Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 12, 2004|Volume 33, Number 11

This observation tower in Killesberg, Germany, is among the works by Jörg Schlaich and Rudolf Bergermann highlighted in the exhibition "Light Structures."

Exhibit illuminates architects'
work with 'Light Structures'

Jörg Schlaich and Rudolf Bergermann, structural engineers who are pioneers in sustainable and ecological construction, will be the focus of an exhibition on view Nov. 15-Feb. 4 in the gallery of the School of Architecture, 180 York St.

"Light Structures: The Work of Jörg Schlaich and Rudolf Bergermann" explores many of the two visionaries' projects in light of the holistic principles that have governed their work.

Schlaich is founder of the Stuttgart-based consultant engineers Schlaich Bergermann and Partner and emeritus professor of the Institute for Structural Design at the University of Stuttgart. He is known for developing innovative structural concepts through an interdisciplinary creative process that links knowledge and intuition, science and pragmatism.

Schlaich and Bergermann have said that, for them, structural engineering means transforming the requirements of individuals and society into technically and economically feasible conceptions, using renewable energy to the greatest degree possible.

The exhibition will feature an extensive selection of their works -- including towers, bridges, roof structures and facades -- and will demonstrate how the architects' innovative designs minimize material input and thus meet the designation "light structures."

The exhibition is divided into three parts: The first section covers various structural systems that illustrate the basic principles of load dissipation and structural planning. The second section, the core of the exhibition, showcases the partners' most important projects. The third section focuses on solar power plants and their prototypes with explanations of how solar reflector systems and solar chimneys function.

The exhibition originated at the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt-am-Main and later traveled to Hamburg. The Yale School of Architecture is the exhibition's only scheduled stop in the United States. Digital versions of the show have circulated through China, starting at Tongji University in Shanghai, and through Italy, from the Architectural School in Venice. The show will return to Europe in 2005, with stops in Stuttgart, Lausanne, Vienna and Barcelona.

A reception will mark the opening of the exhibition at Yale on Monday, Nov. 15, 5:30-7 p.m. Sclaich is scheduled to deliver a public lecture at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 24, in Hastings Hall, located in the basement level of the Art & Architecture Building.

"Light Structures" is supported in part by Carolyn Brody, Frank O. Gehry and Gordon H. Smith.

A free 25-page black-and-white catalog, featuring an interview with Schlaich, will accompany the exhibition. A 320-page catalog in German and English will be on sale for $40 at the gallery. Designed by Moniteurs in Berlin and published by Prestel Publishing of Munich, London and New York, the book includes a total of 1,000 images, mostly in color, and essays by well-known American and European theorists and engineers.

The hours for the gallery are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, contact the School of Architecture at (203) 432-2288 or visit its website at www.architecture.yale.edu.

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