Michael Nguyen

The art of the facadeKlinge award winner Michael Nguyen successful at Tokyo International Photo Awards written by Volker Ufertinger.

One of the largest and most prestigious photo competitions in the world came to an end a few days ago in the Japanese capital. At the Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA), Gautingen-based photo artist Michael Nguyen took third place in the "Architecture/Buildings" category. He took part alongside an estimated 50,000 colleagues from all over the world with his photo series "Facades - The Faces of Buildings". He won over the jury with his ten photos of facades in Europe. Indeed, when taken out of context, such house fronts can develop a fascinating life of their own. ... If he had to choose a favourite photo, Nguyen would probably opt for the perfumery in Enschede, precisely because no one would recognise it as such at first glance. "It's just a normal Douglas shop," he says. He also has a special fondness for the Osterstraße multi-storey car park in Hanover. "At first you think of balconies, but they're actually car parks."

View the new article about Michael Nguyen’s photography

The Med Campus Graz, designed by Riegler Riewe Architekten, corresponds to the regularity and objectivity of the graphic facade drawing. The HBK Module 2 was completed in the fall of 2022 and is to be opened on May 12, 2023. HBK Module 1 was completed and opened in the fall of 2017. The pictures by Michael Nguyen show the buildings and facades of both modules.

Michael Nguyen, an architectural photographer known for his stunning and unique captures of modern facade architecture, has beautifully captured the building’s design and essence. His images showcase the building’s intricate details, from the striking angular lines to the way the natural light illuminates the grey facade. The photos respect the subdued tones and the low-key colors of the building while highlighting the fascinating lines, the digital play of gray shades, and surprising green elements as well stunning sculptures/installation artworks.

SIENA AWARDS Open Air Exhibiton during the SIENA AWARDS Festival with a photo artwork by Michael Nguyen

Urban Discoveries | The Beauty and Complexity of Modern Architecture · Published by The Metropolitan Magazine

“Urban Discoveries” is a captivating photographic series by Michael Nguyen that invites the viewer to explore the modern architectural marvels of European cities. Nguyen’s lens captures the intricate details and unique character of each city’s contemporary buildings, from the sleek lines of glass skyscrapers to the bold forms of modernist structures. The series offers a visual journey through the dynamic urban landscapes of Europe, highlighting the architectural achievements of the modern era.

URBAN Photo Awards is a prestigious annual event dedicated to celebrating photography and photographers. The 2023 edition promises to be the biggest and best ever. An important new feature is the new URBAN Press Award, which will be given to the Best Author at the event. The winner will have the opportunity to be published by the best press in the field of photography, thus receiving international recognition, branding opportunities and promotion. Michael Nguyen became a Member of the Jury of the URBAN Press Award 2023 beside the Magnum Photographers Alec Soth and Jerome Sessini.

Jury Member Michael Nguyen

Michael Nguyen has expertly captured the Masterpieces of Facade Art by Architects Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton, including iconic structures like the Munich Re in Munich, the ADAC Headquarters in Munich, the M9 Museum in Venice, the GSW Headquarters in Berlin, and the Brandhorst Museum in Munich. With precision photography, Nguyen examines the intricate details of these visual highlights, showcasing the beauty of urban architecture. Prof. Dr. Phil. Rainer Funke, founding dean of the Design Department at Potsdam University, provides his expert analysis of Nguyen’s photographic masterpieces, highlighting the intricate and artistic facades of iconic buildings designed by renowned architects Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton.

Facades are not the faces of buildings, even if we like this metaphor, and the term itself goes back to the Italian “faccia” and the Latin “facies” (face). Almost inextricably linked to their support, building envelopes are usually far too little dynamically linked to the typicity, diversity, and liveliness of the building’s interior to communicate this to the outside like a face.

Even with glass facades, there is rarely any real transparency due to the numerous reflections and defensive strategies of the users. This is especially true of large buildings, whose closure and opening to the urban space result from the serial arrangement and variation of identical segments. The continuous change of their appearances is mainly brought about by the change of light in the surrounding space and the interiors along the seasons of the day and also by the specific enforcement of the surrounding air with differently aggregated water and suspended particles.

Not faces, but rather masks surround us on the streets: more or less statically present in front of the supporting structures and the spaces filled with life, to grasp them, frame them, cultivate them, and provide them with an overarching expression, thus creating euphony or also dissonance in the building concert of the urban space as well-defined, virtuously played instruments. …

25.3.2023 by Prof. Dr. Rainer Funke

in ArchEyes | Timeless Architecture