Peter C. von Seidlein

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Peter Canisius von Seidlein

Peter Canisius von Seidlein (born June 25, 1925 in Munich ; † September 30, 2014 in Munich) was a German architect and professor at the University of Stuttgart . The newspaper printing press for the Süddeutscher Verlag (1984) in Munich is his most important building . Von Seidlein was a member of the Munich City Planning Commission and the Bavarian State Monument Council . He was awarded the German Architecture Prize (1985) and the City of Munich Architecture Prize (1994) , among others . In 1999 the Technical University of Munich (TUM) awarded von Seidlein an honorary doctorate. He was also an honorary member of the Association of German Architects and a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. Von Seidlein was also a partner in the Süddeutscher Verlag . Until his death in 2014, he worked as an architect in his architectural office founded in 1958.

Life

Peter Canisius von Seidlein was born on June 25, 1925 in Munich as the son of the architect Peter Anton von Seidlein (* November 17, 1893 - March 28, 1971) and Marianne von Seidlein (née Kronenbitter, * September 18, 1893, date of death unknown ) born. He grew up in Munich with his brothers Karl Lorenz Rasso and Hubert Anton Maria Seidlein. Peter C. von Seidlein was married to Karen von Seidlein (née Schöningh, 1930–2003). Their marriage had three children: Maria-Theresia von Seidlein (born October 31, 1957), Lorenz von Seidlein (born June 27, 1959) and Rupert von Seidlein (born May 4, 1963).

After the death of his father-in-law and co-founder of the Süddeutscher Verlag , Franz Josef Schöningh , his shares in the publishing house went to Peter C. von Seidlein and his wife Karen von Seidlein, nee. Schöningh. Peter C. von Seidlein took over the post of partner. The von Seidlein family was one of the publisher's five shareholder families until 2007.

Peter C. von Seidlein died in Munich in 2014 at the age of 89.

Childhood and World War II

Peter C. von Seidlein grew up as the oldest of three brothers in Munich and attended the Ludwigsgymnasium . There he passed the secondary school diploma before he was drafted as a radio operator in 1943 and stationed in Normandy . Shortly after the Allied landings in Normandy ( D-Day ), Peter C. von Seidlein was captured by American troops near the invasion beach Omaha Beach in June 1944 . In an accident, his foot got caught between two trucks, injuring him. Von Seidlein experienced the end of the Second World War in American captivity and was interned in the US prison camp at Camp Atterbury (Edinburgh, Indiana).

Education

After his release from American captivity, Peter C. von Seidlein returned to his hometown Munich, where he enrolled at the Technical University of Munich to study architecture. There he heard lectures from the architects Franz Hart , Hans Döllgast and Martin Elsässer . In 1951, von Seidlein received a scholarship for the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago , which was built by its director and former Bauhaus director Ludwig Mies van der Rohe into one of the most modern architecture schools of its time. Von Seidlein studied with Mies van der Rohe and Ludwig Karl Hilberseimer from 1951 to 1952 and worked alongside his studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Mies van der Rohe's architectural office in Chicago. Van der Rohe had a great influence on von Seidlein's work: “His teacher was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, with whom he studied in Chicago at the IIT in 1951/52 and who shaped him for life. Looking back, von Seidlein says that everything he learned and saw in Munich was not serious, not strict in comparison with the uncompromisingly tough school he went through with Mies. "

Professional career and independence

After studying in Chicago, von Seidlein passed the second state examination in Munich in 1953. After that, his path led him to two architectural offices: first to Karlsruhe to Egon Eiermann (1954–1955) and then back to Munich to Gerhard Weber (1955–1956), who was also a student of Mies van der Rohe.

In Eiermann's office he got to know the architect Ulrich Schmidt von Altenstadt , with whom he lived together during his time in Karlsruhe. When the building of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament was advertised in 1955, von Seidlein and Schmidt von Altenstadt applied with a design. They convinced the jury and won the competition. The first place winners received prize money of 20,000 D-Marks, but their design was not built.

In 1956, von Seidlein accepted an assistant position with the architect Gustav Hassenpflug at the Technical University of Munich, where he worked until 1959. In 1957, von Seidlein again submitted his design to the Baden-Württemberg state parliament after the competition had been advertised for the second time. This time, von Seidlein came second with his design. The architect Horst Linde got to know Seidlein's work in the course of the competition and hired him to build the Institute for Physiological Chemistry at the University of Tübingen . The institute building was von Seidlein's first commission after he had set up his own architecture office in Munich in 1958.

The initial phase of the architectural office was difficult despite the building boom in the post-war period, but von Seidlein was able to convince with his buildings. In 1962 he won a competition advertised by Siemens and was commissioned to build the company building in Saarbrücken. In 1970 the architect Horst Fischer joined the von Seidlein architecture office as a partner.

From 1980 to 1984 von Seidlein took on what is probably his best-known assignment: he designed the print shop for the Süddeutscher Verlag in Munich-Steinhausen. The beginning of his greatest creative period is associated with this building. Shortly before the completion of the SZ print shop, Egon Konrad became a new partner in the architecture office in 1983. Numerous projects in Munich followed, including not only commercial buildings but also residential buildings. In 1996, Seidlein's former student Stephan Röhrl became a partner in the architecture office.

Until his death in 2014, von Seidlein worked as an architect in Munich. Numerous well-known architects worked in his office, including Helmut Jahn , Christoph Sattler and Thomas Herzog .

Projects

  • 1958–1964: Institute for Physiological Chemistry at the University of Tübingen
  • 1962–1966: Siemens AG administration building, Saarbrücken
  • 1965–1969: Semiconductor assembly plant SGS Germany, Wasserburg am Inn
  • 1972: Bürkle House, Starnberg
  • 1972–1974: Druckerei Schöningh KG, Paderborn
  • 1984: Production and storage building for the Dr. Madaus GmbH, Wasserburg am Inn
  • 1980–1984: Printing house Süddeutscher Verlag, Munich-Steinhausen
  • 1986–1988: PDC office building - Paderborn printing center
  • 1989–1990: Waste disposal by Süddeutscher Verlag, Munich-Steinhausen
  • 1997–2001: Row house residential complex, Munich Harlaching
  • 1999–2001: Allianz headquarters, Munich
  • 2000–2002: Löwenturm residential and commercial building, Munich
  • 2002–2004: Flüggenstrasse residential building, Munich

University of Stuttgart

Peter C. von Seidlein received a professorship for building construction and design in 1974 not in his hometown of Munich , but in Stuttgart . He remained a full professor at Stuttgart University until 1995 and shaped the Faculty of Architecture there for more than 20 years. The fact that von Seidlein did not receive a professorship in Munich was criticized by his colleagues even years later. When he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich in 1999, the laudator Winfried Nerdinger found critical words about the non-appointment of Seidleins:

“It would have been all the more important that he could have conveyed his conception of architecture to students at the Munich Faculty of Architecture. He could have continued the narrow Bauhaus tradition at this faculty, for which Gustav Hassenpflug and Gerhard Weber stand. It didn't come to that, for many embarrassing reasons that are better kept secret today. In 1974 von Seidlein went to the TH in Stuttgart and for the next decade the Munich architecture students looked enviously to the Swabian metropolis, where a Munich native taught the classic combination of design and construction. "

After his appointment to the University of Stuttgart, von Seidlein initially focused on his work as a professor and became an influential mentor for several generations of architects. Numerous students of Peter C. von Seidlein became famous architects.

Von Seidlein was convincing with his claim to combine teaching and building: “The complete work, this convincing unity of teaching and built examples, has set a precedent.” The University of Stuttgart also praised his connection between teaching and practice as well as his architectural understanding, which reflected not only in his buildings, but also in his work as a professor: “His teaching and his work as a building architect were congruent. He didn't want to create superficially interesting, but sustainable-looking, good buildings. ” The initials “ PCVS ” stood for clarity, aesthetics and the interlinking of design and construction.

Commitment and relationship with the city of Munich

Peter C. von Seidlein advocated architecture beyond his work at the University of Stuttgart and his independence. He was involved in the Association of German Architects (BDA), was state chairman of the Bavarian BDA between 1970 and 1971, member of the board of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects and co-founder of BDA-Informations. In an obituary it says about him: “He also spoke up in the architecture discussion and always clearly articulated the resistance of the citizen to official and bureaucratic tutelage. His strong involvement in professional organizations (BDA, Chamber of Architects, etc.) should also be seen in this context. He was convinced that building is always integrated into the responsible behavior of architects within society. "

Peter C. von Seidlein transferred this connection between architecture and social responsibility to his commitment to the urban development of Munich. He did not shy away from confrontation and positioned himself as a sharp critic in a heated dispute about the new building of the Bavarian State Chancellery in the mid-1980s. According to the architecture critic Wolfgang Jean Stock, Seidlein's appearance in the Bavarian State Chancellery in the context of the new building debate was “legendary” : “Von Seidlein pointed out that the US President had 220 personal employees, while the Bavarian Prime Minister had a building for 480 Employees demand - with these simple figures alone he exposed the monstrosity of the project. ” And his colleague Winfried Nerdinger emphasized: “ Peter von Seidlein took a stand, he interfered and gave his opinion, even if it was and is uncomfortable for many. "

Beyond this debate, too, von Seidlein repeatedly came into conflict with the Munich monument preservation authority. He did not deviate from his building projects or ideas, even if disputes were the result. However, von Seidlein was successful in his endeavors to develop Munich's architecture. This is evidenced not only by his work in the Munich City Design Commission (1976–1985), but also in the Bavarian State Monument Council (1990). When the city of Munich awarded von Seidlein the architecture prize in 1994, he insisted on addressing the conflict over the state chancellery at the time in his acceptance speech: “Whoever erects such structures as the Bavarian state chancellery takes considerable guilt for him State of building culture on itself. But that is also what those who remain silent do. ” And so Wolfgang Jean Stock described in his obituary for von Seidlein how difficult the relationship with the city of Munich was: “ With an ironic undertone, von Seidlein thanked the city of Munich in 1994 for the award of the Architecture prize, although he 'almost didn't build' in it. "

Despite the difficult relationship with Munich, von Seidlein was one of the defining figures in her urban design. After his death in 2014, the Mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, paid tribute to Seidlein's commitment with the words: “He has also rendered outstanding services to the cityscape and 'new building in old surroundings', both through his long-term membership in the Munich Commission for Urban Design in the Bavarian State Monument Council. He also got involved in controversial discussions with verve and made a lasting contribution to the issues of building culture. He always paid special attention to the interests of the citizens, for whom the planning and construction is taking place. Regarding the relationship between Seidleins and his hometown, the architect Erwien Wachter wrote: “ He never wanted to be a yes-man, Peter C. von Seidlein, and although he was a Munich citizen with body and soul, for this reason he was more likely to have a love-hate relationship with this city all his life. "

reception

Peter C. von Seidlein was one of the most important representatives of post-war modernism and is considered an "icon" of German architecture. Having received numerous prizes, von Seidlein always focused on the overall project, not the awards received: “For him, it was always about the principle, not about personal success. The alpha and omega of his work as an architect is pure technical perfection, without any ingredient. It is the source of everything that is true, good and beautiful in this architecture. ” Numerous awards and honorary memberships attest to the prominent position of Seidleins in the German architectural landscape. In 1985 he received the German Architecture Prize together with Horst Fischer, Claus Winkler and Edwin Effinger . The City of Munich Architecture Prize followed in 1994. He was a member of the Akademie der Künste Berlin, honorary member of the Werkbund Bayern and the BDA. In 1999, the Technical University of Munich awarded von Seidlein an honorary doctorate, thereby honoring his architectural work.

Peter C. von Seidlein's architecture was clearly influenced by Mies van der Rohe, but showed individual further development from the start. The effect of his architecture through clarity and precision was not only visible in his late creative days, but also in his early buildings and the buildings of his students: “All these buildings show, like the first works, that the influence of Mies van der Rohe does not affect him to become an inexperienced copyist, instead he filled Mies' ideology with life with his own resources [...]. His influence as a teacher at the University of Stuttgart on countless of his students has long been legendary, his life's work is waiting to be recognized. "

In particular, von Seidlein's multi-award-winning buildings since the mid-1980s have made their mark in the public eye. His early works, on the other hand, are less well known, although they already show the very own interpretation of Mies van der Rohe's understanding of architecture and complete his life's work: “A tendency towards clarity, the incorruptibility of thinking and the logic of construction runs through his entire work . At the extraordinarily mature early work, the Institute for Physiological Chemistry at the University of Tübingen, it became clear that Mies was not modeled epigonally, but was built from related thinking. The buildings for a pharmaceutical plant in Wasserburg or the printing plant in Paderborn are further brands on the consistent path that was at times covered in strong ideological headwinds. In contrast, his 'opus maximus', the newspaper printing company for the Süddeutscher Verlag in his hometown, was unanimously acclaimed by the public as an exemplary achievement of modern architecture, which was underlined by the award of the prestigious German Architecture Prize. "

Given the importance of its buildings, it is astonishing that Seidleins' early buildings threatened to deteriorate. The laboratory building at the University of Tübingen has already been demolished. The Siemens building in Saarbrücken, which impresses with its facade design and structure (von Seidlein implemented the American concept of the "open-plan office" here), stood empty for years. In 2014, the renovation of the building began, which was converted into a "loft house" with apartments. The listed facade could be preserved.

Awards

  • 1985: German Architecture Prize
  • 1987: Member of the Berlin Academy of the Arts
  • 1994: Architecture Prize of the City of Munich
  • 1999: Honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich
  • Honorary member of the Werkbund Bayern
  • Honorary member of the BDA

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Cf. Katharina Heimeier: Ownership structures of German newspaper publishers. A consideration of the development and organization of classic family publishers in comparison with alternative forms of ownership, Berlin / Boston 2013, pp. 149–151, especially p. 150.
  2. See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  3. See Munich's Mies van der Rohe, in: Immobilienreport München , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  4. See University of Stuttgart: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  5. Cf. CV Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Academy of Arts, Berlin (ed.): Architecture in the archive. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392.
  6. Cf. Ulrich Pantle: A universal principle. On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein (1925-2014), in: frei04-publizistik, October 7, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  7. Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25–29, here p. 28.
  8. Cf. CV Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Academy of Arts, Berlin (ed.): Architecture in the archive. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392.
  9. Cf. CV Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Academy of Arts, Berlin (ed.): Architecture in the archive. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392.
  10. Cf. Ulrich Pantle: A universal principle. On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein (1925-2014), in: frei04-publizistik, October 7, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  11. Cf. CV Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Academy of Arts, Berlin (ed.): Architecture in the archive. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392.
  12. Horst Linde was head of the Baden-Württemberg State Building Administration. Von Seidlein worked with Elmar Dittmann on the building of the institute, see: Ulrich Pantle: A universal principle. On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein (1925-2014), in: frei04-publizistik, October 7, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  13. See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  14. The University of Stuttgart wrote in its obituary: "Despite the heavy wave of reconstruction, his office was not overwhelmed with orders, but none of his houses went unnoticed." University of Stuttgart: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  15. See Ulrich Pantle: When order gets out of order, in: db 09 (2013) , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  16. See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  17. See University of Stuttgart: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  18. See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  19. See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  20. Cf. CV Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Academy of Arts, Berlin (ed.): Architecture in the archive. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392; Homepage of the architects Von Seidlein Röhrl , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  21. See Mieses Apologist: Peter C. von Seidlein died, in: Immobilienreport München , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  22. List taken from: Curriculum Vitae Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (ed.): Baukunst im Archiv. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392.
  23. See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018; Curriculum vitae of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Eva-Maria Barkhofen, on behalf of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (ed.): Architecture in the archive. The Collection of the Academy of Arts, Berlin 2016, p. 392; Karlheinz Beer: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA Homepage, October 1, 2014; Erwien Wachter: PCVS - An icon is silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47, here p. 46 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  24. Cf. Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25-29, here 28-29; Wolfgang Jean Stock: The attitude of restraint, in: Bauwelt 40-41 (2014), p. 4 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  25. Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25–29, here pp. 28–29.
  26. Cf. Erwien Wachter: PCVS - Eine Ikone ist silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47, here p. 46 , accessed on July 24, 2018; Ulrich Pantle: A universal principle. On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein (1925–2014), in: frei04-publizistik, October 7, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018; Karlheinz Beer: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA Homepage, October 1, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018; Stephan Röhrl: funeral speech on the occasion of the funeral of Prof. Dr. eh Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), p. 48 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  27. See Munich's Mies van der Rohe, in: Immobilienreport München , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  28. ^ Karlheinz Beer: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA Homepage, October 1, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  29. University of Stuttgart: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein , accessed on July 24, 2018. Together with Christina Schulz, von Seidlein published an anthology on skeleton construction, which consisted of student work from the years 1981–1996. See: Peter C. von Seidlein / Christina Schulz: Skeleton construction. Concepts for a structural architecture. Projects 1981–1996, Munich 2001.
  30. Cf. Erwien Wachter: PCVS - Eine Ikone ist silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47 , accessed on July 24, 2018; Stephan Röhrl: funeral speech on the occasion of the funeral of Prof. Dr. eh Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), p. 48 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  31. Cf. Erwien Wachter: PCVS - Eine Ikone ist silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47 ; Karlheinz Beer: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA Homepage, October 1, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018. Gerhard Schöberl: Achievement and Consequence: von Seidlein Honorary Doctor, in: Deutsches Architektenblatt, 31 (1999), P. 1054.
  32. ^ University of Stuttgart: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  33. Wolfgang Jean Stock: The attitude of restraint, in: Bauwelt 40-41 (2014), p. 4 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  34. Wolfgang Jean Stock: The attitude of restraint, in: Bauwelt 40-41 (2014), p. 4 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  35. Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25–29, here p. 26.
  36. See Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25-29, here p. 28.
  37. Cf. Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25-29, here 26-27.
  38. See Gerhard Schöberl: Achievement and Consequence: von Seidlein honorary doctorate, in: Deutsches Architektenblatt, 31 (1999), p. 1054; See the homepage of the Von Seidlein Röhrl architects' office , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  39. ↑ Acceptance speech by Peter C. von Seidlein on the occasion of the award of the Munich Architecture Prize (1994), quoted from: Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), p . 25–29, here p. 26.
  40. Wolfgang Jean Stock: The attitude of restraint, in: Bauwelt 40-41 (2014), p. 4 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  41. ^ OB Reiter condolences Professor Peter C. von Seidlein, in: Rathaus Umschau, 187 (2014), published on October 2, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  42. Erwien Wachter: PCVS - Eine Ikone ist silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47, here p. 46 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  43. Erwien Wachter: PCVS - an icon is silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47 , accessed on July 24, 2018. Cf. also Ulrich Pantle: When order gets out of order, in: db 09 (2013) .
  44. ^ Karlheinz Beer: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA Homepage, October 1, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  45. Cf. Erwien Wachter: PCVS - Eine Ikone ist silent, in: BDA-Informations 4.14 (2014), pp. 46–47, here p. 47 ; Karlheinz Beer: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein, in: BDA Homepage, October 1, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  46. Cf. Winfried Nerdinger: Peter C. von Seidlein - modern architecture and 'libeeralitas bavariae', in: BDA-Informations 5 (1999), pp. 25-29.
  47. Ulrich Pantle: A universal principle. On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein (1925-2014), in: frei04-publizistik, October 7, 2014 , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  48. ^ University of Stuttgart: On the death of Peter C. von Seidlein , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  49. See Ulrich Pantle: When order gets out of order, in: db 09 (2013) , accessed on July 24, 2018.
  50. Cf. Ulrich Pantle: When order gets into disorder, in: db 09 (2013) ; Peter C. von Seidlein - Siemens building in Saarbrücken, 1966, in: Detail, February 18, 2013 ; V erfall prevent, in: The architect, 26 March 2013 , accessed on July 24, 2018th
  51. See Christoph Schreiner, How Saarbrücken finally got to lofts, in: Saarbrücker Zeitung, January 13, 2017 , accessed on July 24, 2018.