1945 In the spring, Otto was captured near Nuremberg, and was held in a concentration camp near chartres for the next two years. During this period, as an architect of a concentration camp, he had the first opportunity to carry out his own architectural practice, built many types of structures with limited materials and became a prison architect.
1948, Otto entered Berlin Technical University to study architecture;
From 65438 to 0950, during his short study trip in the United States, Otto visited a series of works by American architects, including Frank Elode Wright, erich Mendelssohn, Ludwig ludwig mies van der rohe and Errol saarinen. He also studied sociology and urban planning at the University of Virginia.
1952, Frei Otto set up his own office in Berlin, and two years later, he received a doctorate in civil engineering from the Technical University of Berlin. His doctoral thesis "Hanging Roof: Form and Structure" was published in German, Polish, Spanish and Russian. In the same year, he cooperated with tent manufacturer Peter Strommel, which became the origin of light material architecture for more than half a century. They designed and built three light temporary buildings for the Federal Horticultural Exhibition in Kassel, Germany.
1962 and 1966, Otto published his two volumes "Tension Structure: Design, Structure and Calculation of Cable, Net and Membrane Buildings" respectively. He also gave lectures at Washington University, Yale University, Berkeley University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
1964, in order to welcome the Montreal World Expo three years later, the German government prepared to build a national pavilion representing the post-war national engineering and technological innovation, so it appointed Otto as the dean and set out to set up the School of Light Structure of Stuttgart University.
1967 The German Pavilion of the Montreal World Expo applied the cable TV network structure, and the on-site assembly and prefabrication created a highlight of the German exhibition in a short time.
1972 Munich Olympic Games, I participated in the impressive architectural landscape of large roofs, stadiums, swimming pools and public places, and the results of the efforts of large teams were impressive.
His architectural career reached a peak with the completion of 1967 Montreal World Expo West Germany Exhibition Hall and 1972 Munich Olympic Stadium.
In 2000, Otto worked as a structural consultant when Japanese architect Sakamoto designed the Japan Pavilion of the Hanover World Expo.