“Coop Himmelblau, also rendered Coop Himmelb(l)au, [is an] avant-garde architecture firm that rose to prominence in the 1980s and ’90s. The two central members were Wolf D. Prix (b. December 13, 1942, Vienna, Austria) and Helmut Swiczinsky (b. January 13, 1944, Poznań, Poland).” Founded in 1968, “the firm’s name—German for “Blue-Sky Cooperative”—was a wordplay describing their efforts to “make architecture light and fluctuating like clouds.”(Zuckowsky, 2013). 

I chose to blog about the new Martin Luther Church in Hainburg, Austria. The Coop Himmelblau firm seems to have a distinct design style and this innovative church does not stray from the mold. “Located on the site of a former church that hasn’t existed since the 17th century, the Martin Luther Church Hainburg makes a dramatic statement in the historic city center. The single-story church provides 289 sq m (3,200 sq ft) of worshipping space with a prayer room that can accommodate 50 people, plus a community hall, a small kitchen, offices, a sacristy and a church garden in the back.” I really like how “the three skylights are a deliberate coincidence correlating with the Holy Trinity and bringing light into the inner sanctuary in both a physical and spiritual way” (Meinhold, 2011). I like when buildings hold symbolic meaning that way. The church looks like it would function more like an event center or art museum rather than a church though. My favorite part of the building is the sweeping, metallic roof. It reminds me of a dancer’s skirt or maybe a swirling tornado. 

Coop Himmelb(l)au Completes Its Curvaceous Martin Luther Church in Hainburg

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Coop-Himmelblau