Boris Podrecca: Architecture

Architecture as the poetics of differences
The Architektur im Ringturm series is presenting a cross-section of Podrecca’s most recent work, in an exhibition space designed by the famous architect himself. Before the turn of the millennium, Podrecca was commissioned to redesign the foyer of the Ringturm and transform the counter area into a modern exhibition centre. The show includes a selection of fascinating projects from the past decade, with detailed accompanying texts. Besides architectural models, visitors can also look forward to publications comprising an impressive collection of international critiques of Podrecca’s work. There is an emphasis on the incredible diversity of his oeuvre, as well as Podrecca’s outstanding ability to integrate his designs into existing settings. In addition, the exhibition showcases some older works in unusual locations, including in Venice, Piran, Belgrade, Graz and Vienna. 

He is one of Europe’s most internationally renowned architects: Boris Podrecca. He had a multilingual upbringing, and works in a multicultural milieu, be it Belgrade or Ljubljana, Trieste or Venice, Vienna or Stuttgart. The parameters of his work have their origins in architectural theories of the late 19th century, from the likes of Semper, Böttcher, Viollet-le-Duc and Labrouste. Influenced by Wagner and Plečnik he places an emphasis on structure and materials; he picked up ideas on the stratification of space from Loos; meanwhile, his extended journeys to the East taught him about the intangible nature of light. Podrecca’s designs are the product of a polyphonic process, and this approach means his works do not bear a clearly recognisable signature. In this era of the globalisation of architecture, which nowadays is increasingly serving purely as a brand, Podrecca’s anthropological method allows him to move in a direction all of his own. He is constantly on the lookout for a specific identity and context resulting from the uniqueness of the sites for his projects. His designs are not characterised by an easily recognisable symbolism, nor by gestures or minimalisation.