Idee und Modell /Idea and Model

Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg are considered to be among the most acclaimed architects worldwide. Their projects and completed works have in fact attracted international attention. The present book focuses on the models produced over the years and therefore offers a unique look into the creative process of the architects. Of primary importance is the quality of the designs and buildings which is already easily discernible in the models. What is also perceptible is the need to maintain and further develop the high standards which had already distinguished the early projects. The architects seek no short-lived trends or superfluous effects; on the contrary, what they consider of utmost importance is their sense of social responsibility which, in a firm of such dimensions, is translated into no shallow pathos but rather into a daily commitment. "Architecture is an art that is applied in society. The result is the product of a dialogue." (Meinhard von Gerkan)

Given the large number of the buildings and competition designs (from among 256 award-winning works, 98 have received first prize) not everything can be included in the annals of architectural history, but the essential components of their work and that of their staff cannot be overlooked: namely, the attention to structural details, the material-oriented design and a simplicity based on usefulness - all elements which, in the best examples cited, have attained a level of self-evident naturalness.

Text: English, German