Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/32301
Mayer has employed his eyelets, curves and branches to meaningful effect. At left, the recently unveiled Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain is the world’s largest glued structure; above and right, the Dupli.Casa in Ludwigsburg, Germany seemingly melts into the landscape’s slope. contemporary public life. His Stadthaus project, a municipal building located in Scharnhauser Park in Ost- fildern, Germany, and completed in 2002, is formative in that respect. The building’s tremendously diverse program practically forces residents to interact with their government, and its geometry allows users to look at one another and to the city beyond. And while the tree-like structure of a Karlsruhe University cafeteria finished in 2008, or the seemingly melting base of the private residence Dupli.Casa completed shortly there- after, are popularly interpreted as blurring the barrier between building and nature, they also question the validity and value of privacy. That ambiguous line between public and private realms is on bold display at Metropol Parasol, an urban achievement for Mayer and for the city of Seville, Spain. Officially opened on March 27, this world’s largest glued structure isn’t meant as a self-congratulatory icon, but rather a frame for “the simultaneity of a historic site, an archaeological museum, commercial areas, many different public pockets spaces and a panoramic walk and viewing platform.” The myriad of free and for-profit functions promises to reinvigorate the Plaza de la Encarnación and, however unwittingly, the parasol’s sweeping curves augur a few postcards. Next is a border station in Sarpi, Georgia, and, by the end of the year, a courthouse in Hasselt, Belgium. The upcoming projects promise the graphic impact the world has come to expect from Mayer, as well as commentary on transparency and government that only its keenest observers can imagine. Jürgen Mayer joins Jonathan Monk and Piet Hein Eek for a panel discussion moderated by Joseph Grima on June 15 for this year’s Design Talks. CULTURED 65 Parasol Photo by fernando alda