Pinakothek der Moderne

While the topics 'L art engagé' and 'Littérature engagée' are familiar among visual artists and writers, there are only relatively few examples of architects who not only wanted to improve the environment and ways of living but also intended to bring about a change of social conditions by means of their manifestos and buildings. The social and economic-political commitment of theorists and architects such as Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, Ebenezer Howard, Bruno Taut, Frank Lloyd Wright or Frei Otto as well as the schemes of educating a new human being in communal houses and linear cities will be demonstrated. Looking at the efforts to improve or change social systems could help to historically deepen the current discussions about the importance of the built environment.