Kristin Feireiss
German architectural and curator (1942–2025)
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Kristin Feireiss (1 July 1942 – 20 April 2025) was a German architectural and design curator, writer, and editor. Her career included co-founding the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin, serving as director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute, and participating as an international juror and commissioner at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.[1] She was known for her role in promoting architecture as a cultural discipline, fostering dialogue between architects and the public, and amplifying the voices of emerging practices.[2]
Freie Universität Berlin
Kristin Feireiss | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 July 1942 |
| Died | 20 April 2025 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Freie Universität Berlin |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | DAI Literature Prize, Federal Cross of Merit, Order of the Netherlands Lion, honorary doctorate from the Carolo-Wilhelmina Technische Universität in Braunschweig |
| Practice | Aedes Architecture Forum |
Life and career
Feireiss was born in Berlin on 1 July 1942. She embarked on a course in Art History at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt in 1963, and graduated from Freie Universität Berlin in 1967.[3] In the late 1960s, Feireiss began working as a journalist for cultural magazines and radio programs. From 1976 to 1980, she worked at the Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin.[3]
In 1980, she co-founded Aedes in Berlin, an architecture forum that would become one of Europe’s most influential platforms for architectural culture, exhibitions, events, and discourse.[4]
She later served in various capacities for numerous prominent institutions, including:
- Director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute (1996–2001),
- Commissioner of the Dutch Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture (1996, 2000),
- Member of the International Jury at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2012),[5]
- Juror of the Pritzker Architecture Prize (from 2013),[6]
- Member of the European Cultural Parliament (since 2007).[5]
Feireiss was the author or co-author of numerous publications, including the book Architecture in Times of Need: Make It Right Rebuilding New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, which she co-edited with Brad Pitt.[7]
Feireiss died on 20 April 2025, at the age of 82.[8]
Honours
In 1995, Feireiss received the Literature Prize of the DAI,[9] and on 23 March 2001 was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.[10][11]
She was honored as a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 2013,[12] and received an honorary doctorate on 26 October 2007 from the Carolo-Wilhelmina Technische Universität in Braunschweig.[13] The university recognized her achievements as a journalist, curator, and founder of the Aedes Architecture Forum, and highlighted her impact as a mediator between academic architectural research and the international public for more than 25 years.
In 2016, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).[14][15]
Selected works
- Kristin Feireiss; Lukas Feireiss: Architecture of change: sustainability and humanity in the built environment. Die Gestalten, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-899-55211-9.
- Kristin Feireiss; Brad Pitt: Architecture in times of need: Make It Right rebuilding New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. Prestel, München 2009, ISBN 978-3-791-34276-4.
- Wie ein Haus aus Karten. Die Neckermanns – meine Familiengeschichte. Ullstein, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-550-08899-5.