Despite enduring the disruption of two world wars and decades of political, social, and economic turmoil, Austria has been among the most fertile centers of 20th-century architecture. From Otto Wagner at the beginning of the century to Co-op Himmelb(l)au at its end, Austrian architects have often been at the forefront of the struggle to confront the rapidly changing dictates of the modern age. Those efforts have been marked less by technical innovation than in many other countries—until recently Austria’s building industries lagged behind those of most other European nations—but rather by a remarkable openness to new forms and ideas. On the one hand, modern Austrian architecture has been characterized by a strong inclination to embrace novelty, to originate and develop innovative expressions. But Austrian architects have also exhibited exceptional skill in manipulating and re-using elements from the past, engaging, in the process, in a sophisticated dialogue with history. In the works ...