Kristin Feireiss (1 July 1942 – 20 April 2025) was a German architectural and design curator, writer, and editor. Her career included co-founding the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin, serving as director of the

Netherlands Architecture Institute The Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) was a cultural institute for architecture and urban development, which comprised a museum, an archive plus library and a platform for lectures and debates. The NAI was established in 1988 and was ba ...

, and participating as an international juror and commissioner at the

Venice Biennale of Architecture The Venice Biennale of Architecture ( Italian: ''Mostra di Architettura di Venezia'') is an international exhibition showcasing architectural works from around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. Originally held in even-numbered ...

. She was known for her role in promoting architecture as a cultural discipline, fostering dialogue between architects and the public, and amplifying the voices of emerging practices.

Life and career

Feireiss was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 1 July 1942. She embarked on a course in Art History at

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Goethe University Frankfurt () is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt ...

in Frankfurt in 1963, and graduated from

Freie Universität Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...

in 1967. In the late 1960s, Feireiss began working as a journalist for cultural magazines and radio programs. From 1976 to 1980, she worked at the Internationales Design Zentrum Berlin. In 1980, she co-founded Aedes in Berlin, an architecture forum that would become one of Europe’s most influential platforms for architectural culture, exhibitions, events, and discourse. She later served in various capacities for numerous prominent institutions, including: * Director of the

(1996–2001), * Commissioner of the Dutch Pavilion at the

(1996, 2000), * Member of the International Jury at the Venice Architecture Biennale (2012), * Juror of the

Pritzker Architecture Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment which has produced consisten ...

(from 2013), * Member of the European Cultural Parliament (since 2007). Feireiss was the author or co-author of numerous publications, including the book ''Architecture in Times of Need: Make It Right Rebuilding New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward'', which she co-edited with

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

. Feireiss died on 20 April 2025, at the age of 82.

Honours

In 1995, Feireiss received the Literature Prize of the DAI, and on 23 March 2001 was awarded the

Federal Cross of Merit The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

. She was honored as a Knight of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

in 2013, and received an honorary doctorate on 26 October 2007 from the Carolo-Wilhelmina Technische Universität in Braunschweig. The university recognized her achievements as a journalist, curator, and founder of the Aedes Architecture Forum, and highlighted her impact as a mediator between academic architectural research and the international public for more than 25 years. In 2016, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Selected works

* Kristin Feireiss; Lukas Feireiss: ''Architecture of change: sustainability and humanity in the built environment.'' Die Gestalten, Berlin 2008, . * Kristin Feireiss; Brad Pitt: ''Architecture in times of need: Make It Right rebuilding New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward.'' Prestel, München 2009, . * ''Wie ein Haus aus Karten. Die Neckermanns – meine Familiengeschichte.'' Ullstein, Berlin 2012, .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feireiss, Kristin 1942 births 2025 deaths Journalists from Berlin German non-fiction writers German women writers German curators German editors Goethe University Frankfurt alumni Free University of Berlin alumni Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany