Schulz und Schulz, Deutsche Botschaft, Wien

There is scarcely a country where the relationship between architecture and democracy has been debated as intensely and persistently as in Germany. From the first tentative, still rather provisional buildings in Bonn to the countless major federal projects in Berlin following the relocation of the government, the question of the special role and aesthetic mandate of »democracy as a client« has been raised again and again. The aim has always been not merely to create square metres and fulfil functions, but also to convey political messages. The new German Embassy in Vienna by Schulz und Schulz has also been “read” in this way. Yet it eludes any superficial symbolism. The building is devoid of any historicising elements; the architecture dispenses with any classical gesture of authority, developing asymmetrically, with no columns, no axes of symmetry, and no façade. The Leipzig-based architects have designed a sharp-edged, almost abstracted standalone building that creates a stark contrast to the pleasing Gründerzeit buildings in the neighbourhood. It stands at the heart of the Austrian capital’s diplomatic quarter, on a plot, which is arguably the most prominent one in the area: the former gardens of Prince Metternich. Here, the development steps back from the perimeter of the block, making way for an open space, for a green area filled with valuable old trees, in which the embassy building appears almost like a contemporary palace.