World-renowned architect Hans Hollein discussed his work--including a potential new building in Harvard Square--yesterday in front of an audience interested in his latest project.

After designing acclaimed structures in Vienna, New York, Frankfurt and Lima, the Pritzker Prize winner will soon take his talent to yet another challenging environment--Cambridge.

In his Boylston Hall lecture, Hollein told the Harvard Square community to expect a new type of design at 90 Mt. Auburn St, a site owned by Harvard's Planning and Real Estate (HPRE) division.

Hollein, working with local architects, will propose a building that will be constructed in the space formerly occupied by the University Typewriter and Computer Company--which HPRE recently arranged to be relocated to 52-B JFK St.

Construction on the new structure, intended to hold shops and offices, will begin in 2001 or 2002.

HPRE selected Hollein from a talented field of potential designers, according to Kathy Spiegelman, Harvard associate vice-president and head of HPRE. Even without a design in hand, Spiegelman said she is confident of Hollein's abilities.

"We were particularly interested in his breadth of work," she explained. Currently, Hollein is also designing the Austrian Embassy in Berlin and serves as the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.

Last night, the architect told an audience of about 80 that he particularly prizes his ability to use "age-old material in a contemporary manner."