Book Review

This is a timely book, coming just months after Frei Otto was awarded the Gold medal from the RIBA and as he reaches his 80th year. But does it do justice to this remarkable man and is it a book that is relevant to structural engineers today?

Frei Otto is impossible to pigeon-hole. Was he an architect, a structural engineer, an inventor or a philosopher? He was of course none of these and all of them. He worked at the edge of these man-made distinctions and it is this that makes his works and thoughts so distinctive and special. Like Buckminster Fuller, Frei Otto was driven by a powerful conviction that there is a better way to design, build and live. He devoted his life to showing us this new way through books, lectures, research and the built projects that he "touched" through collaboration with other leading architects and engineers of the time. Projects such as the Munich Olympic Complex, the Multihalle in Mannheim, the Diplomatic Club in Riyadh, Hooke Park in Dorset and Stuttgart's new railway station (yet to be realised).

In fact, Frei Otto's thoughts and his philosophy are more relevant now than they have ever been. His concern is for us to create buildings, cities and infrastructure that work with nature rather that against it. To build developments that harmonise with their environment, that do not waste precious material and whose forms are a natural reflection of the forces that flow within them. He was an explorer, using physical models that would allow forms to follow the natural forces within them, creating a new, natural architecture.

Frei's work, first at his office in Berlin and later at the Institute for Lightweight Structures in Stuttgart, provides a colossal body of investigative research, almost forensic in its thoroughness; research into nature, form and detail for lightweight, natural construction. The I.L. volumes, produced during this time as a record of the work at the Institute, are really the place to find the heartbeat of the man.

The book is like a jam sandwich. There are two main sections; first text and then illustrations but between the two outer sections comes the best bit. First there is a series of essays from colleagues summarising their view of Frei's philosophy and approach to design or reminiscing about the work they have achieved together. These are most relevant and interesting when quoting from Frei himself. They paint a partial picture of the man and of a time when a group of people, architects and engineers, found themselves exploring new territory together. There is the whiff of the hippy era in the air and nostalgia for earlier times. The final section is a catalogue of works. This is a fascinating walk through 196 works, some completed, some merely conceived and modelled and a chronological amble through Frei's career. Each project comes with a text giving an explanation and historical context. But best of all, between the two sections, there is a speech given by Frei in 2002, "Ethics, Aesthetics and Innovation" followed by some delightful sketches by Frei himself. The speech captures in words the man, the depth of his thinking, his nature and his vision. The sketches show us a man who was always probing the possible, trying to understand the connections and relationships between things, exploring brave new worlds but always doing so with humanity. For this central section alone, the book is to be welcomed.

Be warned; there is very little about the structural engineering theory behind Frei's works. This certainly isn't a text book for engineers looking for a guide into the world of "minimum-form" engineering. On this basis it is probably more appealing to the architect or engineer looking for a historical perspective on the man and a handy round-up of his work.

This is a book that might inspire further research. It might make you want to delve deeper into the world that Frei and his colleagues inhabited. It might make you break away from the convention of bending frames and look a-new at the relevance of form on structural efficiency. With computer-generated forms becoming common-place, the engineer has to get to grips with the engineering of complex forms that don't just work but that use the forms effectively. There is an opportunity for the engineer to take the lead on building form, driven by the optimal flow of forces. This book will not show you how, but it could inspire you to find out.

In summary, this book is an interesting assembly of essays from people who have known Frei Otto well and a great collection of images of his completed works and models. But all this does not quite get to the heart of the man and his philosophy. For that you have to turn to Frei himself, his words and sketches. This can be found in the core of the book and is the most valuable part. For the structural engineer there is very little technical background. For this you will have to look elsewhere. But it is still a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in a different way of thinking about construction, a different type of man and an era in the mid to late 20th century where a pocket of friends tried to make a difference and had some fun doing it.

Mike Cook