M:AI and the journal archplus are the publishers of a special architectural history collection. Volume 179 of archplus is completely under the sign of the architectural theory of Oswald Mathias Ungers: the special edition shows extensive materials from his Berlin lectures in the years 1964-65.

archplus 179
Oswald Mathias Ungers
Architectural Theory
Berlin Lectures 1964 - 65

This edition is the first time that the Berlin lectures of Oswald Mathias Ungers from the years 1964-65 have been published. In an international context they can be placed on the same level as such important works as "The Architecture of the City" by Aldo Rossi and "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture" by Robert Venturi. While the latter attempted to alter the understanding of the city and architecture, in the years of change in the 1950s and 1960s Ungers attempted to re-establish the theory of architecture. Although the subject of the lectures is restricted to the museum, it could have been any other subject as well, because OMU argues in a typological-morphological manner. For this reason, the lectures formulate archi-tectonic thinking beyond the thematic link, which claims universal validity.

In the first pages of the magazine Ungers introduces his way of thinking to the reader in a very personal discussion with Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist. The individual lectures are opulently illustrated and are introduced in each case by layout tableaux and analytical drawings that reflect synoptically the contents of the lectures. At the end, selected problems, such as the famous weekly tasks and exemplary student works, give some indication of the effect of Ungers's theory of architecture. As a whole, the magazine is an attempt to illustrate Oswald Mathias Ungers's architectonic thought in a surprising variety, beyond the clichés that are linked to his person. The unusually comprehensive and particularly attractive edition can also be very much recommended as a textbook and collection of material for all readers and students who are interested in the history of architecture.

When ordering quote:
ISBN 3-931435-08-3