Architects and artists compete to build "merged" space.

On a 650-acre expanse of farmland near Cologne, Germany, adjacent to a former NATO missile base, 16 architects and artists from around the world are currently creating an experimental development called Hombroich spaceplacelab: a unique and daring merger of art, architecture and landscape.

Now, beginning Sept. 23, the AIA New York Chapter's Center for Architecture will present a major exhibition of projects for Hombroich spaceplacelab. Hombroich spaceplacelab will showcase models, sketches, plans and photographs, as well as a site model and video, on the existing art park, Museum Island Hombroich, and the surrounding region. The exhibition will also explore the arts communities of Marfa, Texas, and the Heyri Art Valley in Paju, Korea, positioning Hombroich spaceplacelab in the context of other unconventional developments for public art, architecture and landscape.

Each of the 16 designers of Hombroich spaceplacelab has been entrusted with a specific 40-acre lot. The architects and artists are developing their proposals independently of each other and are designing a wide variety of building types: residences, cultural and educational facilities, offices, small-scale industrial buildings and infrastructure plants. At the same time, they are all respecting the central design requirement of the Hombroich Manifesto, which stipulates that 90% of each site must be dedicated to the development of forests, meadows and orchards, and that only 10% of each site will be given over to buildings.

The designers/artists involved in Hombroich spaceplacelab include:

Raimund Abraham of New York City;

Tadao Ando, of Osaka, Japan;

Shigeru Ban, of Tokyo, Japan;

Sverre Fehn, of Oslo, Norway;

Finsterwalder Architekten, of

Stephanskirchen, Germany;

Erwin Heerich, of Dusseldorf, Germany;

Anatol Herzfeld, of Neuss, Germany;

Thomas Herzog Partner, of Munich, Germany;

Hoidn Wang Partner, of Berlin, Germany;

Per Kirkeby, of Hellerup, Denmark;

Krischanitz-Frank, of Wien-Berlin, Germany;

Oliver Kruse, of Cologne, Germany;

Daniel Libeskind, of New York City;

Katsuhito Nishikawa, of Neuss, Germany;

Frei Otto, of Leonberg, Germany; and Alvaro Siza, of Porto, Portugal.

"Each architect or sculptor has been encouraged to take a very personal approach," said exhibition curator Barbara Hoidn. "The projects, therefore, reflect the variety of characters and pluralistic convictions involved. The most convincing proposals will reshape an agricultural expanse over the course of a generation, so that it gradually evolves into a landscape where people will be able to pursue alternative life styles and community networks. By presenting the projects of Hombroich spaceplacelab in this exhibition, we hope to broaden current urban design debates with respect to innovative communities and grey zones of landscape in the agglomeration of cities."

According to AIA New York Chapter president Susan Chin, FAIA, "The Center for Architecture is pleased to host the Hombroich spaceplacelab exhibition because of the innovative alternatives it presents --in New York and around the world --for transforming abandoned or decommissioned sites into a new mix of nature, housing and culture. Whether at home on Governor's Island, in the wilds of Arizona or in the demilitarized zone of South Korea, the transformative process of spaceplacelab holds important lessons for the future."

Hombroich spaceplacelab was conceived by Karl-Heinrich Muller, who in 1982 established Museum Island Hombroich, consisting of his private residence and artists' studios. In 1996, he donated the land, the buildings and the art collection to the Foundation Museum Island Hombroich, which is now a public art park operating with the support of the regional government of North Rhine Westfalia.

According to Muller, "Museum Island Hombroich is not the result of a single person's will, or of the rule of one person or one party. It became a success because many people wanted it to be a success and actively supported the place."

Hombroich spaceplacelab is now intended to extend this concept, developing a unique environment, designed by many hands, for experiencing "art parallel to nature."

Field Experiments in Art-Architecture-Landscape: Hombroich Spaceplacelab exhibition and conference are sponsored by the Ministry for Building and Transport of North Rhine Westfalia, Germany; the City of Neuss; Stadtwerke Neuss; GWG Gesellschaft fuer Wohnungs- und Gewerbe-Bau; and Zumtobel Staff. The exhibition was presented at the Architecture Biennale in Venice 2004. After being seen in New York, the exhibition will travel to the Architekturzentrum in Vienna, Austria, in 2006.