Baier Bischofberger

CU IN 20
Florian Baier and Nina Baier-Bischofberger
Response by Ada Tolla

Nina Baier-Bischofberger (M. Arch ‘00) and Florian Baier (M.S. AAD ‘01) founded Baier Bischofberger Architects in 2005 after meeting at Columbia GSAPP and moving to London to work for Arup and Richard Horden respectively.

Their practice has developed into three areas: art exhibition and storage facilities, private commissions that range from residential homes to high-end offices, and their own residential developments.

Key to their work is a culture of experimentation and questioning of common norms. Their projects Noppenhalle, Wellenhalle and Glitzerhalle belong to a series of former factory buildings converted into art exhibition spaces, where textile notions have been translated into built form. These haptic exteriors not only “re-dress” these buildings, but also influence the atmosphere and experience of the interior spaces they contain. Inside, a multitude of materials, details, and special settings shape movement and light to ultimately explore what a gallery space is and how a viewer can approach and appreciate art.

This approach can also be seen in their residential projects where density, privacy and intimacy have played central roles in their exploration of how we live today. Their recently completed Courtyard House, featured in the 2018 December issue of Wallpaper magazine, demonstrates a radical approach to form and structure in order to intensify the energy of a site and create a special sense of place.

Their lecture CU IN 20 is conceived as a reflection on their experience at Columbia and the realities of the practice of architecture which they encounter after they left.

Free and open to the public.
Organized by Columbia GSAPP.