The New Modernists: German Architecture for the 21st Century

1993 / 58 min. / color
Directed by Michael Blackwood
Featuring: Christoph Ingenhoven, Thomas Herzog, Walter Nägeli, Julia Bolles, Peter Wilson, Hilde Léon, Konrad Wohlhage, Michael Schumacher, Till Schneider, Thomas Britz, Peter Alt
Consultants: Kenneth Frampton, Wilfried Wang

The New Modernists: German Architecture for the 21st Century presents a visit with seven architectural practices at the sites of their best work in many parts of Germany. The eleven architects, all born after World War II, give insight into the situation of architecture and its position in Germany today, a country which played a key role in the advance of modernism. Discussing landscape, culture, structure and form, the architects offer their own views on modernism and what it means for them and their work. On the subject, Thomas Herzog says the following, “Modernism, as an offspring of the enlightenment, represents not just an aesthetic vision, but also a technical one- a deep belief in the potential of the natural and technical sciences.” (Thomas Herzog). In their juxtaposing ideas, the eleven featured designers shed new light on the past, present and future of modern architecture.