One of Germany’s leading post-war architects and architectural theoreticians, Egon Eiermann was also one of post-war Europe’s most important chair designers, not just in context of what he realised, but also in context of what he worked towards realising and the reasons why. With the exhibition Cologne celebrate that legacy.

Der Stuhl des Architekten - Sitzmöbel von Egon Eiermann @ Ungers Archiv für Architekturwissenschaft CologneDer Stuhl des Architekten - Sitzmöbel von Egon Eiermann @ Ungers Archiv für Architekturwissenschaft Cologne

With his two faces the Roman God Janus looks simultaneously forward and backwards, standing in constant watch over transitions, the passage of time, beginnings, ends.

The easy connection to make is with January, that month of the year when we are invariably reflecting and hoping in equal measure: the more complex connection to make is with a well-crafted architecture and design exhibition, one which effortlessly links reflections of the past with proposals, visions and excitement for the future. Nothing existing as it does in isolation. And everything requiring a transition.

Our five gatekeepers for January 2018 can be found in San Francisco, Brussels, Basel, Milan and Cologne.

5 New Architecture & Design Exhibitions for January 2018

In our post The Sedentary Workers: Orchestra Musicians we explored the unique world of orchestra musicians’ chairs. One of Europe’s largest, and most experienced, manufacturers of orchestra and musicians’ chairs is Esslingen based Wilde+Spieth. Who thus seemed an ideal address to learn more about the orchestra chair and the orchestra chair market…..

Musicians Chair by Wilde+Spieth, based on the SE 68 by Egon Eiermann

Although the evidence is not, yet, conclusive, recent years have seen an increasing confidence in the theory that sitting for too long can have a negative impact on health, and that all whose job involves prolonged sitting should regularly stand, move and generally change their body position.

But what about those workers who can’t? What about those workers whose job is defined by long periods of sitting?

Orchestra musicians at work. Seated. Specifically, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, January 2017 (Photo © Todd Rosenberg, Courtesy Elbphilharmonie Hamburg)

Back in February we spoke with Richard Lampert and he told us he was planning exhibiting at Orgatec.

Had a few ideas he said.

Boy, did he have ideas………

Orgatec Cologne 2016: Richard Lampert

Thanks to Egon by Alexander Seifried, the Eiermann table frame can be used to create round tables. Here with the chair Prater by Marco Dessi, as seen at Richard Lampert @ IMM Cologne 2016

According to Brigitte Eiermann her late husband, the German architect and designer Egon Eiermann, would work so long on a

The 360° Stool by Konstantin Grcic for Magis (2009) and the Nelson Perch by George Nelson through Vitra (1964)

On March 10th 2015 a jury at the Central District Court of California in Los Angeles concluded that Pharrell Williams

IMM Cologne 2015 Richard Lampert Eiermann Regal Frame Boxes Alexander Seifried

Established in 1993 with a primary focus on producing the designs of Egon Eiermann, including most famously the re-edition of

Following on from the relative inactivity of August September saw us wind back up towards the 2014 autumn design festival

Wohnhaus Matthies Egon Eiermann Potsdam Babelsberg

On Friday September 26th the Egon Eiermann Society will present the inaugural “Egon Eiermann Chair” Award at a ceremony in

Richard Lampert IMM Cologne 2013

In numerous mythologies heroes are whisked through space and time on a magic carpet. The carpet project that took Alexander

Stuttgart Architecture Weissenhofsiedlung Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Enter “Stuttgart architecture” into a well known search engine and you”ll get an awful lot of responses relating to the

Egon Eiermann Horten Stuttgart

In the context of another project we are currently researching various aspects of Egon Eiermann‘s architectural output. And have discovered

IMM Cologne 2013 Wilde+Spieth Typus by Edelhoff & Nettesheim

Older readers will be aware that we have often held up the absence of some of Germany’s most important designer

Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln From Aalto to Zumthor Furniture by Architects

As tradition demands the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln (MAKK) have organised a furniture themed, special exhibition to coincide with

egon eiermann wilde + spieth se 119

On December 17th 1961 the New Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche in Berlin was officially consecrated. Designed by Egon Eiermann the new

Ludwig Erhard

As many of you know we don’t do trends. Never have. Never will. But others do. And back in 1964

design for use usa slinky richard t james

“Wooden spoon for pickled vegetables by John F. Kennedy” ? ? ? John F. Kennedy. Green Mountain Woodcrafters, Vermont. And

dmy-berlin-2011-daniel-wahl-weltunit-wilbur-003

Under DMY Berlin 2011 lancerede Daniel Wahl aka Weltunit sit nye skrivebord Wilbur. Bordet er specielt designet til den klassiske

During DMY Berlin 2011 Daniel Wahl aka weltunit formally launched his new desk top Wilbur. Specially designed for the classic

Richard Lampert is no newcomer to the world of kids designer furniture: products such as the Eiermann Children’s desk –

Back in October 2010 the design blog pixelgangster.de ran a competition with a Richard Lampert Egon Eiermann desk – supplied

As already stated our visit to Copenhagen and CORE 10 was without question one of our more disappointing trips. Largely

Because our article on the new London bus has been delayed by a broken water main at Tooting Bec, we’ve

For people who spend most of their working lives sat at desks, publishers and authors have a frightening disregard for