With the completion of its long-running exhibition „a_show“ the Architekturzentrum Wien is opening a permanent showcase for the cultural identity of the nation, and presenting 150 years of impressive domestic architecture history for the first time in one exhibition in Austria. The imaginative use of 300 square metres provides an in-depth presentation of around 170 architects and 420 of their buildings in the nine Federal States of the current Republic.

The division into 10 episodes focuses the viewer's attention on the most relevant phenomenon and currents. The chronological succession of certain phases in the development of architecture are covered and highlighted under specific headings. Parallel to these themes, a chronological „Time-Rack“ provides the appropriate dates for periods of historical relevance to architecture and the cultural context from 1850 to the present day. Photographs and brief biographies of the architects represented in the exhibition provide a family tree of the most significant leading figures in the history of the art of building in Austria. As a specific feature of the development of Austrian architecture, a „Brief History of Housing“ provides a focus on a subject of everyday relevance along the time-line concerned.

The complete spectrum of media employed in the presentation of architecture is imaginatively displayed in the exhibition. Plans, sketches, texts, photographs, models and film footage bring the 20th century to life as they lead the viewer into the present.

a_show. The Book
The book „Architecture in Austria in the 20th and 21st Centuries“ contains around 400 pages divided into ten thematic/chronological episodes, providing a tour through the historical and contemporary production of architecture in Austria. A separate section is dedicated to the topic of Housing. Birkhäuser Verlag, 2006; Ed. Az W; ISBN-10: 3-7643-7693-7. 400 pages, approx. 1,000 ill., € 51.30. Obtainable from the Az W Shop as well as in selected specialist book stores.

Curators: Gabriele Kaiser, Monika Platzer (project manager)
Research assistance: Gudrun Hausegger, Sonja Pisarik, Ute Waditschatka
Exhibition Design: Design Studio Walking-Chair, Vienna