Architecture Through My Eyes

This book starts by discussing Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an artist who became an architect through collaboration with Joseph Krawina. Hundertwasser’s works, such as the Kuntshaus and the Spittelau, became emblematic of an alternative design style, one that was freer and more natural than the geometric style it displaced. The next topic of discussion is functionalist style proponent Otto Wagner, who successfully created an alternative design that is now known as Jugendstil style. The influence of this movement is quite widespread throughout the world. Wagner felt that Art Nouveau and Art Deco were at odds with the more traditional historicism. Next we discuss the Emperor’s greenhouse in Vienna, particularly the history and style of the Schmetterlinghaus (Butterfly House), a structure that was used to invoke a fantastical atmosphere in the Emperor’s Tropical Garden. From Austria we shift to the Netherlands and explore the Delft City Canal, discussing the history of the city and the canals that cut through it, which is one of most significant characteristics of the city landscape found in the Netherlands. After this we discuss the riverside village of Overschie, a small village not far from Rotterdam, comparing the face of the past and the present as found there. The next topic is the architectural icon of the Cube Houses of Rotterdam and the concept of “Living under an urban roof” applied by architect Piet Blom, along with a discussion of the history of the Kubus Woning (cube houses). Still in the Netherlands, we examine the famous Kinderdijk windmill, which is located not far from the city of Rotterdam. Photographs of unique windmills can be seen in this section. From the southern part of the Netherlands we go to Dutch Friesland in the section “The Small Houses of Hindeloopen,” which discusses the small fishermen’s houses in the region. This area was one of the consumers of the VOC’s (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie—Dutch East India Company) merchandise. From the Netherlands we go to Germany to examine the image of Weisis-Ossis (West-East) architecture of Berlin, which gives a lot of information about the flavor of this once-divided city. We also examine how the two halves of the city maintained their monuments (denkmal). etc.