2006 RAIA National Conference

Architecture giant Coop Himmelb(l)au was formed in Vienna in 1968 by Helmut Swiczinsky and Wolf D. Prix. In the 37 years since then, the pair has agitated, explored, challenged, explained, sketched, modelled, and eventually built a range of incredible projects across the world. They have realised projects ranging from remodelling in Vienna to city planning in France.

Since coming to prominence with their incredible Rooftop Remodelling in Vienna, Austria, they have continued to create exciting and challenging buildings that include the Groninger Museum, East Pavilion, in the Netherlands; the UFA-Cinema Centre in Dresden, Germany; the SEG Apartment Tower and the Apartment Building Gasometer B in Vienna. The Academy of Fine Arts in Munich has just been completed, and both the BMW Welt in Munich, and the Akron Art Museum in Ohio are well into the construction stage. New projects include the Central L.A. High School for the Performing Arts, and competition winning schemes for the Musée de Confluences in Lyon, France; the House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark; the Busan Cinema Centre, in Busan, South Korea; and the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. They now have second offices in Los Angeles, California, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Coop Himmelb(l)au have walked the often uneasy path between theory and practice, always looking beyond the past and present, to an architecture of the future, debating vehemently along the way. As a fledgling firm in 1968, they proclaimed "Coop Himmelb(l)au is not a colour but an idea - the idea of having architecture with fantasy, as buoyant and variable as clouds". In 1980, they said: "We are fed up with seeing Palladio and other historical masks, because we do not want to exclude everything in architecture that makes us uneasy. We want architecture that has more to offer. Architecture that bleeds, exhausts, that turns and even breaks, as far as I am concerned. Architecture that glows, that stabs, that tears and rips when stretched. Architecture must be precipitous, fiery, smooth, hard, angular, brutal, round, tender, colourful, obscene, randy, dreamy, en-nearing, distancing, wet, dry and heart-stopping. Dead or alive. If it is cold, then cold as a block of ice. If it is hot, then as hot as a tongue of flame. Architecture must burn!"

With their knowledge, experience, and constantly challenging approach, Coop Himmelb(l)au have a great deal to tell us about an architecture for the future. We are honoured to be joined by Wolf D. Prix at the National Conference to further challenge, discuss, agitate and debate these ideas and more.