Lebbeus Woods

Lebbeus Woods is an American architect and engineer (b. 1940 in Michigan). He studied architecture at the University of Illinois and engineering at Purdue University. He first started working in the offices of Eero Saarinen, but soon after decided to dedicate himself and his skills to purely theoretical and experimental 'paper architecture'. He is currently a professor of architecture at the Cooper Union in NYC.

His theory and architecture can be seen and read in his books, 'Radical Reconstruction' and 'War and Architecture'. Wherein one can begin to understand his connection to ruins. He proposes an architecture springing from the ruins of war-torn cities (Sarajevo) and cities struck by earthquakes (San Francisco). He talks of ruined buildings having scars once they have been reconstructed by him. He suggests a less materialistic world through the utilisation of 'poor' and 'found' materials, a recycling from and of the ruins, to reconstruct them. His magnificent, haunting drawings reflect visions of a great and deep architecture of ruins.