Description:

In all the crises of recent years, hardly any topic has repeatedly come to the focus as much as the question of how we will live together in the future. Time and time again, it becomes apparent that the scenes of these social processes are the facades of our buildings. 

Be it in the pandemic, where forms of living and working were questioned in times of worldwide lockdowns, and the retreat from public space into the private created precarious realities. People lost their opportunities for personal fulfillment, were suddenly physically as well as socially isolated. Windows and balconies suddenly became the only way to experience some spatial freedom, became the only physical place of communication with people outside one's household. 

And other crises also leave their mark on architecture. In wars, the public space of coexistence suddenly becomes a space full of danger and destruction. Gaps appear in the city, which are later filled with something new. Elsewhere, energy becomes limited and solutions are sought to make buildings more sustainable and efficient. And fundamentally, digitalization and the current development of AI will also have an impact on our urban space. 

In the history of architecture, facades have always been a reflection of our circumstances. Wealth produced magnificently designed facades, bad times created simplicity. Violent environments were countered by defensive buildings; times of peaceful prosperity were celebrated with the greatest possible openness and lightness.