G E N E R A L
I N F O R M A T I O N
G E N E R A L
I N F O R M A T I O N
The Friends of Schinkel is a non-profit [501(c) 3] academic organization dedicated to the study of the 19th c. German neo-classicist painter, designer, architect, and urbanist, Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
D E S C R I P T I O N
In the field of architecture and urbanism, there was perhaps no greater advocate of the importance of both beauty and reason than Karl Friedrich Schinkel. His poetic approach to creating urban and architectural spaces designed to exist in a world "to be lived in" was, at its best, against German Idealism, and motivated by a profound sense of social morality. Although the materials of building, the time, and the historical context have changed, the need for poetry and logic guided by a responsible concern for others remains.
Our organization was founded 5. April, 1995, Seattle, Washington, USA by Prof. Dr. Rand Carter (Hamilton College, Dept. of Art and Architectural History, Clinton, New York, USA); and Prof. Dr. Kurt W. Forster (Founder, Getty Center for Art and the Humanities, 'Gropius Chair' at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, and director of the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2004).At present, the Friends of Schinkel has a 'virtual' office on the internet and an office in North America. We intend to have an office in Berlin, hopefully in the Internationale Baukademie Berlin (IBB), when it is rebuilt.
A C T I V I T I E S
The Friends of Schinkel offers:
1. An FOS Triennial conference for Schinkel scholars, and practioners of Schinkel's design theories. Conference proceedings are published as a series.
2. Schinkel-related symposiums and study tours.
3. African, Caribbean and Latin American architectural lecture/study tours.In addition, we organize special committees for non-profit architectural or urban-planning project initiatives, specifically for those that promote the preservation of Schinkel's cultural heritage; or for non-profit projects that promote a socially responsible built environment while appropriating Schinkel's theories of architecture and urban design.
W E B P A G E S
Our web-pages provide an interactive resource for students, architects, and historians of architecture. Currently, the following services are available via the World Wide Web: the FOS e-Library featuring the electronic publication of books, essays and articles; and the Schinkel Archive Online featuring the Schinkel Image Bank and Schinkel Bibliography. FOS members receive a monthly electronic newsletter.
FOS supports the aims of the United Nations Habitat and the United Nations, including adherence to International Law.