38 - Christoph Mäckler

Christoph Mäckler (* Frankfurt am Main, 1951), *Tower Studies*, carpenter’s lead on tracing paper, with the telephone number “06171/12880” (Oberursel area code), 32 x 71 cm, mounted on backing board and set under glass and a mat in a white anodized aluminum frame, overall size: 44 x 92 cm. Limited edition of 225 The study intensively explores historical roof forms, rooftops, gables, and spires. Mäckler is known for his precise analysis of the organic growth of European cities and their traditional typologies. The delicate cross-hatching and perspective studies serve to explore the three-dimensional effect of buildings in the urban space. Motifs such as the pointed turrets and arcade arches sketched here are strongly reminiscent of Mäckler’s theoretical and practical designs for the reconstruction of historic city centers—in particular, the prominent Dom-Römer project (“New Old Town”) in Frankfurt am Main, in whose design and planning he played a key role. In contrast to printed plans, the original drawing reveals the immediate “thinking with the pencil” through its fine pencil strokes and the density of the cross-hatching. Architects often use such sheets as a repository for typological ideas, where variations in form (such as the different tower and spire designs) are tested side by side. The fact that an architect spontaneously sketches a creative idea, an urban vision, or a typological form study on a piece of paper—on which he also quickly jots down a phone number—is typical of the analog work process. It shows that this sheet was created right at the desk, straight out of everyday life—likely interrupted by a phone call.