Anything goes!

M:AI – Museum für Architektur und Ingenieurkunst des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V.

The new notion of materiality in architecture

"Anything Goes" is about the interrelationship of material and form. For hundreds of years, architects and engineers built with the materials they found in their area: clay, wood, textiles, limestone or sandstone, marble and bronze. But also new materials were invented: glass and concrete, for example. In the 19th century industrialization brought forth a whole new range of materials: cast iron, reinforced concrete, synthetic materials. They fundamentally changed the face of architecture. And today engineers are researching smart constructions from light but extremely strong materials. And Material properties that are being explored in computer simulations are stimulating design innovations. This is the focal point of the exhibition. It is presenting the latest examples in design with new materials.
Behnisch Architekten contributes two of their projects to the exhibition that make use of special materials in their façade and roof:

Speed Skating Stadium Inzell
Unilever headquarter for Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Gelsenkrichen, Germany

  • Date
    07.11.2013 - 15.12.2013
  • Venue
    Stadtbauraum, Boniverstr. 30, 45883 Gelsenkirchen

The exhibition venue - an old ventilation building of the coal mine Oberschuir, part of the Zeche Consolidation (Consolidation Coal Mine) in Gelsenkirchen - is itself an exhibit. It is a part of architectural material history: This old brick and plaster building opened in 1908 displays hints of the New Gothic Style and Art Nouveau and there is a new office building added in the 1990th of concrete and glass.

Aachen, Germany

  • Date
    20.01.2014 - 21.02.2014
  • Venue
    Carpus+Partner, Forckenbeckstr. 61, 52074 Aachen (Campus RWTH), Germany
  • Opening
    January 19, 2014, 11 a.m.