Halfforms Halfway

Material Agency in Spatial Formations 2023-2027
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-3-200-10928-5
Verlag: Karolin Schmidbaur

Buch, Englisch, 202 Seiten, Format (B × H): 170 mm x 220 mm, Gewicht: 500 g

Halfforms – Halfways is a publication documenting the architectural research project Halfforms developed between 2023 and 2025, marking the midpoint of the funded research period. The book brings together the project’s main architectural works, material studies, experimental methods, and theoretical concepts, alongside related teaching formats and pedagogical experiments. Rather than presenting finalized results, the publication reflects the research as an ongoing process, tracing how questions of material agency, design, and construction have evolved through practice-based investigation. By assembling projects, protocols, and reflections across different scales and contexts, Halfforms – Halfways offers an interim account of the research and opens a perspective on its future development.

Zielgruppe

The publication addresses professionals in Art and Architecture as well as teachers and students. Halfforms – Halfways is a publication documenting the architectural research project Halfforms developed between 2023 and 2025, marking the midpoint of the funded research period. The book brings together the project’s main architectural works, material studies, experimental methods, and theoretical concepts, alongside related teaching formats and pedagogical experiments. Rather than presenting finalized results, the publication reflects the research as an ongoing process, tracing how questions of material agency, design, and construction have evolved through practice-based investigation. By assembling projects, protocols, and reflections across different scales and contexts, Halfforms – Halfways offers an interim account of the research and opens a perspective on its future development.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schmidbaur, Karolin

Allner, Lukas

Vaíllo, Gonzalo

Über Autor(innen)

Allner, Lukas
Lukas Allner is an architect and researcher. He studied Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts
Stuttgart and at the Angewandte, graduating from Studio Prix in 2010 with distinction. He obtained a
wide range of experiences in design and construction, working independently and with international
firms. In his recent practice he worked on constructions in existing contexts. He currently teaches at
the University of Innsbruck, with an interest in interpretation techniques for architectural design and
at the Angewandte with a focus on Circular Design. He has been one of the key researchers in the
PEEK-project “Conceptual Joining”(AR 395) as well as the upcoming follow up project “Inventorics”
(AR 730).

Vaíllo, Gonzalo
Gonzalo Vaíllo is a registered architect in Spain and principal founder of the Vienna-based studio
MORPHtopia. He holds an architectural degree from the University of Alcalá (Spain, 2010), a
postgraduate degree from the University of Applied Arts Vienna (2014) and a PhD from the
University of Innsbruck and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (defense in summer 2022). Gonzalo
is a lecturer at the Institute for Experimental Architecture.Hochbau at the University of Innsbruck. He
has also been a visiting professor at Texas A&M University (2020) and a lecturer at the University of
Applied Arts Vienna (2015). His work intertwines practice, applied research and theory, focusing on
aesthetics, technology and philosophy for a design theory and methodology of the unknown potential
of objects as a design material. His articles have been published in various journals and conferences
on philosophy, critical theory and digital computation.

Schmidbaur, Karolin
Karolin Schmidbaur is Professor at the Department of Experimental Architecture, Building Design
and Construction, at the University of Innsbruck since 2017 and Partner and Head of Research at
Coop Himmelb(l)au, Vienna. She holds a degree in architecture from the Technical University of
Munich. Since 1992 she has been practicing internationally with Coop Himmelb(l)au in Austria, the
USA and México and has been active at research and teaching at international architecture schools. In
practice, she has held key roles in many significant, experimental, realized projects with Coop
Himmelb(l)au, among them the Groningen Museum East Pavilion, Netherlands (1994), the Central
Los Angeles Area High School #9 for visual and performing arts in downtown Los Angeles, USA
(2008), the Paneum near Linz, Austria (2017), and many others. Her work has been published and has
received numerous awards. Next to practicing and teaching her interest lies in design methodology
and its implications for evolving building tectonics.