Unfinished Atlas

This first monograph on the widely acclaimed Basel-based firm Manuel Herz Architects features 19 built and unrealised projects from their portfolio since 2004. Developed for highly diverse locations in ten countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia, they vary greatly in terms of building programme, scale, character, and vision. The projects include housing, cultural and public buildings, exhibition and furniture designs, as well as architectural and urban research.

Conceived as a critical retrospective, this book traces all stages of a project from initial sketches to completion, looking also at the afterlife of realised buildings. As the title Unfinished Atlas suggests, architecture should never be considered to be entirely completed: there is always room and potential for later interventions by and with others. Five thematic chapters highlight the ever-changing challenges for a designer that arise from working in complex environments and different socioeconomic conditions.

Contributions by distinguished international authors and by the firm’s founder Manuel Herz reflect on the need to negotiate between differing requirements of all actors involved, cultural traditions and forms of expression, as well as the correction of mistakes and adaption to setbacks en route to a realised building.