Coop Himmelb(l)au
Office Viena:
Spengergasse 37
1050 Vienna
Austria
TEL +43 1 546 60 – 0
FAX +43 1 546 60-600
Email office@coop-himmelblau.at
Web http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/
CHBL Jobs jobs@coop-himmelblau.at
Additional Offices:
Los Angeles
Specialties:
Architecture
Urban planning
Design
Art
History:
In 1968 Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky, and Michael Holzer founded Coop Himmelb(l)au in Vienna, Austria. Wolf D. Prix began studying architecture at the Vienna University of Technology and completed his studies at the Architectural Association of London and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Helmut Swiczinsky started his studies of architecture at the Technische Universitat and continued at the Architectural Association of London. Prix and Swiczinsky were the leading members of the firm and in 1971 Michael Holzer left the team. In 1988 they formed Coop Himmelb(l)au LA / Cloud Inc. LA. Between 1996 and 2006 Karolin Schmidbaur, Wolfdieter Dreibholz, Harald Krieger, among others, joined the firm.
In German, Coop Himmelb(l)au means “Blue Sky Cooperative” or “Sky Building Cooperative”. Coop Himmelb(l)au is an example of Deconstructivist architecture that began in the late 1980’s. “By breaking continuity, disturbing relationships between interior and exterior, fracturing connections between exterior and context, Deconstructivism undermines conventional notions of harmony, unity, and apparent stability” (Stevens, “Deconstructivism”). The designers tend to create assymetrical and unconventional structures with non-rectilinear shapes that are considered as part of a postmodern architecture.
Selected Projects
JVC Entertainment Center- Guadalajara, Mexico
Art Museum Strongoli- Strongoli, Italy
Music Cloud- Paris, France
Busan Cinema Center- Busan, South Korea
BMW Welt- Munich, Germany
Pavilion 21 MINI Opera Space- Munich, Germany
Reference:
Coop Himmelb(l)au. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/
Stevens, James. “Deconstructivism.” A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved August 30, 2011 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-Deconstructivism.html
