Miró Rivera Architects, Austin / Texas
ExhibitionOpening: 25 October, 7 pm – A proof that you have been vaccinated, tested or have recovered from COVID-19 will be required.
Exhibition period: 26 October 2021–23 January 2022
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10-6pm
Miró Rivera Architects have been working for more than 20 years in Austin, Texas/USA. The city is characterized by a topography of gentle hills and the Colorado River. Maintaining the balance and the seemingly effortless, harmonious interplay of architecture and nature is the credo of Miró Rivera Architects. In the exhibition "The Landscape City", the HDA – Haus der Architektur presents selected projects by the firm, showing examples of their approach in three chapters: Trees, Water, and People.
Cities are complex human creations that embody the values and aspirations of the societies that build them. As they adapt and evolve over time, cities develop specific models for growth in response to their historical circumstances and the physical characteristics of their locations. Although today many cities across the globe face similar challenges, the solutions to address those problems must respond to the particulars of each city: from their very specific nuances to the general understanding of the urban trajectory that has shaped them—their urban DNA.
Austin is a young city. In 1839, a settlement of a few hundred people became the capital of the Republic of Texas. The new city was named Austin and was laid out on a grid, in between two creeks, with the Capitol building on a hill. A city in the wilderness became the seat of the state government. Since then, four pillars have emerged to cement the city’s progressive image: the education and research generated by The University of Texas; the environmental activism that preserves the city’s beautiful natural environment; the bohemian spirit behind Austin’s moniker “Live Music Capital of the World”; and the high-tech industry fueling the city’s growth and prosperity.
Whether in its historic neighborhoods, the university campus, or the western hills, Austin is a landscape city that adapts to and coexists with its waterways, greenbelts, and hilly topography—all shaded by a phenomenal canopy of mature trees. Austin works hard to maintain this healthy co-existence with nature, and urban development is carefully regulated. The goal is to protect the many watersheds, aquifers, caves, wildlife habitats, and wetlands located within the city limits. To design in a landscape city like Austin is to become familiar with heritage trees, critical root zones, rim rocks, floodplains, invasive algae, sediment ponds, the nesting season of warblers, and so on. It is the joy and the challenge of designing in, and with, nature.
In three thematic areas—trees, water, people—the architects present projects that demonstrate how the interactions between city, nature, and architecture influence spaces for living and working. For Miró Rivera, this is the primary goal: to create both private places and public spaces for people to spend time and come together.
About Miró Rivera Architects
Miró Rivera Architects was founded in 2000 by Juan Miró, Rosa Rivera, and Miguel Rivera in Austin, Texas. Since its founding, the firm has worked on a wide range of projects including institutional, commercial, and residential architecture as well as urban planning. Among the firm’s most distinctive projects are the Pedestrian Bridge, the Trail Restroom, Vertical House, Chinmaya Mission, and Circuit of The Americas, which hosts the Formula 1 Grand Prix in the United States.
Miró Rivera Architects has garnered over 100 design-awards, including the AR Emerging Architecture Award; the Texas Architecture Firm Award; ArchDaily’s list of the “World’s Best Architects”; and 40 local, state and national awards from the American Institute of Architects. The firm’s first monograph, entitled Miró Rivera Architects: Building a New Arcadia, was published in 2020 by University of Texas Press.
ACCOMPANYING EVENTS
DISCUSSION SERIES „THE LANDSCAPE CITY“
The balance between green spaces and built-up areas has not only been negotiated again since the climate crisis and the rekindled discussion about more "green in the city" during the Corona pandemic. Green spaces make an active contribution to climate protection, because their cooling effect in summer prevents squares, streets and buildings from heating up. In addition, greenery has been proven to improve the microclimate, reduce noise pollution and help filter fine dust from the air. According to scientific studies, green spaces also have a positive effect on the human psyche.
The HDA provides three accompanying events parallel to the exhibition, three accompanying events to discuss the relationship between "green and architecture" with national and international guests from their respective different experiences and perspectives.
PROGRAMME
Opening Dialogue
The Landscape City – Miró Rivera Architects, Austin/Texas
25 October 2021, 7pm
Welcome
Beate Engelhorn / Director HDA, Graz
Bernhard Inninger / Head of the Department of Urban Planning, City of Graz
Dialogue
Juan Miró / Miró Rivera Architects, Austin (USA)
Klaus K. Loenhart / Institute of Architecture and Landscape, Graz University of Technology
Panel I
More Green! – Planting on urban recreation areas, roofs, public streets and squares
17 November 2021, 6:30 pm
Welcome
Martin Zettel / Department of Public Space Design, Department of Urban Planning, City of Graz
Lectures and Dialogue
Lisa Maria Enzenhofer / Breathe Earth Collective, Graz
Sanne van Manen / MVRDV, Rotterdam (NL)
Moderation: Thomas Höflehner / Regional Centre of Expertise Graz-Styria, Uni Graz
Panel II
„Prima Klima“ – How façade greening can help the urban climate.
12 January 2022, 6:30 pm
Welcome
Robert Wiener / Head of the Department of Green Urban Areas & Waters, City of Graz
Lectures and Dialogue
Martin Reuter / Ingenhoven Architects, Düsseldorf (DE)
Rudi Scheuermann / Arup, Berlin (DE)
Mira Kirchner / MK Landschaftsarchitektur, Wien
Moderation: Andrea Jany / Regional Centre of Expertise Graz-Styria, Uni Graz
FREE GUIDED TOURS THROUGH THE EXHIBITION
On weekends, we offer free guided tours of the ongoing exhibition.
Each Saturday at 3 pm and Sunday at 11 am.
Registration is not required.
Financial support generously provided by the David Bruton, Jr. Centennial Professorship in Urban Studies at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture.
The HDA provides a discussion series accompanying the exhibition to discuss the relationship between "green and architecture" with national and international guests from their respective different experiences and perspectives. In the first panel, Sanne van Manen, MVRDV / Rotterdam, and Lisa Maria Enzenhofer, Breath Earth Collective / Graz, will present examples of the greening and use of roofs, public streets and squares.
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