Lebbeus Woods: System Wien

by Manuel DeLanda

"System Wien is an experimental sketch of Vienna's first District, and shows how it might find a way to change, even radically..." New York architect Lebbeus Woods, founder of the Research Institute for Experimental Architecture (RIEA), is deeply involved in architectural theory and experimental work. Rather than approach individual building plans, he develops visionary projects that embrace science, philosophy, and art. His design process, a complex intellectual model also inspired by science-fiction icons, has influenced generations of architects. Woods sets his hypothetical projects in zones of crisis--he believes that the architect's task is to design spaces and urban structures that react to the full range of human living conditions.

The transdisciplinary treatment documented here is a series of architectural interventions, on the urban structure of Vienna's first district. The accompanying essays provide a broader context for the project, and analyze the work and ideas of one of the most important architects of our time. Bound with exposed boards and an open spine, the book's stitches, glue and fragmented images draw a parallel between Woods's work and the architecture of the book.

Genres: Architecture

116 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

Manuel DeLanda (b. in Mexico City, 1952), based in New York since 1975, is a philosopher, media artist, programmer and software designer. After studying art in the 1970s, he became known as an independent filmmaker making underground 8mm and 16mm films inspired by critical theory and philosophy. In the 1980s, Manuel De Landa focused on programing, writing computer software, and computer art. After being introduced to the work of Gilles Deleuze, he saw new creative potential in philosophical texts, becoming one of the representatives of the 'new materialism'.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of space and architecture being used to produce and contain space rather than as a necessity for shelter.