Arnulf Lüchinger

Since 1970 he has lived with his family in The Hague.

• Name — Arnulf Lüchinger • Born — 22 February 1941 • Birthplace — St. Gallen, Switzerland • Education — Delft University of Technology Royal Academy of Art, The Hague • Occupation — Architect Structuralism Architecture criticism Painting • Awards — World Biennale of Architecture 1987, Gold Medal for book “Herman Hertzberger 1959-86”

Arnulf Lüchinger attended the evening classes at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen and graduated in 1968. During the studies he was involved in the interior restoration of the baroque cathedral in St. Gallen, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. An earlier member of his family, the musician Martin Vogt (Musiker), was responsible for the sacred music in the same cathedral. In 1969 Lüchinger left Switzerland and worked in the Michael Scott office in Dublin from 1969 to 1970, which was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in 1975. Here he came into contact with the international architecture scene and the published buildings by the Dutch architects Aldo van Eyck, Herman Hertzberger, Piet Blom and Jaap Bakema. Since his partner was from the Netherlands, he graduated in 1976 at the Delft University of Technology, where Van Eyck, Hertzberger and Bakema were professors.

During the education at the TU Delft from 1971 to 1976 it became apparent that a new architectural trend was emerging in the Netherlands. The architectural historian Francis Strauven wrote about this in 2014: "Dutch structuralism as an architectural trend was recognized and launched internationally by the Swiss architect Arnulf Lüchinger, since 1974." In 2009, Tomas Valena organized the international symposium "Structuralism Reloaded" in Munich, at which Lüchinger was invited as a guest of honor. The book Structuralism Reloaded from this symposium was published in 2011 with 47 articles by international authors, including an article by Lüchinger.

Already during the education in Delft and afterwards Lüchinger worked freelance in The Hague, in the combination of architecture office and architecture publisher (Arch-Edition). From his completed buildings, the two residential buildings in St. Gallenkappel received publicity in international magazines, in the German-language magazine Bauen+Wohnen 12/1977 and in the Japanese magazine Architecture and Urbanism 2/1979 with the title "Contemporary Houses of the World". In the 1990s, Lüchinger worked in Switzerland for a number of years, including as a partner and design architect in the Werner Künzler office in Arbon, with whom he had already cooperated in St. Gallen from 1965 to 1969.

Forty years after Lüchinger's first structuralism article, Francis Strauven wrote in 2014 about Lüchinger's contribution to the emergence of the new architectural trend. Strauven added that structuralism was included in the international literature by Kenneth Frampton, among others. When the new trend emerged, Jürgen Joedicke was also involved. In 1976 he commissioned Arnulf Lüchinger to write a book on structuralism after the theme number "Strukturalismus" in Bauen+Wohnen 1/1976 had been well received in the professional world. - With regard to the naming of the new trend, various terms already existed before 1974, but only sporadically and without reference to an international architectural movement. The new terms were published in the following languages: German 1958, Italian 1959, French 1964, Dutch 1969, English 1970, etc.

• Bart Lootsma, German lecture "Strukturalismus-2", University of Innsbruck, 2015. Bart Lootsma interprets Lüchinger’s contribution (Video Vimeo 14:00–23:00). • Francis Strauven, Dutch lecture "Structuralisme", University of Twente Enschede, 2014. - Quote: 'Structuralism recognized and launched internationally by Lüchinger' (Video 04:20–05:00).

Arnulf Lüchinger is recorded with the occupation architect. Recorded as a citizen of Switzerland.