Hugo Häring

The world is not quite finished yet

The exhibition on the Biberach-born architect Hugo Häring (1882-1958) focuses on the contemporary significance of one of the great functionalists of the 20th century. He introduced his concept of »organ-like building« to the architectural debate in Berlin in the 1920s. As secretary of the architectural collective »Der Ring«, which he co-founded in 1923/24, he was one of the central figures of the German architectural avant-garde of the Weimar period.

Häring's fundamental questions about building, with which he wanted to revolutionize traditional architecture into a »new« building in the literal sense of the word, are programmatically simple and can be summarized as follows:

What is the function of the building?
What site and materials are available?
In what area will the building be located, what are the landscape conditions or attractions?
What construction techniques can be used?
How can the client’s requirements be met?

The exhibition devotes its arched walls to the themes of »Functional Building«, »Building with Light«, »Urban Planning« and »Experimental Building«. The exhibition is preceded by a separate chapter on »Space of the Avant-garde«. The main media of the exhibition are digitized drawings by Häring himself from the Hugo Häring Archive of the Academy of Arts, Berlin. These are complemented by contemporary and recent photographs of Haring’s most important buildings, architectural models and a 3D visualisation. 

Hugo Häring's avant-garde position is still topical and particularly relevant in the current crises. He was always aware of the social role and responsibility of the architect.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Hugo Häring Society, the Biberach University of Applied Sciences, and the Academy of Arts, Berlin.

Exhibition team:
Curatorial concept: Judith Bihr
Scientific advisory board: Matthias Schirren
Exhibition architecture design: Biberach University of Applied Sciences, Architecture programme, Prof. Maximilian Rimmel
Design team: Kilian Heckelmiller, Josua Knab, Philip Maier, Maximilian Rimmel
Exhibition graphics: Demian Bern
Exhibition team Hugo Häring Gesellschaft e.V.: Christian Kuhlmann, Siegfried Kopf-Jasinski, Julius Ogertschnig