“The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945” is the first major UK exhibition to focus on Japanese domestic architecture from the end of the Second World War to now, a field which has consistently produced some of the most influential and extraordinary examples of modern and contemporary design.

In the wake of the war, the widespread devastation of Tokyo and other cities in Japan brought an urgent need for new housing, and the single family house quickly became the foremost site for architectural experimentation and debate. In the years following, Japanese architects have consistently used their designs to propose radical critiques of society and innovative solutions to changing lifestyles. Considering developments in residential architecture in the light of important shifts in the Japanese economy, urban landscape, and family structure, The Japanese House presents some of the most exciting architectural projects of the last 70 years, many of which have never before been exhibited in the UK. As well as architectural projects, the exhibition incorporates cinema, photography and art in order to cast new light on the role of the house in Japanese culture.

Nikola Dobrović (1897–1967)—one of the most significant architects of the Serbian and Yugoslav architecture of the 20th century—designed and built quintessentially modern villas, gardens, and hotels in the Mediterranean landscape of the south Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea. The photographer Wolfgang Thaler has preserved these buildings in photographs depicting the beauty in decay of these heroic works of international modern architecture and conveying their meaningful Mediterranean resilience. His photographs will be exhibited for the first time in Serbia. 

The book Dobrović in Dubrovnik features these contemporary color photographs by Wolfgang Thaler together with previously unpublished original design drawings as well as black and white photographs of the buildings from the period of their construction. Comprehensive historical, theoretical, and phenomenological readings of events and forms, in two essays by architects Krunoslav Ivanišin and Ljiljana Blagojević respectively, describe a specific yet, by its spirit, universal Venture in Modern Architecture.

Muzej primenjene umetnosti / Museum of Applied Arts, Belgrade

Europan is Europe's largest innovative competition for Architecture and Urbanism. As a European federation of national structures it simultaneously organizes two-year innovative competitions of urban projects followed by implementationss for young under-40 professionals in architectural, urban and landscape design.

The CLB Berlin at Aufbau Haus exhibits the results of Europan 13 / The Adaptable City in Germany and Poland. 

It also hosts the German opening ceremony of Europan 14 / Productive Cities on 24 February, 10 am to 6 pm.

E-Book EUROPEAN URBANITY – THE ADAPTABLE CITY Results of Europan 12 & 13 in Austria

Under the theme of EUROPEAN URBANITY—THE ADAPTABLE CITY, fundamental aspects of a contemporary architecture program and the adaptability of European cities are presented for discussion in this e-book: how do concepts put forward by young competition winners contribute to the positive development of our cities? The publication presents 40 international projects from two competition rounds for nine locations in six Austrian towns and cities: Amstetten, Bruck/Mur, Graz, Linz, St. Pölten and Vienna—six first prizes, nine second prizes, five special mentions and 20 shortlisted projects. In addition, Jens Metz—an architect and urban planner in Berlin and a member of the technical committee of “Europan”—reflects on the concept of adaptability as an innovative driving force for the development of European cities.

50 years ago in 1966, Eckhard Gerber began his career as a freelance architect in Meschede, Germany. Forming the basis of his new business, which he named “Werkgemeinschaft 66,” was a series of successful competition entries that he had worked on as a student. During the many years of success that followed, the firm, which has been based in Dortmund since 1979, has grown steadily. Today, Gerber Architekten has some 170 employees and further offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Riyadh, and Shanghai.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Gerber Architekten, this exhibition offers insight into the various strategies and approaches used by the firm to realize its express goal to create places that touch people’s hearts and awaken their desires. With the help of drawings, models, photos, renderings, books, and films, select building projects will be presented in the context of their respective zeitgeist and constantly new architectural challenges, addressing a wide range of themes surrounding urban development as well as functional, cultural, and artistic issues. Additional key parameters impacting each project are the site’s specific characteristics, its history, topography, and surrounding structures, the climate and connectivity, as well as energy and ecological needs – aspects of particular importance today. At the heart of the design process is always the connection of architecture with the landscape and/or urban space. This has been achieved by embedding the building within the surrounding environment, by allowing the latter to flow into the building, or by establishing relational perspectives between them.
Featured projects include: the Göttingen State and University Library (1993), the Harenberg City Center in Dortmund (1994), the new Trade Fair Center in Karlsruhe (2003), the Biological Institute of the Technical University in Dresden (2005), the RWE Tower in Dortmund (2005), the U Tower – Center for Art and Creativity in Dortmund (2010), the King Fahad National Library in Riyadh (2013), the head-end structures of Quarter of Nations in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg (2014), the Justus Liebig University in Giessen (2016), the Qur’an Museum in Al Madinah al Munawarah and the Haram Intermodal Metro Station in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), as well as the HEHE Holdings office building in Taiyuan (China), which are currently in planning.