Since its establishment in 1996, Vienna-based driendl*architects has searched for prototypical solutions in the fields of infrastructure and furniture, building, and urban design. The understanding that we are always situated within the built environment is a thread running through each of the firm’s individual projects, as well as between the chapters of this new book, the first on driendl*architects’s vision and work.

Ritual / Original looks at two decades of work by driendl*architects. During this time, our environment has changed rapidly and significantly, and this is reflected in the evolution of the ideas and concepts that underlie the firm’s buildings and projects. Offering unparalleled insight into the inner workings of driendl*architects, the book explores selected designs and the firm’s approach more broadly. Among the topics discussed are the ways the environment and inhabitants affect buildings, cities, infrastructures, and systems; the effect of inevitable discrepancies between vision and reality; and the capacity of architects to observe and react in their work to social structures and phenomena.