Mobiles Büro

Hans Hollein

Mobiles Büro, 1969

"Im Koffer zu transportierendes Atelier"

Artwork text

Everything is Architecture Limited and traditional definitions of architecture and its means have lost their validity. Today the goal of our activities is the environment as a whole—and all the media of its determination: TV, or artificial climate, transportation or clothing, telecommunication or shelter. The extension of the human sphere—and the means of its determination—go far beyond a constructive statement. Today, everything becomes architecture. “Architecture” is just one of many means, is just a possibility. Among the various media that define our attitude and our environment today—and also as a solution for certain problems—“architecture” is one possibility. Man creates artificial conditions. This is Architecture. * Physically and psychically man repeats, transforms, expands his physical and psychical sphere. He determines “environment” in its broadest sense. According to his needs and wishes he uses the means necessary to satisfy those needs and to fulfill his dreams.1 He expands his body and his mind. He communicates. Architecture is a medium of communication. Man is both—a self-centered individual and part of a community. This determines his actions. Once a primitive being, he has continuously developed himself, at the same time expanding these media. Man has a brain. His senses are the basis for his perceptions of the surrounding world. Media of definition, for determining a particular (each time desired) environment, are based on extending these senses. Those are the media of architecture. Architecture in the broadest sense. More narrowly, one could perhaps formulate the following roles and definitions for the idea of architecture: Architecture is cult-like, it is monument, symbol, sign, expression. Architecture is the control of body temperature—shelter. Architecture is definition—determination—of space, environment. Architecture is the conditioning of a psychological state. Through thousands of years, artificial transformation and determination of man’s world, as well as sheltering from weather and climate, was done by means of building. The building was the essential manifestation and expression of man. Building was understood as the creation of a three-dimensional design corresponding to the requirements as a definition of space, as a protective shelter, as a device and a tool, as a psychological medium and as a symbol. The development of science and technology, as well as the changing society and her needs and demands, confronts us with entirely different realities. Other and new media of environmental determination emerge. If at first these were merely technological improvements on accepted principles and extensions of physical “building materials” with new materials and methods, certain non-physical media for determining space were additionally developed. A number of tasks and problems are still only resolved today by traditional means; by building, by “architecture.” However, is, the answer to many questions still “architecture” as it was once understood, or do we not now have more suitable media at hand? In this regard, architects could learn something by developing a strategy. If this was subject to the same handicaps as architecture and its consumers, we would still be building walls and towers. But strategy has largely abandoned its connection to “building” and is drawing on new possibilities for performing its tasks. Clearly nobody even considers making drains from masonry or astronomical instruments from stone any longer (Jaipur). But the consequences brought about by the new media (such as telephone, radio, television, etc.) go much further than that, and the idea of a building for teaching and learning (school) may very well disappear completely, to be replaced by these media. Architects will have to stop thinking only in terms of buildings. There is a change as to the importance of “meaning” and “effect.” Architecture affects. The way I take possession of an object, how I use it, becomes important. A building can become entirely information—its message could be experienced through the means of information (Press, TV, etc.). As a matter of fact, it is of almost no importance if, e. g., the Acropolis or the pyramids exist in physical reality, as most people are aware through other media anyway, and not through their own experience. Yes, indeed their importance—the role they play—is based on this effect of information. Thus buildings might be simulated only. An early example of extensions of buildings through communication media is the telephone-booth. A building of minimal size—extended into global dimensions. Environments of this kind that are more directly related to the human body and in an even more concentrated form are, e. g., the helmets of a jet-pilot, which through telecommunication expand their senses and bring vast areas into a direct relation with them. The development of space-capsules and space suits leads toward a synthesis and to an extreme formulation of a contemporary architecture . Here is a “house”—far more perfect than any building—with a complete control of bodily functions, provision of food and disposal of waste, coupled with a maximum of mobility. Those far developed physical possibilities lead toward the thought of psychic possibilities of determinations of environments. After shedding the need for any necessity at all of a physical shelter (shelter, climatic protection, and space definition), a new freedom can be sensed. Man will now finally be the center of the creation of an individual environment. Once the necessity for built environments is disposed of, completely new forms of freedom can be sensed. The human being now becomes the genuine center and starting-place for a definition of environment because the limitations created by a small number of pre-ordained possibilities no longer apply. The extension of the media of architecture beyond pure tectonic building and its derivations have first led to experiments, in particular with train construction. The desire to change and transport our “environment” at will and as quickly and easily as possible, led to keeping a lookout for other types of materials and possibilities—for media, which may have been in partial use for a long time in some other context. Thus we have today ”sewn” architecture, as we have also “inflatable” architecture. All these are, however, still material means, still “building-materials.” There has been hardly any consistent experimentation with non-material means (light, temperature, odor) to define our environment, to define space. The already existing methods have vast areas of application; the use of the laser (holograph) could lead to totally new, unpredictable determinations and experiences. In the end, however, practically no experimentation has been carried out on the controlled use of chemicals and drugs to regulate body-temperature and bodily-functions or for the creation of artificial environments. Architects have to stop thinking exclusively in terms of buildings. Built and physical architecture, freed from the technological limitations of past epochs, will now have a multitude at their disposal and will work more intensely with spatial qualities and the satisfaction of psychological and physiological needs. Architecture will develop a new relationship to the process of “erection.” Spaces will much more consciously possess haptic, optic, and acoustic properties, containing information effects and addressing emotional needs directly. A true architecture of our time will thus have to be capable of redefining itself and expanding its means. Many areas outside traditional building will enter the realm of architecture, as architecture and “architects” will have to enter new fields. All are architects. Everything is architecture. (Hans Hollein)