder
UniversitlltStuttgart(Ed.).Zehn Vortrilge, Stuttgart
1979,pp. 75-100, quotedfromBurkhardt. 1984
(note. 2), p. 156
8 Frei Otto."Subiektivesund Kritischeszu dem,
wasandereals meinWerk bezeichnen",Wilhelm.
1985(note6), pp. 131-170
9 Frei Otto,StuttgarterArchitektur- gestern,
heuteundmorgen, 1979,quotedfromBurkhardt,
1984(note2), p. 157
10 FrelOtto" "StuttgarterArchitektur- gestern,
heuteundmorgen". 1979, quotedfrom Burkhardt.
1984(note2),p. 157
11 "MirwlrdspeiObel. Frei OttoOber diewest-
deutscheNachkriegsarchitektur". DerSpiegel, 13,
1977, pp. 223-226; Frei Otto. "HOr!endlich auf,
weitersowldernatOrlichzubauenI".Schriftenreihe
desArchitekren- unciIngenieur- VereinszuBerlin,
issue 29, Berlin 1977, quotedfromBurkhardt.
1984(note2),pp. 140-149,the followingquota-
tionsare also there; forFrel Otto'sopenletters
d.thebibliography.
12 Frei Otto. "DieStadtvon morgenunddas
Einfamilienhaus. 8aukunstundWerkform 1956,
quotedfrom Burkhardt. 1984(note2), p. 37
13 Frel Otto. "HOhnerlegefabriken fOr Menschen-
undkein Architekt,derdagegenstreikt".lui, "
1979, pp. 26-28
14 Frei Otto.StopplendlichdieVerfalschung.
Wei8enhof-Resolution".AllgemeineBauzeitung,
51,1980,p.44
FREIOTTO
WORKING FOR A BETTER IEARTH FOR MANKIND"
WinfriedNerdinger
Itis thegaitofafree man
thatleads tothefreedomofothers
MichelFoucault
Architecture is an existential matterforFrei Otto. He is notinterestedin creating
apiecejustforan individualclient, or in self-presentation, hewants his buildingsto
contributetoimprovingeveryone's livingconditions. He is notinterestedin con-
structingindividualworks, butinconducting aprocess thatisdirectedatavision, at
creatingarchitectureforapeacefulsocietyin harmonywithnature: "Myhopeis that
light,flexible architecture mightbringaboutanewand open society."1 This higher
aim makes Frei Ottodifferentfrom mostpeoplewhocreate buildingsand, atthe
same time, itidentifies histoweringsignificance as an architectwhois awareofhis
responsibilityforworkingonthe "terredes hommes",'an earthformankind: "An
earth formankind, thatsums upman'searthlyhabitat".Itisthearchitect'sjobto
work on "sustainingahabitat"3thatincludesall therealmsofman and nature:
"Iam constantlyamazed thateven colleaguescannotsee thewonderfulimageof
thisearth." OnlyBrunoTaut, shortlyafterthe First WorldWar, formulatedasimilar
vision oftheearth, calling ita"gooddwelling" for all mankind..
Shotintoadulthoodinthewar
Social commitmentwas oneofthecharacteristicsofNeues Bauen in thetwenties.
Frei OttoisoneofthefewpeoplewhotookupthisapproachaftertheSecond
WorldWar, andalsodrewaradical conclusion from twelve years ofNazism, crime
and an "architectureof killing". s "We,mygeneration,whowereshotintoadult-
hoodinthewar, wanted tohelpwithrebuilding, wantedtogetover thewar, the
megalomania, thecultoftheFOhrerandofpersonality, wantedtobe allowedtolive
- buttoremain modestwhiledoingso."6 Even today, Frei Otto'skeyideasandwork
can be tracedback tosome influentialexperiences duringtheNationalSocialist
period:forhim, "liberationfrom theyokeofthethirties" waspossible onlyif"this
period is recognized, andpeopleactaccordingly".'Hehimselfunreservedlyadmits
thatas ayoung person hesuccumbed in avery few, comparativelyharmless cases to
NS propaganda,andso he wasableall themoreclearly toexpress hiscontemptfor
the manyarchitects, lawyers,teachersorpoliticianswhowere supposedtobe building
upademocracybutkeptquietaboutwhattheydid in theNS period, ordidnot
even regret it, likethe "dreadfullawyer" Filbinger.
9
"Burningcitiesare ahardintroductorycourse foryoungarchitects",10 Frei Otto
pronounced in retrospect. Itwasfromthisappraisal ofhisexperiences and influential
events in theNS period thathedrewthemoralforcetokeep involving himself
in buildingevents in West Germanyandtopointoutmistaken developmentsmore
clearlythanscarcely anyoneelse; such developmentswereoftensymptomsofapast
withwhichthecountryhadnotyetcometoterms. Buthisangryappealsagainst
"unnatural""building, hiscall toteardownthe "sinfulmountain" withwhich "the
surface oftheearth" had been "encrusted(...)in thelast 30years", orhiscry that
"ourmodernhousingmakeme sick" rang outjustas ineffectivelyas hisprotestsand
open lettersrailingagainstthe "destruction oftheEuropean culturelandscapewith
state-driven, barracks-likedwellings",12 against "chicken batteriesforhuman
beings""orthe "re-nazification" ofStuttgart'sWeissenhofsiedlung in thepost-war
period.,.
9
.. ~
.. .;. ... - ~ :.: . . I , . .'
\ - ,... ~ ,, - ~ \, .
.~ ~ ~ . . > ,'_.... r ,,:'
Federal Garden Exhibition Kassel 1955. music pavilion
Federal Garden Exhibition Cologne 1957. dance pavilion
10
"Agentlerooflike acloudscape",drawing, 1980
GermanPavilion atExpo '67, Montreal, model
German PavilionatExpo '67, Montreal
15 OttoBartning(Ed.). DarmstadterGesprilch:
Mensch undRaum. Darmstadt 1952,p. 137
16 Ibid., p. 86
17 BrunoTaut. "NiedermitdemSerioslsmus".FrOh-
licht 1920, issue 1. p. 11;0.WinfrledNerdinger.
"'ElngroBerBaum muBtlefe Wurzelnhaben'.
Tradition undModernebel BrunoTaut". Idem(Ed.).
Bruno Taut. Architel::tzwischen Tradition und
Avantgarde. StuttgartandMunich2001, pp. 9-19
1 B WlnfrledNerdinger. "Aufbruch ..undKontinu-
itaten. Positionen derNachkrlegsarchitekturinder
Bundesrepublik".Idem(Ed.). Architekturder
Wunderkinder. AufbruchundVerdrilngungin Bayem
1945-1969.Salzburg 2005, pp. 9-23
19 Frei Otto. "Mitleichtigkeitgegen
AllgemeineBauzeitung, 1976,reprintedin:
Burkhardt. 1984(note2), pp. 128-132
20 FretOtto."Gestaltwerdung.ZurFormentstehung
in Natur, Technik undBaukunst".arcus, Architektur
undNaturwissenschaft, 4. Cologne 1988,p. 73
21 laszloMoholy-Nagy. Von MaterialzuArchi-
tel::tur. BauhausbUcher 14. Munich 1929,wherethe
developmentofartis describedascontinuingde-
materialization; Marcel Breuersketched thedema-
terializationofachairtothepointofsittingona
columnofair; ct. alsoWinfriedNerdinger. 'Walter
Gropius. TotateArchitekturfOr einedemokratische
Wett".lahrbuchdes ZentralinstitutsfiirKunst-
geschichte. Vol. 2. Munich 1985,pp.343-373;
Andreas K. Vetter. DieBefreiung des Wohnens.
Tuebingen 2000
Build light and keep mobile
Frei Otto'sdeterminedrejection ofanyformofheavy, solid. earthbound building.
which was associated. notjustforhim, withGerman sentimentalityaboutthe home-
land andtheNazi-stylecultofbloodandsoil. wasalso based on hisexperiencesin
theNationalSocialistperiod.WhentheGermanarchitecturalelite metin Darmstadt
in 1951 foradiscussion on "manand space". Egon Eiermann declared thattheold
homelandwithfolk-songs didnotexistany more. the newhomeland was the whole
world. and so itwas his jobtodesign"homelessness".15And Hans Schwippert
added: "Isitnotremarkablethat(...)goodmaster-buildersarebuildingtentsallover
theworld, light.openthings."15 This plea forlight, mobilearchitectureis notjust
reminiscentofthemanyconnotationsofthe "international" modern architectureof
thetwentieswithaeroplanes, shipsand nomads' tents. butalsoofmanifestosimmedi-
atelyaftertheFirstWorldWar. whensome architects. faced withdestructionfrom
the materialbattles. demandeddematerialisation ofarchitecture, and thusitsspiritu-
alization. Just as theglassand tentfantasies from thegroupoffriendsaround Bruno
Taut("TheCrystal Chain")wereapacifistresponse topeoples "drinkingblood"'1
inthewar. theappeal forlightweightbuildingaftertheSecond WorldWarhada
strong ideologicaltingeatfirst.18
ButitwasonlyFrei Ottowhodeveloped acomprehensive. society-related idea of
architectureaccording tothemotto "with lightnessagainstbrutality"" fromthese
beginnings. Even his firsttentstructures, which broughthim recognitionandcaused
astir. liketheawningsforthe Federal GardenExhibitionsin Kassel in 1955(->13,15)
and Colognein 1957 ( ... 18-22)and thetentroofsatInterbauin Berlin in 1957
(...26-30)weresigns ofahithertounknownapproach in Germanarchitecture: light,
filigreestructures. almostfloating, andyet firmlybraced.withnootherfunction
than toprotectthepeopleunderneaththem. and simplytakendownagain when
thepeoplegoaway. The tents seemed simpleand modest. andyettheyweresigns
oftechnical perfection. Theopen spaceswithfluenttransitionstothesurrounding
area drewvisitors inand didnotkeep them captive. "Agentlerooflikeacloudscape"
was Frei Otto'spoeticimage forthevision ofapeacefullycheerful harmonybetween
protectiveroof. landscapeand people, and atthesametimeinvoked themobility
andtransienceofthetentstructures. The German Pavilion in Montreal(...76)was his
firstopportunitytorealise thisvision onalargerscale; heaptlyreferred toitas a
"light-heartedimprovisation".Itstartedanewera
20
oflightweightbuildingusing
cable netconstructions. afterVladimirSuchov'stentin NijniNovgorod and Matthew
Nowicki'sRaleigh Arena. ThetransparentGerman Pavilion attheBrussels WorldFair
by Egon Eiermannand Sep Rufwas intendedtoshowtheworldachanged Germany.
and Frei Otto'stentin Montreal broughtinternationalrecognition forthetransfor-
mation intoanew. peacefuldemocracy.
Lightweight construction programme
Dematerialisation and lightweightconstruction had been underdiscussion. ever
since industrialisationandtheincreased use ofsteel andglass in building. as indicat-
orsofmodernisationand ofconstructionthatis calculated intermsofbuilding
staticsand planned economically, Sigfried Giedionandotherarchitecturalhistorians
have constructedahistoryofthedevelopmentofmodernarchitecturefromthe
increasingdematerialisationthatcould be linkedwiththedisappearanceofhistorical
forms. The dematerialisationofobjectsorequipmentas a "liberation" ofhuman
beingswascelebratedattheBauhausas well. and seen as parallelwiththedevelop-
mentofmobile. international humanbeings.
21
Then afterthewardematerialisation.
understoodas usingagreatdealofglass, andtransparency. served as ausually
vague statementresisting theheavy. massivearchitectureoftheNS period. Butother
than Frei Otto.very fewpeopledeveloped a "philosophy" oflightweightconstruc-
tionwithsocial connections. Onewhodidwas BuckminsterFuller. whodefined
theweightofbuildingsas ameasure ofthestandardofdevelopmentnotjustof
industrialisation. butalso ofmankind.
22
11 f

Oval exhibitionhall, NijniNovgorod, Russia, 1896
Arenain Raleigh, North Carolina, 1950-1953
22 Cf. R. BuckminsterFuller. UtopiaorOblivion:
The Prospects ofHumanity. london1970; Idem.
Operating ManualforSpaceship Earth. NewYork
1963;Idem. KonkreteUtople. Duesseldorf 1974,
"thegeneralprinciplefindingwaysofdoingmore
withless".
23 Wilhelm. 1985(note6), p. 80
24 Frei Otto. "StuttgarterArchitektur gestern,
heuteundmorgen". 1979,quotedfrom Burkhardt
(note2), p. 166; Frei Otto. "DieneuePluralitatund
dasVerhaltniszurNatur".SystemealsProgramm,
arcus, ArchitekturundNaturwissenschaft, B.
Cologne 1989,pp. 30--33
25 Frei Otto,"DasZeltdach,5ubjektiveAnmerk-
ungenzumOlympiadach",Allgemeine8auzeitung,
1972,quotedfromBurkhardt. 1984(note2),p.98
26 "Ein Zeit-Gesprlch" (note 1)
27 "DieKongrellhallen-Debatte",Bauwelt, 1958,
pp. 13-16,quotedfromBurkhardt. 1984(note2),
p,45
28 Frei Otto.Oash.fingendeDach. Berlin 1954,
pp.88-93
29 Wilhelm. 1985(note6),p. 71;Frei Otto.
"ModerneArchitektur", Burkhardt. 1984(note2).
pp.62-63
Lightweightbuildingand "liberation"are linkedforFrei Ottoas well. Butunlike
manyotheradvocatesofprogrammaticModernismhedid notbelievethattrans-
parentmaterialorlightweightconstructionsalonecan improvetheworldwelivein,
as "constructionsare notboundtoscale. Theycan be enlarged and reduced several
times by thepoweroften, theystillwork,(andso)weshould be aware thatcon-
structionsdonotactuallyhaveanythingtodowithpeople."23 So thecrucial feature
forhimis thelinkwithpeopleandthequalityofthestructuresforpeople. He does
howeverstrictlyrejectthewoollyterm "humanebuilding",which is mostlyapplied
touse, as he is notconcernedwith thewell-being ofindividuals: "Buildingsare
'humane'onlywhenthey promote peaceful human co-existence."24 This ambitious
claim is oneofthe reasons whyFrei Ottois nevercontentwithasolutionthathas
been foundonce, andwhyacertain formoflightweightconstruction neverbecame
auniversal architecturalsolutionfor him: '" have neverbeen satisfiedwithapiece
ofworkIhave been activelyinvolved in, and wouldneverwanttobe."25
Do not build prestigiously. but ephemerally
For Frei Otto, lightweightconstruction does notjustmean minimising mass, mate-
rials and energy, butalwaysbuildingadaptably, changeablyand thus "ephemerally".
This attitudeis alsobased on experienceswiththe "Nazis'whispersofeternity".2'
Official NationalSocialistarchitecturewas intended togivean impression ofeternity
andpermanencethrough itsmonumentalityand mass, and torepresent thestateas
asymbolofpower. So throughouthislifeFrei Ottohas rejected notjustheavy archi-
tecture, butalsoanyform ofsymbolicorprestigiousarchitecture. The "thousand-
year Reich's" claim toeternity, intendedtobe madevisible and manifest in marbleor
granitebuildings, has always been profoundlyrepugnanttohim. lightweightbuild-
ings, deliberatelyconceived tobe changeableand removed, andthatconveynoclaim
tobeing prestigiousorimposing, are his responsetotheleaden NS architecture,
expressing contemptforpeople. Hetherefore reacted correspondingly violentlyto
the returnofthe monumentalaftertheSecond World War.
TheBerlin Kongresshallewas allegedlyan architectural sign of"freediscussion",
financed by the USAand builtby Hugh Stubbinsin 1956. Frei Ottowastheonly
person toturnagainstthenewformofsymbolic, prestigiousarchitecturewhen he
declared: '''Freediscussion'cannotbebuilt, butitcan bemadepossiblethrough
building."27 Inadiscussion withthe architectand theengineerFred N. Severud
he criticisedtheluxuriousmaterials, thepompousplatform, thetheatrical monumen-
talityand theheavy pressure beam in theroof. As acounter-model, Frei Otto
sketched MatthewNowicki'ssuspended cable netconstruction betweentwoparabo-
loidreinforced concretearches fortheArena in Raleigh, whose light, unpretentious
structurewithitsbright, completely column-freespace had profoundlyimpressed
himeven atthedesign stageon thevisittotheUSA in 1950, and given important
impetustohis ownexperimentswithtentsand cable nets.'"Frei Otto'sviewwas
confirmed, latebutsadly, whentheperipheral beamsofthe Kongresshalle, exces-
sively largeforreasons ofprestige, andwhich he had particularlycriticised, collapsed
in 1980.
Frei Ottosubsequentlyalwayscriticised buildingswithaclaim tobeing imposing
orsymbolic, even iftheyhad been designedbythemostfamousarchitects, like
Le Corbusier'sconcrete tentandtheAtomium,whichforhimsymbolised onlythe
nuclearthreat, atthe 1958Brussels World Fair, Eero Saarinen's bird-shapedTWA
terminal in NewYorkorthesails on Jorn Utzon's SydneyOpera House,'"Buthewas
particularlyoutragedwhenJamesStirling'sdesignfortheNeueStaatsgaleriewas
chosen forrealisation in "his" cityofStuttgart. He didnotepositivelythefactthat
Stirling hadoutdonetheStuttgartarchitecture cliques, whohefelt "shapedtheface
ofthecityin apetit-bourgeoisfashionwiththedeviceofcompetitions, which look
so democratic," as isthepracticeeverywhere, buthesawthenewbuilding as
nothing but "stonestage-setwallswithgiganticcornices thatdonotsupportaroof.
Fortress architecturewithclaimstoeternity. Ademonstration ofpoweras aback-
12
Roof construction sketches for the Berlin
Kongresshalle
Berlin Kongresshalle, partial collapse, May 21, 1980
30 Frei Otto. "Brutalismus in Stuttgart?".
Stuttgarter leitung, 1977, quoted from Burkhardt.
1984 (note 2), pp. 152-153, following quotation
also there.
31 Frei Otto. "Bauen fOr morgen?". 1962, quoted
from Burkhardt. 1984 (note 2), p. 49; following
quotation p. 60
32 Ibid., p. 53; d. the Team X group's criticism of
the Seagram Building: "a still born on a podest"
33 Ibid., p. 49
34 Frei Otto. "Mit Leichtlgkeit gegen Brutalitat",
Quoted from Burkhardt. 1984 (note 2). pp. 129-130
35 Bruno Taut. Die neue Baukunst in Europa und
Amerika. Stuttgart 1929, p. 54; d. Winfried
Nerdinger (Ed.). Bruno Taut. Stuttgart and Munich
2001 (note 17), pp. 9-19
36 Frei Otlo. "Stuttgarter Architektur - gestern,
heute und morgen". 1979, quoted from Burkhardt.
1984 (note 2), p. 161
37 Frei Otto. Gestaltwerdung. Zur Formentstehung
in Natur, Techn;k und Baukunst. arcus, Architektur
und Naturwissenschaft, 4. Cologne 1988
38 Frei Otto. "HOrt endlich auf". Burkhardt. 1984
(note 2). p. 142
39 Concepts. 29. Architektur - Natur; it would
be interesting to study the connections between
work at the IL and the research conducted by !lya
Prigogine and Manfred Eigen, who invented the
term for molecular chemical
and biological processes, d. Manfred Eigen. Ruthild
Winkler. Das Spiel. Naturgesetze steuem den
Zufall. Munich 1975; lIya Prigogine. Dialog mit der
Natur. Munich 1981
ground for art." But he did find the" model" for Stirling's deSign, Alexander von
Branca's Neue Pinakothek in Munich, even more repugnant: "Here we have the
perfect fac;ades of the Speer epoch again, hanging in noble, alienated stone." The
powerful experience of the NS period is the background for all this criticism of a
development that Frei Otto fought at first and then just followed with resigned
abhorrence: "Modern architecture is dead. The monument is back."
The uniform cannot be overcome with form
Better than most architecture critics, Frei Otto established with his own clarity and
precision the reasons why modern architecture was in a state of crisis: even in
the twenties there was no real functional building in many cases. Instead function
was used as an expressive device, and thus ultimately served the formal ideas of the
individual designer. The Neues Bauen architects' striving for new structural solutions
remained trapped in a "style of emphatic functionality,"" thus functionality had
"become decoration", as people were still living in the world of Expressionist ideas,
and so thought that architecture had to express something. Rebuilding then brought
about the .. traditionalism of modern architecture", as now the visions and experi-
ments of the twenties were simply being translated formulaically into mass building.
Instead of experimenting further and looking for solutions, people were content to cite
formal elements. In Mies van der Rohe's case still produced crystalline rigidity!2 but
in the hands of mediocre architects it led to the" tedium of gridded fac;ades" ,33 to
"mass production in the stylistic garb of the threadbare functionalism"" or to the
decoration of cubic forms, spreading all over the world as the international style.
The development of an architecture that Bruno Taut had criticised as the "tedious
schematics of international trash "'5 as early as 1929 led to the counter-movement of
Postmodernism, which saw the return of historical forms, self-presentation by the
architect and formal experiments for the sake of form alone. Frei Otto used his con-
tinuous interdisciplinary work for understanding the way in which forms and natural
constructions emerge to resist this false insight that modern architecture's new-found
uniformity could be overcome by "form": "The cry for form comes from those who
have no idea of the origin and extent of the infinity of forms. "36
New building culture needs work on basics
Frei Otto has worked like no other 20th century architect on investigating "Gestalt-
werdung"" - the emergence of form - in nature, technology and architecture, and
on developing a new form of light and natural, adaptable and changeable building
from the understanding that flows from research. The research institutions that he
founded and directed, the Institute for Development of Lightweight Construction in
Berlin and the Institute for Lightweight Structures in Stuttgart, were unique places
for basic interdisciplinary research that was open to results, and its impulses and
stimuli spread all over the world. This was not about isolated forms and constructions,
but about their laws, and understanding them generally, not about individual achieve-
ments, but about a joint search for solutions. It is only this kind of basic research,
which is seriously neglected in the field of architecture, that can produce new ques-
tions and solutions: "New building culture needs the broadest possible work on its
basic principles ..... Complaints about the lack of a building culture, which have been
as effusive as they have been maudlin in recent years, will lead to nothing if this
idea of Frei Otto's is not considered and implemented.
The fact that Frei Otto increasingly directed his research at understanding "natural
constructions" from the fifties, and that he wanted to grasp the processes of self-
organisation' and of the economy principle in nature, also fits in with his rejection
of individual self-representation in designing and building. In contrast with the cult
of personality pursued by many architects, which he has found suspicious and repug-
nant since the experiences of his youth, he supports an almost "anonymous" kind
of building, intended to emerge from harmony with nature and its laws as a matter
of course. And so his working medium is primarily the model, which can be used to
13
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Sketches for the "Peace Monument" figuregroup, drawing May 1988
41
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40 Frei Otto. Bodo Rasch. Gestalt finden. Auf dem
Weg zu einer Baukunst des Minima/en. Munich
1995
41 Frei Otto. "Die Zeit der vielen Architekturen".
Allgemeine Bauzeitung, 1972, quoted from
Burkhardt. 1984 (note 2), p. 122
42 Frei Otto. "Subjektives und Kritisches zu dem,
was andere als mein Werk bezeichnen". Wilhelm.
1985 (note 6), pp. 162-163
43 Frei Otto. "Hert endlich auf". Burkhardt. 1984
(note 2), p.147
simulate form-finding and optimisation processes.
40
And understanding the processual
character of natural constructions in its turn almost inevitably produces a position
that runs completely counter to the individually fixed formal expression of the" artist
architect", whose products Frei Otto feels are simply "show-off architecture"", even
though it dominates the architectural magazines. And so at best, he played the role
of an outsider to the architecture scene, was rarely invited to take part in competi-
tions, and never appointed to serve on judging panels.
Frei Otto's visions are aimed at tents with minimal surface areas, at grid shells stabilised
by inverting traction lines, at pneumatic envelopes whose form is determined by
pressure ratios and that sit on the landscape like a second skin, or at buildings
that can be adapted to their particular needs by changing owners and can always be
altered. For him, this work on natural constructions is part of a rational form-finding
process following natural laws, but it is also part of a larger vision directed at a
peaceful and free society in harmony with itself and nature. The ascetic architect falls
into astonishing dreams of "sensual architecture"" as part of these visions, of a
"delicate, heavenly collage ( ... ) on the theme of peace and love", or of building a
kind of "love pavilion", as ultimately for Frei Otto work on mankind's earth leads
to "peaceful love-architecture "43 in a "happy cultural landscape" . A dream that he
does at least dream, unlike most architects, as for him "visionary imagination is
never utopian" .
15