Coop Himmelb(l)au
The name Coop Himmelb(l)au is, in several ways, a reference to their methods. ‘Coop’ stands for cooperation and refers to collaboration. Himmelb(l)au may be read as ‘Himmelblau’ or ‘Himmelbau’; both words indicate the type of free and open architecture they advocate. The expression of this philosophy may be seen particularly in the deconstructivism, a movement that Coop Himmelb(l)au adhered to until late in the 1990s. Within this movement (which fit particularly well in the post-modern spirit prevalent during the 1980s), people were not looking for harmony and synthesis, but instead, they sought fragmentation, chaos, contrast and movement in their designs.
Although Coop Himmelb(l)au consists of two architects, their approach displays a kinship with the plastic arts. Particularly at the start of their partnership, Prix and Swiczinsky organised