DEEP HIMMELBLAU AND OTHER ICE CREAMS: Design School Lecture Series 2025 X Series - Architectural Encounters Dialogues on Design, Time & Intelligence

On December 12, at the invitation of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Professor Wolf dPrix, Co-founder, CEO, and Principal Architect of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, delivered a lecture at the Eslite Bookstore in Suzhou, reflecting on nearly six decades of architectural practice and the evolution of his ideas. The lecture drew almost a hundred attendees, comprising university faculty and students, architecture professionals, and design enthusiasts. The venue was packed, with lively exchanges and a vibrant atmosphere.

This lecture marked the third instalment of the "X Series - Architecture Dialogue" curated by the Department of Architecture of the XJTLU Design School FENG Lei, who is COOP HIMMELB(L)AU China Director. This lecture series aims to build a communication platform bridging academia, industry, and the public, promoting the dissemination and practice of architectural ideas.

Professor Wolf dPrix is regarded as one of the pioneers of the deconstructivist architectural movement. Since co-founding COOP HIMMELB(L)AU in 1968, he has consistently stood at the intersection of architecture, art, philosophy, and technology, advancing the development of deconstructivism and experimental architecture. Through iconic projects worldwide, he has continually challenged traditional spatial and construction methods. He has also been actively engaged in architectural education and academia, having taught at numerous renowned institutions, including the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA) in the UK, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania (PENN), and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). He has received two of Austria's highest cultural honors—the Austrian National Award and the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art—as well as multiple international awards. His works are part of the permanent collections of several prestigious institutions, such as the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. His firm has been invited to participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale eight times.

During the lecture, Professor Wolf dPrix explored the unique design philosophy and methodologies of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, as well as the series of iconic projects that have emerged from these approaches. These include the BMW Welt in Germany, the Dalian International Conference Center, the European Central Bank Headquarters, the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, France, the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, the Sky Tower in Bangalore, and the latest projects, such as the SCA Sports and Music Complex in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (Baku), and the conceptual design of the world's largest airport, the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.