The Bauhaus and the Weissenhof Siedlung were for architects all over the world the very model of modern architecture. But two wars, economic crises and the exodus of talented architects to the US robbed Germany for decades of its architectural talent. Behnisch was the first architect of the post-war generation to win acclaim in France, with the Olympiapark and Hysolar. Since then all his buildings have been reported on extensively in the architectural press in France. What the French find particularly attractive about this style of architecture is its lightness and lack of any formal constraints, such as is not normally associated with Germany. By the mid 1990s, German architects once again became a model for the architectural scene in France. Ever since French architects, town planners, engineers, local authority representatives etc. have been making the pilgrimage to Germany, Austria and Switzerland to view the exemplary ‘green’ buildings and housing developments. The appeal of this new German architecture lies in the simple lines, the combination of wood with metal and concrete, the ecological principles, the innovative technology and the unashamedly modern style.