Wolf D. Prix & Coop Himmelb(l)au: Get Off of My Cloud [Paperback]

Martina Kandeler-Fritsch (Editor), Thomas Kramer (Editor), Wolf Prix (Contributor), Helmut Swiczinky (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2006

Coop Himmelb(l)au was founded in 1968 in Vienna, Austria, by Wolf D. Prix and Helmut Swiczinsky, and has been working steadily since in the fields of architecture, urbanism, design and art. Among the architectural projects that have helped to develop the firm's international reputation are the roof extension on Falkestrasse in Vienna and the UFA cinemas in Dresden. Its most recent undertakings include the headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt/Main, the JVC New Urban Entertainment Center in Guadalajara, Mexico, and a crop of new buildings in China. Those currently under construction include the Akron Art Museum in Ohio and the BMW entertainment center in Munich. Texts play a prominent role in the creativity of this distinguished pair of architects, and Get Off of My Cloud brings together a representative selection of their writings: plans, aphorisms, interviews, statements, critiques, speeches and lectures. The collection offers unequaled insights into the theoretical and artistic content of Coop Himmelb(l)au's extensive oeuvre.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Hatje Cantz Publishers (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3775716718
• ISBN-13: 978-3775716710
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,372,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Off Of My...Text!, February 14, 2008

By 

Spyridon Kaprinis "SpyArch" (Thessaloniki, GREECE.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wolf D. Prix & Coop Himmelb(l)au: Get Off of My Cloud (Paperback)

This book is quite a joy to read and have, if one is interested in understanding (a bit) how an important architect like Wolf D. Prix constructs - or de/re-constructs - his thoughts and points of view... The graphics and lettering of the book are kind of loose and low profile...which is an asset. I really appreciate the fact that W.D.Prix compares architecture to [rock]music [even though I am not a huge fan of Rolling Stones]...I think that this volume is pleasant to read, it offers one a basic background to Coop Himmelb[l]au's historical and conceptual profile... It is not exactly a manifesto of their work,...it is closer to an article-archive, concerning the architects' thoughts and mental images, procecess and a bit of Vienese, architectural "radicalism".I believe that dividing the book into chapters like "Programmatic Texts", "Selected Project Texts","Lectures", "Interviews", "On Friends And Foes" and "...And Other Texts" alows the reader to have a panoramic view of the uncanny beauty of CoopHimmelb[l]au's work, in terms of texts [ Derrida would have loved that, I guess!]...I believe that this book could be an ideal primer, especially for architectural students and professional architects who are mature enough to understand Prix's mentality and point of view, without translating it automatically into the architecture he produced/-es..."Thinking Across Borders" is what it is all about! Finally, I believe that the book has a more of a "Gimme Shelter" [ even though shelter and astronaut-spacesuits used to be of the same value for W.D.Prix back in the 70's!] and "Start Me Up" effect on me, rather than a "Get Off Of My Cloud" one! Love it! ;-)