The Fifth View

The exhibition "The fifth view - of arches, shells, domes, roofs and their engineers" is devoted to masterly roof structures from antiquity to the present and documents innovativeness and technical excellence delivered by architects and engineers. It explains the design of more than 30 impressive roof projects and portrays the changes seen over the centuries based on numerous models, drawings and photographs. The first part, “architectural history,” shows selected projects from antiquity to the 1970s. It begins with the Pantheon, which was completed in 125 AD and is considered a masterpiece of design perfection and grandeur, and ranges to the floating tent-like structure of Munich’s Olympic roof made of acrylic glass and steel. The second part, “contemporary architecture,” documents how computer-aided design and the development of new materials have enabled the design of increasingly spectacular and experimental roof structures worldwide. Ultrathin shells, huge domes, lightweight membrane structures in construction projects such as airports, train stations or stadiums bear witness to the engineering excellence of the 20th and 21st centuries. At the same time, roofs play an increasingly important role in terms of the sustainability of buildings

The Oskar von Miller Forum presents this exhibition in cooperation with the M:AI Museum für Architektur und Ingenieurkunst NRW.