Reviving Ungers' Visions: Catalyst for Architectural Innovation at IBA 87 among Postmodern Architects

Abstract

This contribution explores the impact of architect Oswald Mathias Ungers and his innovative urban concepts on contemporary city planning. Ungers, whose career began in the 1960s, played a pivotal role in bridging the gap between modernism and postmodernism while fostering a rich exchange of ideas between American and European architectural circles. He developed significant urban experiments, including The Urban Villa, Urban Garden, Grossform, Archipel City, and City within the City. These projects often used Berlin as a testing ground, transforming the city into a laboratory for his visionary ideas. Ungers’ influence extended beyond conventional architectural practice; this position granted him influence within a network of urban theorists who shaped the urban discourse of the late 20th century. A defining moment occurred in the 1980s with the IBA 87 exhibition in Berlin. This event provided a platform for Ungers’ ideas to permeate the architectural community. Architects like Aldo Rossi, Peter Eisenman, John Hejduk, and Rem Koolhaas, who were working on adjacent projects, diverged from the rules of the competition and proposed innovative systems, fed by Ungers concepts. The architectural visions and methodologies that Ungers pioneered remain highly relevant today as cities grapple with a multitude of challenges. By revisiting Ungers’ groundbreaking concepts and approaches, contemporary urban planners and architects can find valuable insights and inspiration to address the pressing issues facing our cities in the 21st century.

Keywords

• architectural theory
• urbanism
• o.m.ungers
• iba 87
• postmodernism