Coop Himmelb(l)au Celebrates 50 Years of Deconstructivist Architecture

Wolf D. Prix, the sole remaining founder of Coop Himmelb(l)au, marks the studio's 50th anniversary. Founded on May 8, 1968, in Vienna with Helmut Swiczinsky and Michael Holzer, the firm pioneered a non-linear architectural language rooted in deconstructivism. The name itself—Coop Himmelb(l)au—plays on the German for 'sky-blue' and 'building the sky,' reflecting a spatialist poetics. Prix, now a professor at the University of Applied Arts Vienna alongside the late Zaha Hadid, was part of the landmark 1988 MoMA exhibition 'Deconstructivist Architecture' curated by Philip Johnson, featuring Gehry, Koolhaas, Libeskind, Eisenman, and Tschumi. Early works include the 1971 performance 'Restless Sphere' in Basel, a pneumatic habitat. Major projects include the Musée des Confluences in Lyon (2000–2014) and the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, which Prix defended by comparing its cost to three and a half fighter jets. The firm now faces financial challenges from cost overruns and lawsuits. Prix announced the anniversary via email with a slideshow set to the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter,' a track whose lyrics hint at current struggles. Current work includes a library for Native American communities in South Dakota.