Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Frei Otto
Thursday, June 5, 8:00 PM at StadtPalais – Museum for Stuttgart
Frei Otto is regarded as a visionary pioneer of lightweight construction, whose profound influence continues to shape contemporary architectural research. His longstanding affiliation with the University of Stuttgart—where he served as a professor for more than 25 years—forms a key chapter in this legacy. In 2025, Frei Otto would have celebrated his 100th birthday.
In cooperation with the symposium Frei Otto 100 – The Spirit of Lightweight Constructions” hosted by the University of Stuttgart, the happening “Schirme öffnen” invites guests to a special evening: umbrella structures that combine Frei Otto's vision of resource-efficient construction with their pop-cultural significance will be presented.
From the iconic umbrellas of Cologne’s Tanzbrunnen (1971), to the stage umbrellas designed for Pink Floyd (1977), to models from the 1990s now on display at the StadtPalais, these structures embody formative elements of Frei Otto’s oeuvre.
The audience will witness their gentle unfolding accompanied by music from Pink Floyd, performed by musicians from Stuttgart. This evening pays tribute to Frei Otto’s legacy as a bridge between architecture and pop culture, and invites the Stuttgart's urban society to experience Otto's vision of lightness, spatial quality, and design elegance.
The Cluster of Excellence IntCDC is proud to support this event fostering public engagement with Frei Otto’s pioneering vision and the continued relevance of his lightweight structures.
On 5 and 6 June, the international symposium “Frei Otto 100 – The spirit of light-weight constructions” will take place on the Vaihingen campus, organized by the institutes ILEK (Prof. Lucio Blandini) and ifag (Prof. Christiane Weber) of the University of Stuttgart. The symposium is already sold out, but it is possible to register for a waiting list.
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Jens Ludloff
Institute for Building Construction (IBK) ,
Chair of Sustainability, Building Construction and Design
E-Mail: ludloff@ibk.uni-stuttgart.de
StadtPalais – Museum for Stuttgart
saai | Archive for Architecture and Civil Engineering, Karlsruhe
ILEK Instute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptional Design, University of Stuttgart
Ifag Institute for Achritectural History, University of Stuttgart
HMDK State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart
IntCDC Cluster of Excellence – Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture
IZKT International Center for Cultural and Technological Studies
Rektorate of University of Stuttgart
Fakulty 1 Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Stuttgart
Cultural Office State Capital of Stuttgart