ARCH+ 261
ARCH+, an iconic architecture magazine that holds a leading position within the German-speaking discourse and beyond, dedicates its 261st issue to the question of urban transformation through the lens of universities. Published under the title Stadtumbau – Schulen der Transformation (“Urban Transformation – Schools of Transformation”), the issue examines how higher education institutions are reconfiguring their spatial, social and political roles in a context shaped by ecological and structural challenges. Long regarded as institutions removed from everyday urban life, universities appear here as active agents capable of influencing societal and spatial change.
Curated by Thorsten Erl, Tobias Hönig and the collective c/o now, the issue brings together essays, analyses and case studies, including one focused on the University of Siegen. The publication highlights how academic spaces can function as testing grounds for new forms of urban organisation and renewed relationships between campus and city.
The issue, designed by Dan Solbach, features a typographic system combining AL Sigla by Alex Lescieux, Futura by Paul Renner, which has been part of the magazine since its very first issue in 1968, and ABC Displayy a.k.a. Display Grotesk by Chi-Long Trieu, to be released by Dinamo. The interplay of these three typefaces creates a visual rhythm that is both distinctive and clear, supporting the variety of contributions assembled in the edition.
