Fig. Robert Venturi, “Recommendation for a monument” (1972).

Fig. 1 Robert Venturi’s “Recommendation for a monument” (1972) next to Madrid PKMN Architectures greenish update from 2014.


Fig. 2 Posters for Andreas’ 2022 Lecture on “Counterintuitve Typologies“ with thumbnails of 12 master’s theses on counterintuitive “monuments”, continual building and adaptive reuse.




Fig. 3 Appended brochure “Counterintuitve Typologies“ with 12 master’s theses on counterintuitive “monuments”, continual building and adaptive reuse in Andreas Lechner’s  Thinking Design - Blueprint for an Architecture of Typology, Zurich: Park Books 2021.



Fig. 4 Page spreads from the appended brochure “Counterintuitive Typologies” in Andreas Lechner, Thinking Design - Blueprint for an Architecture of Typology, Zurich: Park Books 2021. 


 

Fig. 6 Poster with all 2021-22 guests of the Architectural Research Lecture Series at TU Graz where Andreas talked about “Counterintuitive Typologies” as a professional and academic interest for the first time.



Fig. 7 “Counterintuitive Typologies” design studios at TU Graz from 2020 to 2023.  

"Counterintuitive Typologies" is both the title and guiding principle for Andreas' diverse research group and teaching focus, encompassing his work in practice, design studios, supervised master's theses, and a three-year research project funded by the Austrian Science Promotion Agency (FFG).

This initiative is distinguished by its international collaborations and research engagements. Its overarching goal is to tackle contemporary urban challenges—such as the critical need for urban infill and city densification—by integrating upcycling and adaptive reuse of existing structures, while re-evaluating the architectural concept of "type" (Fig. 1). By reinterpreting "type," the project seeks to bridge and critically advance the epistemology of architecture, particularly when juxtaposing cultural significance with the tangible themes of circularity (Fig. 2).

Currently, "Counterintuitive Typologies" comprises design studios at TU Graz, PhD seminars at Milan Polytechnic  and a number of master’s theses at TU Graz. The cooperative R+D project CBT - Counterintuitive Building Types on the adaptive reuse of strip malls is a central project for the group as is the cooperative research project Architectural Affordances - Typologies of Umbau with Milan’s Politecnico Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU); the research collaboration "Peripheries - Peripherocene" with Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK extends the group significantly and was formed during 2023. 

Counterintuitive Typologies emerged in parallel with the development of the second German and first English edition of Andreas' book, Thinking Design – Blueprint for an Architecture of Typologies (Park Books, 2021). The book leverages Aldo Rossi's analytical and typological framework, viewing cities as a fusion of monuments, enduring imprints, and collective memories. It showcases 144 significant buildings from antiquity to the present, with a focus on civic typologies, illustrated through meticulous line drawings. These drawings include 12 typologies, each represented by 12 case studies, depicted in plan, section, and axonometric views, with key elevations highlighted. 

Fig. 144 projects in “Thinking Design”, floor plans drawn at same scale 

Accompanying the book is a booklet featuring 12 master's theses, all supervised by Andreas Lechner between 2015 and 2021 (Fig. 3). These theses explore concepts such as city edges, commercial vernaculars, and urban peripheries through the lens of "counterintuitive typologies." By investigating the potential future "monuments" of the periphery, these theses offer a counter-perspective that contrasts with the more traditional typologies and civic buildings presented in the book. They are depicted in the same precise drawing style and format as the book’s 144 projects.

Counterintuitive Typologies aims to cultivate a culturally responsive architecture that deeply engages with the material realities of our world, while rethinking the epistemologies and policies that shape the discipline in an imperfect context. By employing the concept of "type" and analogical thinking, the project seeks to reframe our understanding of cultural production and challenge the notion of art as an isolated, autonomous entity.




Fig. 5 Posters for design studios on “Counterintuitive Typologies” at TU Graz from 2020 to 2023.