Hot Questions – Cold Storage

The permanent collection of the Architekturzentrum Wien provides insights into the most significant and extensive collection on Austrian architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries. The focus is on the investigation of key objects, both high-profile and lesser-known items. Seven hot questions bring cold storage to life.

As the Az W Collection has expanded over the last 17 years to include over 100 architects’ archives as well as extensive project collections, a large number of original objects are being shown for the first time in the permanent collection on display in ‘Hot Questions — Cold Storage’. The nation’s building activity is made strikingly visible, with all of its cultural, social, economic and technical ramifications. At the same time, the exhibition challenges deficits in the canon of Austrian architectural history. New players are featured, light is shed on previously little known sources and the key focus is on multiple perspectives rather than on a national historical narrative. This diversity is also reflected in the exhibition design, with a diverse range of landscapes for the exponents making a visit to the exhibition both a sensual and a richly atmospheric experience.

Concept: Angelika Fitz, Monika Platzer
Curator: Monika Platzer