Urban Planning Museum, Dalian (China).
Rock star buildings Austrian architect Wolfgang Reicht plans eccentric landmark buildings in both China and India, but more and more strives to implement his generalistic approach in Europe as well. TEXT: CORNELIA BRELOWSKI I PHOTOS: WOLF REICHT ARCHITECTS
Unique, courageous, iconic: Reicht buildings are like rock stars. Those who have seen projects like the ‘Dalian Planning Museum’ or the ‘Changxing Island sport center’ in China know that also for identity-forming buildings, function and form do not need to contradict each other.
advantages especially for largescale investors by granting the harmonious, consistent implementation of the spirit that Reicht likes to see realised. “These landmark buildings work like a business card for the client, which makes it even more important that the initial idea is visible.”
“Architecture means identification,” explains Wolfgang Reicht. “That kind of holistic spirit needs to be palpable to create added value. To reach this goal, you need a good client and an architect who knows how to effectively combine technology and emotion, spatial experience and interior design.”
Apart from the Asian public sector, company headquarters in particular achieve a certain uniqueness through signature architecture – which is especially important within a mega market like China. The same applies for entire districts. Wolfgang Reicht explains: “Citizens need buildings with which they are able to identify and describe their borough. This is by no means an exclusively Chinese problem: Especially within the rapidly expanding parts of European cities, endless kilo-
For projects of such complex nature, the architect as generalist has to become the central contact person – a model that yields 86 | Issue 61 | April 2018
metres of anonymity are being created as we speak. While there is no objection against exhausting building regulations to a maximum, the regulations should grant more liberties in the first place.” Regarding China, there is still a lot on the agenda for Wolgang Reicht. However, his home country also entices the architect: “The world is growing together step by step. The exchange becomes more intense, in each direction. Chinese investors with an international focus show more and more interest in our market as well. We are currently experiencing that with two projects in Austria.” Changxing Island sport center (China).