Hans Hollein: Haas House, 1010 Vienna, 1985–1990
Atrium, Variation
© Architekturzentrum Wien, Collection / Archive Hans Hollein, Az W and MAK, Wien
The Az W Collection Online represents a milestone in the digital dissemination of Austrian building culture. The result is not an ordinary database, it is a dynamic knowledge space that links architecture with the people behind it, images and contextual information. From now on, architecture enthusiasts, students and researchers from all over the world have access to this network of knowledge on Austrian architectural history at any time.
The Az W is the only architecture museum in the country, and holds the world’s most comprehensive collection on Austrian architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries, which includes over 110 gifts and bequests. Following several years of development work, these have now been combined with the widely used Encyclopaedia of Architects that and integrated into the extensive archives of the architectural photographers Friedrich Achleitner, Karin Mack and Margherita Spiluttini, all on one online platform.
Moving From Data to Relationships
While conventional museum databases typically catalogue the individual objects that are in their collections, the Az W Collection Online shows the relationships between architecture, key individuals and the relevant documentation. The data on the buildings is augmented with photographs, drawings, models and documents from a wide variety of collections, as well as information on the people involved and their lives. This is manifested a networked knowledge space that provides new insights into Austrian architectural history.
Searches for buildings, for example, do not only draw on the plans and drawings in the architects’ collections but also the legendary index cards of architectural theorist Friedrich Achleitner, photographs by architectural photographer Margherita Spiluttini and extensive biographical details — moving from data to relationships.
100,000 Entries, Countless Connections
The Az W Collection Online currently links around 30,000 buildings, 4,000 people and more than 65,000 images. These 100,000 records from more than 90 collections are combined in a growing network that is constantly being expanded with new content, collections and research findings. New access to buildings, people, archives and documentation opens up a diversity of perspectives on the history and stories of Austrian architectural culture. Some of these entries are now also available online via Kulturpool.
The Collection is Becoming More Female
A special focus is on bringing to light women in architectural history who have received little attention to date. In collaboration with the Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Centre on the project Pioneering Women in Architecture in Vienna, the Az W is focusing on the lives and works of women architects who studied at Austrian educational institutions prior to 1938. Their works, networks and life stories are gradually being integrated into the Az W Online Collection, broadening the scope of Austrian architectural history.
A Digital Archive of Austrian Architecture
The Az W Collection Online is generating a digital archive of Austrian architecture. By linking buildings to the people involved and photographs and documentation, it sheds light on interconnections between them and provides the general public with a new approach to engaging with architecture, building culture and research.