Beautiful or Good?

The biennial series ’Best of Austria’ published by the Az W is 20! Examplory for the 10th anniversary edition, four award-winning conversion projects show the qualities that open up building with the existing substance – ecologically, socially and in terms of design.

Architecture is at a turning point: the focus is no longer on the iconic individual object, it is on a resource-saving, socially responsible culture of building. The adaptation of existing buildings, reusing material and the use of locally sourced supplies not only change the building practice, they also stand for an aesthetics of the simple, the used and the unfinished. Some voices miss the appeal of design here. Can sustainable architecture be beautiful, then? We discuss new values and aesthetics for building on the basis of four award-winning conversion projects.

With:
Dietrich Untertrifaller, Bregenz/Vienna
gaupenraub +/-, Vienna
illiz architektur, Wien/Zurich
smartvoll Architekten, Vienna

Moderated by: Barbara Feller, editorial team, ‘Best of Austria. Architektur’