What is new German architecture, what are its distinguishing features, its character? This publication presents an extensive portrait of contemporary architecture in Germany. Well-known authors in the field describe 26 state-of-the art buildings and projects by German architects from 1990 to the present, and, by means of a selection of eleven architectural firms, provide an overview over the most important movements in German architecture since 1975.
If new architecture in Germany indeed reflects facets of zeitgeist, if - according to Nietzsche, with liberties - it is supposed to be architecture after the German soul, then the selection presented here primarily shows one thing: We have finally entered an epoch without „great tales“ (Lyotard). New German architecture does not lend itself to being forced into formal or programmatic patterns, cannot be classified into schools, tendencies or clear traditional lines. This „lack of clarity“ (Habermas) is not only an expression of a farewell to great ideologies but also indicates a specifically heightened cultural sensitivity. Moderate, not overbearing, self-assuredly thoughtful, undogmatic: New German architecture is the architecture of a self-critical, reflective modernism.
(English edition available 3-7757-1194-5)