AUSTRIAN CULTURE FORUM
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
1992

This design tackles the architecture of America in a development gap of just under 7 m in width on 52nd Street and, in doing so, follows the development line of Classical Modernism: the design is inspired in equal measure by Adolf Loos and Mies van der Rohe. Steel beams and large glazed areas structure the façade of this 17-storey city building. The 'Austria' theme is emblematically signalised by red brickwork and strips of white natural stone.

New York may be understood as a lesson in how classical architecture and that of the Beaux-Arts tradition were further developed to meet the demands of the modern major city. With this in mind, this project interprets the vital urbanity of Manhattan in that it wishes to be timelessly modern within the context of New York.