Going Public: Public Architecture Urbanism and Interventions

The architecture of the last few decades has been characterized by the need for representation and demarcation. Today there is a growing counter-movement that is focusing on public space as an opportunity for encounters, exchange and shared experiences. Going Public presents a current and international selection of exceptional architectural projects in public space that pursue various goals: from recreation and cultural experiences to social interaction. The change from an industrial to an information society is giving cities new potential. Where churches and market squares once determined the center of social life, today community centers of a different kind are being created. In addition to squares, parks and pavilions, community gardens, open-air cinemas, temporary installations and other cultural projects are being built. A new public sphere is growing in the heart of cities, but also on their periphery. Innovative solutions can also be found for classic requirements of urban furniture - benches, bicycle racks and bus stops. Going Public also presents projects that take us out of urban space and into nature. Contemporary rest huts, observation towers, viewing platforms, educational and hiking trails use public space differently than their traditional counterparts and thus enable a different approach to the landscape and nature. The examples in Going Public are sometimes loud and sometimes quiet, but always surprising.