Adorno and the Actuality of Functionalism
Fifty years ago, at the invitation of Adolf Arndt, chair of the Deutscher Werkbund (DWB), Theodor W. Adorno gave a groundbreaking address on modern architecture at the “Zum Problem des Funktionalismus heute” conference (22.–24.10.1965) in the Akademie der Künste at Hanseatenweg. With the critique of modernism, the complexity and topicality of this speech, later published as “Funktionalismus heute” was forgotten.
In a cooperation between DWB Berlin and the Akademie der Künste, a symposium of lectures and discussion forums now considers the topic of functionalism in architecture, as controversial today as it was then. Participants include Regina Bittner, Werner Durth, Nikolaus Kuhnert, Philipp Oswalt, Walter Prigge, Helga Schmidt-Thomsen, Gerhard Schweppenhäuser, Volker Staab and Karin Wilhelm.
2 pm – 6 pm: Lectures and brief discussions, 7 pm – 9 pm: Evening panel discussion