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Wolf D. Prix / W.

Dreibholz & Partner ZT GmbH


press sheet
Spengergasse 37
1050 Vienna, Austria
T +43 (0) 1 546 60- 0
F +43 (0) 1 546 60- 600
office@coop-himmelblau.at
www.coop-himmelblau.at
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Wolf D. Prix / W. Dreibholz & Partner ZT GmbH
press sheet
Spengergasse 37
1050 Vienna, Austria
T +43 (0) 1 546 60- 0
F +43 (0) 1 546 60- 600
office@coop-himmelblau.at
www.coop-himmelblau.at
is not a color but an idea
of creating architecture
with fantasy, as buoyant
and variable as clouds.
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Wolf D. Prix / Design Principal / CEO / Co-Founder of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU 1968
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The Cloud is an organism for living.
The structure is mobile, the space
can be modified. The building
materials are air and dynamics.
(Technique is a means to an end but
not an end in itself. Architecture is
content, not shell.)
The Cloud was designed for the
study Living forms for the future
and was planned as a realization
for the Documenta V. It was
thoroughly developed down to the
smallest detail in terms of concrete
form and structure.
Cloud 1968
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The Cloud - COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, 1968
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Erwin Wurm 9
10 10
under
construction
European
Central Bank (ECB)
frankfurt, germany
competition, 1 Prize
20032014
House of Music
aalborg, denmark
competition, 1 prize
2003/20082012
Dalian International
Conference Center
dalian, china
competition, 1 prize
20082011
Busan
Cinema Center
busan, south korea
competition, 1 prize
20052011
Muse
des Confuences
lyon, france
competition, 1 prize
20012014
Apartment Building
Liesing Brewery
vienna, austria
2002/20062011
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project data concept text
European
Central Bank (ECB)
Urbanism and Architecture
The location for the new headquarters of the European Central Bank
(ECB) in Frankfurts Ostend district has the potential of adding a new
landmark to the Frankfurt skyline that will be visible at great dis-
tances. The starting point for the design of the towers was the urban
perspectives of the city of Frankfurt.
At a height of around 185 meters, the double tower, with its polygo-
nal shape and east-west orientation, has a striking profle that is
visible from all important reference points in Frankfurts city center,
as well as from the river Main. Thanks to its form and presence, the
double tower will become a characteristic feature of the Frankfurt
skyline.
Urban planning and integration
The imposing form of the Grossmarkthalle (wholesale market), which
so strongly characterizes Frankfurts skyline and the north bank of
the river Main, unites with the vertical profle of the towers to form
a signifcant ensemble that considers both the local urban design
environment and the general urban spatial context, thus creating a
tension between Frankfurts banking district and the Ostend area.
By concentrating the ECBs functions in the Grossmarkthalle, the
south side of the premises, facing the Main, can be largely kept free
of construction. The prominent view of the south side of the hall from
the Main embankment with the clearly visible profle of the high-rise
emphasizes its special position.
The architectural concept of the tower
The tower ensemble is the result of a design process inspired by the
urban links with the city of Frankfurt. Owing to its clear orientation
towards the important urban perspectives, the ensemble enters into
a dialogue with the important urban reference points in Frankfurt: the
Alte Oper, the Museumsufer and the fnancial district. Starting with
the economical typology of a double-slab high-rise, a second design
step combines the urban planning specifcations with the geometric
transformation of the towers, in order to generate a multi-faceted
building structure while preserving its urban signifcance.
The vertical city
The atrium between the ofce towers becomes a vertical city.
Through platforms we are creating spaces, plazas and pathways
between the towers, just as they exist in a city. The connecting and
transferring levels divide the atrium horizontally into three sections
of diferent sizes, with heights ranging from around 45 to 60 meters.
These connecting platforms, bridges, ramps and stairs form a net-
work of links between the ofce towers. They create short paths
between the individual ofce foors in each tower and thus enable
larger, interconnected usable ofce spaces on one or more foors in
both towers, thereby also promoting informal communication. This
new typology supports a dynamic development of form and enables
diferentiated ofce spaces with diferent panoramic perspectives.
The Grossmarkthalle a forum for communication
Our design reinforces the Grossmarkthalles existing potential as an
urban foyer housing a conference and visitor center, as well as a
library and restaurant, through the incorporation of a building for the
press center which traverses the structure of the Grossmarkthalle.
This so-called entrance building, in which ECB press conferences will
be held, occupies a special position in content, form and space and
thereby marks the entrance to the ECB.
Since the western parts of the Grossmarkthalle were reconstructed
after being destroyed during the Second World War and do not, there-
fore, represent part of the substance of the original building even
in the way they are constructed we propose, as agreed with the
historic preservation authority, that the incision for the new entrance
to the ECB be in this part of the hall.
We continued to develop the concept of integrating the extensive
functional areas into the Grossmarkthalle, as suggested during the
Optimisation Phase. As before, the required new facilities are being
placed in the spacious interior of the hall as independent building
structures (the house within a house concept). The building struc-
tures, which are at diagonal angles to the Grossmarkthalle, allow the
hall to be experienced along dynamic spatial sequences and this
not only in the public areas of the halls ground foor, but also on the
upper levels, which, with their conference and restaurant facilities,
are largely reserved for employees of the ECB. The restaurant struc-
ture, as a visible sign of the new functional areas in the hall, gener-
ously orients the employee restaurant and terrace towards the Main
in the south.
Program: Ofce
Competition Phase 1: 2003, 1st Prize
Competition Phase 2: 20032004
Revision Phase: 2004
Optimization Phase: 2005
Start of Planning: 2004
Scheduled Opening: 2014
Site Area: 120,000 m
Gross Floor Area: 185,000 m
Client: European Central Bank (ECB),
Frankfurt/M., Germany
frankfurt, germany
20032014
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View from West, Gossmarkthalle and Tower / Isochrom.com
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project data concept text
COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs design for The House of Music in Aalborg com-
bines Cultural and Educational functions with shared public spaces,
performance spaces and infrastructure in an open system enabling
synergy and exchange between the public, artists, students and edu-
cators a shared Hybrid space.
Music, Creativity and Art are the centers of inspiration, both of the
shared-synergetic behavior and of the form and expression of the
architecture.
Formal and informal encounters and exchanges are enabled via
public spaces that are oriented towards the adjacent Culture Square
and Fjord, and are designed to serve as interchange platforms con-
necting the semi-public and private functions of the multiple institu-
tions housed within, and providing areas of exchange of information,
knowledge and inspiration for the various residents and the public in
the House of Music.
A 1,300 seat, world class, symphonic concert hall is at the core of
a compact U-shaped block of music, educational and performance
support spaces which wrap around the Main Hall on three sides. The
Building composition opens to the north in a vertical public foyer
with views over the fjord and adjacent Culture Square. Three addi-
tional halls of various sizes and functions complement the Main Hall
and are organized below the Foyer in a vertical inversion of the classi-
cal front-of-house / back-of-house horizontal orientation, optimizing
foor space and providing a lively vertical social space with a mix of
users and visitors.
House of Music
aalborg, denmark
2003/20082012
Program: Concert Hall, Education
Competition (1st Prize): 2003
Start of Planning: Hom II: Feb.2008
Net Area: 11,896 m
Gross Area: 12,052 m
Client: North Jutland House of Music
Foundation, Aalborg, Denmark
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Main Entrance & Restaurant / COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
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project data concept text
Architectural Concept
The building has both to refect the promising modern future of
Dalian and its tradition as an important port, trade, industry and
tourism city.
The formal language of our project is not pictographic, but associa-
tive; it will combine and merge the rational structure and organi-
zation of its modern conference center typology with the foating
spaces of traditional Asian architecture as well as with a design remi-
nescent of the soft surfaces generated by the forces of the sea.
The project combines the following functions within one hybrid build-
ing with synergetic efects of functionality and spatial richness.
Conference Center
Theater and Opera House
Exhibition Center
Parking, Delivery and Disposal
A public zone at ground level allows for diferentiating accessibility
for the diferent groups of users, with the shopping and exhibition
facilities directly connected to the conference center providing dra-
matic sight axis within the building. The actual performance and
conference spaces are situated at +15 m above the entrance hall.
The grand theater, with a capacity of 1,600 seats and a stage tower,
directly opposite of a fexible conference hall for 2,500 seats, is
positioned at the core in the center of the building.
With this arrangement the main stage can be used for the classical
theater auditorium as well as for the fexible multipurpose hall. The
main auditorium is additionally equipped with backstage areas like
in traditional theaters and opera houses. This scheme is appropri-
ate to broaden the range of options for the use of this space: from
convention, musical, theater even up to classical opera, with very
little additional investment. The main auditorium has the option to
get equipped with a fexible foor providing all possible utilization
from banquet to parliamentary seating.
The smaller conference spaces are arranged like pearls around this
core, providing very short connections between the diferent areas,
thus saving time while changing between the diferent units. Most
conference rooms and the circulation areas have direct daylight
from above.
Through this open and fuid arrangement the theater and confer-
ence spaces on the main level establish a kind of urban structure
with squares and street spaces, which facilitates on the one
hand user orientation within the building by identifable address-
es, and on the other hand provides also the required informal
meeting places, chill-out and catering zones in between the halls,
with view on the outside an ideal atmosphere for modern confer-
ence utilization.
The access to the basement parking garage, truck delivery and
waste disposal is located at the southwestern part of the site, thus
freeing the front driveway to the entrances from transit trafc. The
main entrance from the sea side corresponds to the future develop-
ments, including the connection to the future cruise terminal.
Dalian International
Conference Center
Program: Conference Center
Competition: 03/2008, 1st Prize
Start of Planning: 07/2008
Start of Construction: 11/2008
Groundbreaking: 15 November 2008
Completion: 2011
Site Area: 40,000 m
Gross Floor Area Total: 117,650 m
Client: Dalian Municipal People's
Government, P.R. China
dalian, china
20082011
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Main Entrance View / Coop Himmelb(l)au
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project data concept text
Busan
Cinema Center
busan, south korea
20052011
The Busan Cinema Center A multifunctional urban plaza
COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs design for the Busan Cinema Center and
home of the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) provides a new
intersection between public space, cultural programs, entertainment,
technology and architecture creating vibrant landmarks within the
urban landscape.
LED saturated outdoor roof elements acting as a virtual sky connect
building-objects and plaza-zones into a continuous, multifunctional
public urban space.
Media, technology, entertainment and leisure are merged in an open-
architecture of changeable and tailored event experiences. The result
is a responsive and changing space of fows acting as an urban cata-
lyst for cultural exchange and transformation.
Project Description
The concept envisions an urban plaza of overlapping zones includ-
ing an Urban Valley, a Red Carpet Zone, a Walk of Fame and the PIFF
Canal Park. The urban plaza is formed by building and plaza ele-
ments sheltered by two large roofs that are enabled with computer
programmed LED outdoor ceiling surfaces. The larger of the roofs
includes a column-free cantilever of 85 meters over a multifunctional
Memorial Court event plaza. The urban zones of the complex are
formed by individual and recognizable building objects placed below
the outdoor roofs. The building objects contain theater, indoor and
outdoor cinemas, convention halls, ofce spaces, creative studios
and dining areas in a mixture of sheltered and linked indoor and
outdoor public spaces. The design of these spaces supports fexible,
hybrid functionality that can be used both during the annual festival
period and day-to-day use without interruption.
The urban zones defned by functional surfaces in plan are further ar-
ticulated in a sectional dialogue between stone-clad ground forms
of the CineMountain and PIFF Hill, and the metal and LED clad sky
elements of the roofs. The materiality of the building objects diferen-
tiates the spaces and articulates the architectural concept. Through
their shape, placement and materiality, the various parts create a
dynamic and informal tension between the ground and the roof.
Program: Commercial Cinema, Outdoor
Cinema, Public Plaza and Home of Film
Festival
Competition: 11/2005, 1st Prize
Site Area: 32,100 m
Gross Floor Area: 57,981 m (interior)
Built-up Area: 10,005 m
Volume: 349,700 m
Start of Planning: 01/2007
Start of Construction: 10/2008
Completion: 10/2011 (estimated);
Scheduled Opening: 11/2011
Building Costs: EUR 100 Mio (budget)
Client: P(B)usan International Film
Festival Organizing Committee
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View From East, Urban Plaza / Isochrom.com
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project data concept text
Crystal Cloud of Knowledge
The future society will be a society of knowledge. However this
knowledge can hardly be split into clearly defned felds.
Innovations develop within interspaces, within indistinctness, within
the overlapping and hybridising. Questions regarding the future will
be decided within transitional felds situated between technology,
biology and ethics that are the central themes of the Muse des Con-
fuences. Mutations of form, penetrations, deformations, simultanei-
ties, breakdowns and variabilities have an efect on architecture. The
resulting architecture is characterised by the interactions, the fusion
and mutation of diferent entities constituting a new shape.
The Muse des Confuences does not consider itself as an exclusive
temple for the intellectual bourgeoisie but as a public place providing
access to the knowledge of our age.
Stimulating a direct and active use, it is not only a museum site but
also a venue in town. The architecture hybridises the typology of a
museum with the typology of an urban leisure space.
Hard Space Soft Space
The concept of two complexly connected architectural units are a
result of the striking interface-like situation of the building site.
The crystal rising towards the side of the town is conceived as an
urban forum and entrance hall for visitors. Its shape that can be read
clearly stands for the everyday world. In contrast to this the cloud
hides the knowledge about the future; it is a soft space of hidden
streams and countless transitions.
Within the Muse des Confuences the present and the future, the
known and the still unknown are conceived as a spatial arrangement
trying to spur public curiosity. As an extension of the park located
on the Southern top of the island a new urban space formulates
itself; a landscape consisting of ramps and surfaces merging the
inside and the outside and resulting in a dynamic sequence of spatial
events.
This movement is also followed by the alternating spatial structure
of the exhibition halls. Closed Black Boxes and free exhibition areas
alternate by exploiting the double room height of two levels. The
architecture is as changeable as the content entrusted.
The idea of the permanent reinvention of an urban event enables
Lyon to perfectly position itself within a regional as well as within a
global context.
lyon, france
20012014
Muse
des Confuences
Program: Museum
Competition: 2001, 1st Prize
Start of Planning: 2002
Start of Construction: 10/2006
Scheduled Completion: 2014
Site Area: 20,975 m
Floor Area: 26,700 m
Building Costs: EUR 100 Mio
Client: Dpartement du Rhne,
Lyon, France
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Rendering, View from North West / Isochrom.com
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project data concept text
Apartment Building
Liesing Brewery
The designs urban planning concept develops from the distinc-
tive topography of an east-west ridge along the Liesing River.
In a zone between urban and suburban structures, the planning
area is characterized by the transition from enclosed building
blocks south of the Breitenfurter Strae, an open, fragmented ur-
ban fabric in the north, the long-stretched Liesinger Platz square
to the east, and the aqueduct in the west.
Planned as a backbone of the design is a distinctive, space form-
ing, snake-shaped structure that redefnes the urban space along
the existing topography as it stretches between the aqueduct and
the enclosed building fronts on the north side of Liesinger Platz; a
vertical connection is created between the levels of Breitenfurter
Strae and the levels of the old brewery cellar. The structure thus
becomes a built topography, which allows for a multilevel city
district.
A linear, southwardly terraced building extends between this
structure and Breitenfurter Strae, which through projections
and recesses adds dynamic to the spatial fow along the street.
The building height of the terraced houses diminishes toward
the west; a high building in the east defnes Liesinger Platz and
simultaneously marks the entry to the shopping center and the
entire complex.
Between these two building structures variable, fowing public
squares and spatial sequences are created, which through the
shopping center are interwoven with the newly designed Liesing-
er Platz into an accentuated multi-level spatial continuum, defn-
ing the shopping center as an indoor shopping street.
At several strategic points this new east- west stretching urban
fabric is interrupted through broad gaps, so that on the one hand
the green spaces in the north and on the other the urban spaces
in the south can freely fow through. This creates a connection
of the existing housing south of the Liesing River with the public
spaces of the complex and the natural landscape in the north and
enables generous visual connections between the various urban
spaces.
Through the manifold connections between existing structures,
free spaces, and the topography of the natural green space, the
entire complex becomes a built urban landscape.
Program: Residential, Shopping, Ofce,
Landscape
Expert Study: 20002001
Masterplan: 20012002
Design And Site Development
Competition: 20052006
Masterplan Subarea Implementation:
Start of Planning: 2006
Completion: 2011
The Mixed Use Program contains:;
Housing: 23,000 m BGF
Ofce: 4,300 m BGF
Special Form of Housing/Housing For
The Elderly: 8.700 m BGF
Total: 36,000m BGF
Landscape Design:
Plaza: 13,200 m
Design of the Shopping Front:
Extile Front: 3,000 m (in Cooperation
with Artist Peter Kogler)
Glasfront Shopping: 1,300 m
Total Building Costs: EUR 32 Mio
Client: ARWAG Bautrger Gesellschaft
m.b.H. / WIEN SD Gemeinntzige Bau-
und Wohnungsgenossenschaft
vienna, austria
2002/20062011
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Model Photo, View from South East / Markus Pillhofer
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in
planning
The Open Parliament
of Albania
tirana, albania
competition, 1 Prize
2011
Energy Roof
Perugia
perugia, italy
2009
Strongoli
Art Museum
strongoli, italy
20092012
Museum of
Contemporary Art
& Planning Exhibition
shenzhen, china
competition, 1 prize
20072013
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The Open Parliament
of Albania
Architectural and urban design strategies
As the future political center of the Albanian Republic, the Open
Parliament of Albania creates an outstanding architectural landmark
in one of the main parts of Tiranas urban fabric. Situated along the
compositional axis of the city, it is located in vicinity to the major
governmental institutions.
The design for the Open Parliament of Albania relies on three main
ideas:
To provide a strong urban statement in this exposed part of Tiranas
urban fabric;
To assemble the diferent functions in one building ensemble
that is compact enough to create a public forum and a park on the
southern part of the site;
To create a unique building for the most important public institu-
tion of the Albanian Republic with a contemporary architectural
approach shaped to optimize active and passive energy use.
The design incorporates fundamental democratic values such as
openness, transparency and public co-determination. The simulta-
neity of competing political concepts within a democratic society is
translated into the design concept: Diferent building elements are
not opposed, but coexist in one building ensemble with a contempo-
rary aesthetic that allows visualizing new functions and meanings.
Energy Concept
The new parliamentary building for the Republic of Albania is de-
signed to capture the natural resources and energy fows of its sur-
roundings and employ them to provide optimal environmental condi-
tions for its occupants. The spatial confguration of the building form
and the optimization of the building envelope together with the use
of renewable energy sources ensure an energy efcient design and
reduce dependence on fossil fuel energy sources.
The Parliamentary Hall
Spatially, the new Parliaments Chamber refects a basic democratic
principle, the power of the electorate, by situating the public above
the elected assembly members while placing the chamber hall at the
physical and metaphorical center of the building ensemble.
Program: Ofce, Parliament
Competition: 2010/11, 1st Prize
Site Area: 28,000 m
Gross Floor Area: 38,650 m
Client: The Republic of Albania, The
Parliament
tirana, albania
2011-
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COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
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project data concept text
Energy Roof
Perugia
Location
The new glass gallery along Via Mazzini in the center of Perugia cov-
ered by the Energy Roof creates the entry point to the archaeological
underground passage that connects the city center with the mini
metro station Pincetto.
Urban Strategy
By means of a glass gallery along Via Mazzini, a new public space
and attractor is created. The place is defned by its history, dynamic
circulation fows and urban liveliness. The new paradigmatic design
of the Energy Roof creates a distinctive and highly recognizable icon
for the city and a statement for aesthetic sustainability correspond-
ing with the ancient buildings of Via Mazzini. It assigns the entrance
to the archaeological underground passage leading through the his-
tory of Perugia.
Walking through history
The underground passage is not only a shortcut in between the city
center at Via Mazzini and the arrival point of the Mini Metro station
Pincetto but also an exhibition space. Historical documents show the
existence of the old Etruscan city wall in the area bellow Piazza Gia-
como Matteotti which COOP HIMMELB(L)AU proposes to excavate as
part of an underground public gallery space exhibiting the history of
Perugia. Controlled views and look-out points make orientation easy.
Openings in the ground of the Piazza Giacomo Matteotti visually con-
nect the underground passage with the Energy Roof.
Energy Roof
The roof design is driven by the generation of energy for the city.
While the orientation of the west wing is optimized in relation to solar
radiation, the east wing captures wind. The roof consists of 3 layers:
the energy generating top layer, the structural layer in the middle
and a layer on the bottom as a combination of laminated glazing and
translucent pneumatic cushions.
The top layer includes transparent photovoltaic cells to generate
electricity and shade the sun. The orientation of the individual cells
is generated and optimized by a computer driven scripting program.
Furthermore 5 wind turbines that are placed inside the structural
layer are generating additional energy. Both the roof and the under-
ground passage are energy self-sufcient.
Generation of Energy - Photovoltaic
During the design process of the energy roof a special focus has been
put on using photovoltaic cells as functional and aesthetic elements.
To maintain visual connections to the surroundings we propose to
use frameless glass elements with integrated transparent photovol-
taic cells for the top layer of the roof. Therefore sun-shading, energy
generation and architectural integration are all combined in one ele-
ment.
The chosen geometry of the panels follows the overall shape of the
Energy Roof, and curved lines made of photovoltaic cells are created.
The photovoltaic elements are peeling of the surface and tilted to-
wards the sun where the roof area is oriented to the North East. The
resulting gaps are closed by passive glass panels which appear simi-
lar to the active panels.
This installation creates a photovoltaic energy generator with a per-
formance of around 73 kWp. The annual output of 100 MWh provides
a major contribution to environmentally friendly generation of ener-
gy. With the wind turbines and an additional performance of around
25 kWp a peak performance of around 100KWp is reached.
Structural Description - Preliminary
The roof consists of three layers with the structural layer in the
middle. The other two layers are the energy generating layer on the
top and the glazing layer on the bottom. In the summer, the east wing
of the roof, forming a rotor blade, captures wind, thus providing air
ventilation for cooling. The structure therefore has to be sufciently
open to drive the fresh air to the street level from above.
The roof structure is approximately 80 meters long supported by
a tripod in the middle. There are ten members connecting the roof
structure and the tripod. The structure, forming a rotor blade, is 16
meters wide at the ends while in the middle part, around the support-
ing points, the roof slims.
The geometry of the structure is determined by crossed planes that
are arrayed in longitudinal direction. The intersection of the planes
and the geometry of the propeller describe the perimeter of the
load bearing structure. To provide the sufcient air-ventilation and to
reduce the self-weight of the structure holes are cut in the plane of
the planes in a way that the remaining areas are connected and are
performing as a rigid and optimized composition. These connected
planes consist of single beams and act as trusses.
Program: Energy Roof
Local Partner: Heliopolis 21
Architetti Associati, San Giuliano Terme
(Pisa), Italy
Civil & Structural Engineer: B+G
Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann
GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
Energy Design: Baumgartner GmbH,
Germany
Client: Universit degli Sudi di Perugia/
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e
Ambientale, Italy
perugia, italy
2009
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View from South East / Coop Himmelb(l)au
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project data concept text
Strongoli
Art Museum
Visible from far away on the top of the Motta Grande, a hill just out-
side of Strongoli, the new Art Museum Strongoli creates a remarkable
landmark for the city in the heart of Calabria.
Not only is the museum a cultural institution, but also a generator for
the future development of Calabria, a place of cultivated entertain-
ment and recreation and a destination for locals and tourists alike.
The hybrid form of the building is developed from the connection
of three functional bodies: an iconic, cone-shaped construction
with the public entrance, the main volume of a multifunctional hall
which houses the exhibitions, and a daringly cantilevered panoramic
restaurant. This sculpural merging of forms is enveloped by a cur-
vated outer skin, which responds dynamically to climatic forces like
the sun, wind and also the conditions of view on the surrounding
landscape.
The public entrance in the cone-shaped foyer area is oriented to-
wards the city. Its spiralling ramp which gives access to the exhibi-
tion zone makes it is also a spectacular event space. At the other
end of the building, the restaurant ofers a great view to the sea
in the east and on the surrounding landscape from its panoramic
terrace. Between these two parts the visitors itinerary leads in a
loop through the two-storey fexible exhibition area. The spaces for
regular exhibitions are situated on its upper level, below lies the
VideoLab for contemporary media art. Both spaces are directly ac-
cessed by two elevators from the service area in the basement, which
includes also the administrative spaces lighted from the downhill
side. The multifunctional hall can also be used as lecture hall, audi-
torium, cinema, or just as an extension of the foyer when there are
public events. Thus the new Art Museum Strongoli is not only a place
to experience art, but also of cultural exchange, with the potential to
become one of the hippest destinations in southern Italy.
Program: Museum
Gross Floor Area: 6,000 m
Museum Curator: Carla Piscitelli
stongoli, italy
20082014
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View from North East towards Motta Grande / Isochrom.com
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project data concept text
Museum of Contemporary Art
& Planning Exhibition
The design is an urban meeting point and serves as a dynamic ele-
ment in the progressive system of the City of Shenzen in the middle
of their new center, the "Futian Cultural Center". The building inte-
grates itself in the language of the established master plan with a
site area of approximately 30.000 sqm and represents the discovery
of an individual exciting object.
The form of the 40 m high building is a result of a vertical extru-
sion and rotation from the rectangular ground foor through to the
roof level. A new entry orientation has been achieved through this
rotation to the axial center of the cultural zone of the Futian Central
District and to the main circulatory fows. The resulting rotation gen-
erates a dynamic building in the form of an "active wave". By using
black anodized metal and black glass, the active wave is frozen into
an urban monolith.
Program: Museum
Competition (1st Prize): 2007
Start of Planning: 2008
Start of Construction: 2010
Estimated Completion: 2013
Site Area: 21,688 m
Gross Floor Area: 80,000 m
Building Costs: 90 Mio.
Building Height: 40 m
Number of Stories: 7
Max Building Length: 160m
Max Building Width: 140 m
Clients: Shenzhen Municipal
Culture Bureau, Shenzhen, China &
Shenzhen Municipal Planning Bureau,
Shenzhen, China
Structural Engineering: B+G
Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann
GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany; Mechanical
Engineering (Hvacs): Arup/ Brian Cody,
Berlin, Germany
shenzhen, china
20072013
32
Museum of Contemporary Art
& Planning Exhibition
Main Entrance View/ Coop Himmelb(l)au
33
34
recent
competition/studies
(selection)
Archaeological
Museum Egypt
tell el-daba, egypt
2010
Silver Cloud
cairo, egypt
2009
Mixed Use
Center Baku
baku, azerbaijan
2008
Zorlu Gateway
Center
istanbul, turkey
2007
35
Archaeological
Museum Egypt
tell el-daba, egypt
2010
This project for a new Archaeological Museum in Egypt is situated
near the excavation site of Tell el-Daba in the eastern Nile delta.
Here, Archeologists could locate the remains of major antique trading
centers dating from more than 3000 years ago, including Avaris, the
Hyksos capital of the Middle Kingdom, and Pi-Ramesse, the capital of
the New Kingdom. Surrounded by agricultural land, the new building
will stand out as a landmark on the bank of the Elhosania Fakos River.
Concept
The design of the museum, infuenced by the history of the site and
its specifc conditions of topography and climate, and organized by
the functional program, lead to a unique architectural space which in
turn is responsive to its uses and the environment. The development
of the form, derived from the geometry of a truncated pyramid, has
been driven by four main strategies.
Accessible Landmark
The building is a walkable monument. From the entrance plaza a spi-
ral ramp leads upwards as a loop around the museum embedded in
its sloped exterior surface, thereby ofering a gradually changing and
widening panoramic view to the surrounding landscape. The walkway
ends at the top in front of a caf and a secondary entrance, which
allows the visitors to start their tour inside not only from ground foor,
but also from high above.
Program
The main entrance plaza on 5.00m can be reached by a straight
ramp set at a right angle to the building. Passing by the ticket coun-
ter, the visitors enter the exhibition hall, a large and tapered space
reaching right under the top of the building volume, thus allowing to
accomodate very large exhibits. The hall is framed by the bookshop
and the library, while all service functions are hidden at the back of
the building.
Starting on the ground foor, the exhibition continues on a large
ramp, corresponding to the exterior walkway and spiralling up to
the top level of the space, ending at the caf at the top level. To take
shortcuts the visitors can also use the elevators, which stand in the
middle of the hall as a towering multifaceted structure. The caf on
the top level can be opened to the general public. From here the visi-
tors can turn back, or complete the round tour on the outside.
Seeing by walking
The exhibition concept follows the idea that the museum experience
will be more rewarding for the visitors when the round tour ofers
more than rows of displays in a neutral space. While moving through
the subtle choreography stimulated by the fuidly diferentiated se-
quence of spaces, the visitors of the Archeological Museum Egypt can
enjoy the continuous change of perception of perspective, lighting,
material texture and climate without disturbing the contemplation of
the excavation objects and documents.
The sun is cooling
The monolithic pyramid-like shape of the building maximizes the sur-
face exposed to direct sunlight, which benefts also its environmental
sustainability: the building envelope has been optimized by integrat-
ing parameters like wind and sun into a computer based model for
an energy-active faade, a system which allows to use the heat of the
outside air to create a pleasantly conditioned ambience. The energy
faade contains a thermal air plenum that makes use of the intense
solar energy through adiabatic cooling to modulate the temperature
and humidity of the interior. The concept aims for a building that gen-
erates more energy than it is using itself. The fat top of the energy
faade also acts as a giant louvre, fltering down the bright desert
light to a difuse, even illumination of the exhibition hall.
Program: Archeological Museum
Client: sterreichisches Archo-
logisches Institut IA, Cairo, Egypt
36
Coop Himmelb(l)au
37
project data concept text
Silver
Cloud
cairo, egypt
2009
Urban Context and Concept
Egypt, with its strategic location, has become the second most popu-
lous country in Africa. Owing to its specifc geographic conditions,
most urban development in Egypt has taken place in the Nile Valley
and Delta, which represent only 4 per cent of its total area.
Cairo has become the largest urban centre not only in Africa, but also
in the Middle East. The city's history has been closely related to that
of Egypt.
In recent decades this led to a massive process of concentration, with
the result that Cairo today is not only the capital of Egypt but also its
economic, social, service, and administrative centre. The city's size
and rapid growth have resulted in serious problems in most aspects
of the life of its population.
The government has attempted both to decentralize population and
activities from Cairo and to reorganize and manage its growth at the
national, regional, and local levels.
The establishment of new cities, satellite or independent, were intro-
duced to be developed as growth centres in order to attract economic
activities and population from the core region. The cities are situated
along the major regional radials to tie the greater Cairo region to
other economic regions such as Suez, Ismailia, and Alexandria.
Their size is intended to be large enough to guarantee an adequate
level of self-sufciency in terms of employment and services.
If these settlements continue to grow at the same rate, in a few years
an extensive urban corridor may appear along this regional road and
a new megalopolitan area may emerge. Such a metropolitan area
would house almost half of the Egyptian population.
The task of our project is to create a focal point, an instantly recogniz-
able landmark of one part of the above mentioned urban develop-
ment in an area called New Cairo.
The new settlements need to establish their own urban identity and
identifcation points to avoid the risk of just being faceless and ex-
changeable.
The outer skin of the building consists of three dimensional deformed
steel frames covered with stainless steel or aluminium panels to cre-
ate a instantly recognise able building envelope even if just seen for
seconds out of a moving car.
Program: Automotive Showroom
Competition: 05/2009
Site Area: 7,424 m
Net Floor Area: 30,455 m
Gross Floor Area: 33,650 m
Footprint: 3,220 m
Volume: 195,950 m
Number of Floors: 7
Above Ground: 4
Underground: 3
Client: GB AUTO SAE
Structural Engineering: B+G
Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann
GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany
38
Coop Himmelb(l)au
39
project data concept text
Urban Context
The site of the Mixed Use Center Baku is located in the new city cen-
ter; Nizami District of the City of Baku. The Old town Center and the
Fountain Square in the West, the Central Railway Station in the North
and the Government House in the South all together create a very
lively urban environment. The close Baku Bay shore park Boulevard
and many public parks and plazas around the area facilitate public
outdoor spaces and recreation sources in this new vibrant urban
development environment.
The Mixed Use Center Baku design proposes a high density Landmark
Building Complex that is an expression of the refnement of the inner
architectural qualities of the building elements which are shaped by
urban and climate considerations, economies of structure and mate-
rials as also program proposals and orientation of main views to the
city and the sea.
Architectural Concept
The high end luxury Residential Tower sits on the South west side on
top a lifted Shopping Center base. It is orientated to the public plaza
on Khagani Street and to the roof garden of the Shopping Base. The
5-Star Hotel & Ofce Tower marks the building blocks corner in the
south east on Pushkin Street. The Shoppings Center base horizontal
strips are shaped according to visibility and react to main people
fows, entrances, trafc circulation and surrounding public zones.
The special features of the project proposal are a VIP spiral ramp
above the main entrance of the Shopping Center that provides a
spectacular drop of next to the upper main lobbies of the Residen-
tial Tower and the 5-star Hotel on the roof level 20m above ground.
Within the Shopping Center and Wellness; Spa area is a combined
pool aquarium feature that is the core of the shopping event space.
On the roof it provides an outdoor swimming pool for VIP guests and
residents and inside it ofers spectacular views into a shark aquarium
that hovers above the Shopping Plaza; Foyer level. Visitors circulate
around the water tank including the swimming pool and it creates
atmospheric water refections and skylight from above for the foyer
space of the Shopping Center.
Mixed Use
Center Baku
Program: Mixed Use Buildings
Competition: 2008
Gross Floor Area Total: 133,800 m
Gross Floor Area Program: 96,700 m
(Above Ground)
Client: ARENA JSC Elebrus Mammadov
baku, azerbaijan
2008
40
MIxED USE BUILDING WITH TWO ICONIC TOWERS SILKROAD CG
41
project data concept text
Monofunctional structures do not correspond to the architecture and
the urban development of the 21st century. Future urban develop-
ment will mirror the complexity of peoples intellectual and material
lives. This is why not only the media represent the urban culture of
tomorrow, but architecture does too. For us, a city must convey diver-
sity and tension.
Coop Himmelblau, 1990
In response to the brief for a new, 550.000 sq. landmark, mixed-use
facility for a prominent site in Istanbul, we propose a new model city-
center as a signal for future development and an iconic gateway to
the emerging new central business district of the City.
The Zorlu Gateway Center is formed by the overlapping of public
and private spaces of living, working, meeting, shopping and leisure
in a networked system of dense and lively public, commercial and
urban spaces.
The urban, functional and symbolic ambitions of the proposal explore
fve main themes in a design that is organized around active indoor
and outdoor public plazas and generous terraced gardens;
Landmark and Identifcation
Density and Variety
Urban Liveliness
Landscape
Sustainability
Organization
A vast and fuid shopping city comprising 3 levels and covering the
total site footprint forms an urban landscape atop 4 levels of subter-
ranean parking. A large and dynamic shaped cloud roof incorporat-
ing large skylit openings foats above the shopping area, itself orga-
nized around two main sunken plazas and lit by daylight from above
and diagonally. Entertainment and dining areas are incorporated
within the roof cloud, while its upper, landscaped surface is designed
as the Zorlu Park, providing garden and leisure activities for the
Residential Towers in a semi-private location with a view to the City
and Bosphorus beyond.
Penetrating and interconnecting with the Shopping City and forming
networks of dense points within it, a series of variable use and vari-
able formed towers of about 100 m in height form the northern and
eastern perimeters of the site. The towers are typologically shaped in
relation to their use and responsiveness to sun, wind and view, and
express a variety of languages in an open aesthetic system.
At the northwest site corner along the main boulevard from the Bos-
phorus bridge, the tower buildings of the convention center, conven-
tion hotel and lifestyle hotel and serviced apartments are formed
as two landmark Urban Gates marking the approach axes to the site
and entrance to the new central business district and indicating the
landmark presence of the Zorlu Gateway Center. Three soft-folded
residential high rise towers are placed along the sites quieter, east-
ern edge with a commanding view to the Bosphorus and metropolis
of Istanbul.
Zorlu Gateway
Center
Program: Mixed Use Complex,
Shopping, Ofce, Residential
Competition: 2007
Site Area: 84,000 m
Floor Area: above Ground 229,860 m
Floor Area: below Ground 341,760 m
Client: Zorlu Property Development &
Investment Inc., Istanbul, Turkey
istanbul, turkey
2007
42
MIxED USE COMPLEx: LIVING, WORKING, MEETING, SHOPPING AND LEISURE ISOCHROM.COM
43
44
completed
(selection)
Martin Luther
Church
hainburg, austria
20082011
Pavilion 21
MINI Opera Space
munich, germany
20082010
Central Los Angeles Area
High School #9 for the
Visual and Performing Arts
los angeles, california, usa
20022008
BMW Welt
munich, germany
20012007
Akron Art Museum
akron, ohio, usa
20012007
Academy of Fine Arts
munich, germany
1992/20022005
Apartment Building
Gasometer B
vienna, austria
19952001
SEG Apartment Tower
vienna, austria
19941998
UFA Cinema Center
dresden, germany
19931998
Rooftop Remodelling
Falkestrasse
vienna, austria
1983/8788
project data concept text
Martin Luther
Church
hainburg, austria
20082011
In less than a year a protestant church together with a sanctuary, a
church hall and supplementary spaces was built in the centre of the
Lower Austrian town Hainburg, at the site of a predecessor church
that doesnt exist anymore since the 17th century.
The shape of the building is derived from that of a huge table, with
its entire roof construction resting on the legs of the table four
steel columns. Another key element is the ceiling of the prayer room:
its design language has been developed from the shape of the curved
roof of a neighboring Romanesque ossuary the geometry of this
century-old building is translated into a form, in line with the times,
via todays digital instruments.
The play with light and transparency has a special place in this proj-
ect. The light comes from above: three large winding openings in the
roof guide it into the interior. The correlation of the number Three to
the concept of Trinity in the Christian theology can be interpreted as a
deliberate coincidence.
The church interior itself is not only a place of mysticism and qui-
etude as an antithesis of our rather fast and media-dominated
times but also an open space for the community.
The sanctuary gives access to the glass-covered childrens corner,
illuminated by daylight, which accomodates also the baptistery. The
actual community hall is situated behind it: folding doors on the
entire length of the space between the two main chambers allow for
combining them to one continuous spatial sequence. An folded glass
faade on the opposite side opens the space towards the street.
A third building element, a longitudinal slab building along a small
side alley, fanks both main spaces and comprises the sacristy, the
pastors ofce, a small kitchen and other ancillary rooms. A handi-
capped accessible ramp between the three building components
accesses the church garden on higher ground.
The sculptural bell tower at the forecourt constitutes the fourth ele-
ment of the building ensemble.
Like other projects of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU the roof elements of the
church building were assembled in a shipyard. The implementation
of the intricate geometries required specifc technologies of metal-
processing and manufacturing only available in shipbuilding indus-
try. The reference to shipbuilding is at the same time also reminiscent
of Le Corbusier who served as an important role model, not least
because of his La Tourette monastery.
Program: Church
Start of Planning: 2008
Start of Construction: 08/2010
Completion: 04/2011
Site Area: ca. 420 m
Gross Floor Area: 289 m
Structural engineering:
Bollinger Grohmann Schneider ZT
GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Construction Survey: Spirk & Partner ZT
GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Client: Association Freunde der Evan-
gelischen Kirche in Hainburg/Donau,
Austria
User: Evangelische Pfarrgemeinde A.B.
Bruck a.d. Leitha Hainburg/Donau,
Austria
46
MARKUS PILLHOFER 47
project data concept text
Pavilion 21
MINI Opera Space
The Pavilion 21 MINI Opera Space is a temporary mobile perfor-
mance space for 300 visitors to be located on the Marstallplatz in the
City of Munich. It is intended to be used for a wide range of events at
the annual Opera Festival 2010 and then to travel to other locations.
The design approach studies the impact of physical infuences on
our hearing perception and how to apply soundscape efects to alter
our sensation through transforming and adopting building volumes
and their material specifcations. Contrary to our built environment
sound or music has no present materiality so it is always perceived at
the moment of its generation. Because of this immediate perception
of sound our sensations could range from supreme beauty to painful
intolerability. In architecture and urban planning soundscaping de-
sign approaches of exterior spaces are barley recognized and hardly
ever applied therefore many public spaces are unattractive in our
psychological perception.
The design goal for the pavilion is to impact a unique soundscape by
helping to reduce the apparent noise and to create a zone of silence
next to the pavilion. Creating an absolute zone of silence is techni-
cally not possible, but this term used here is intended to describe an
area where you can sense a change in the soundscape that gives the
impression of a quieter environment.
This strategy for achieving this concept uses three mechanisms,
frstly the shielding efect of the plaza to block sound from the road,
secondly the shaping of the pavilion surface to collect and defect
sound and thirdly the material characteristic of the Pavilion surface
to absorb and refect sound.
The Pavilions spatial structure acts here as a transformator that
changes our perception and sensation of the soundcape and music
on the plaza around the Pavilion and inside the performance space.
Parallel to acoustical approaches and simulations, the generation
of the form of the Pavilion was driven by the concept of material-
izing music into architecture. Selected sequences of songs become
dynamic forces that transform and create spatial form. Here we
transcribed a sequence of Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze Scuse me
while I kiss sky. Analyzing the frequencies of the sound fle and
linking it to the computer generated 3D model, the scripting tool then
parametrically transforms the shell into pyramid shapes like spikes.
Music is frozen and creates architectural space.
To meet internal acoustics design objective, the proposal includes
provision for a combination of perforated sound absorbing panels
and pyramid-shaped, non-perforated sound difusing panels on the
side walls and ceiling, with a sound refective foor and stage. Sound-
refective parallel surfaces between the side-walls and between the
foor and ceiling are avoided here and are therefore tilted and rotated
in relationship to the generated exterior shape.
The interior performance space has overall clear dimensions of 21 m
length and 17m width and a variable clear height from 6m to 8m. The
backstage service area is conceived as a fexible open space for art-
ists changing room and storage.
Site Area: 1.790 m
Net Area: 430 m
Gross Area: 560 m
Footprint: 560 m
Volume: 4.350 m
Height: 12.5 m
Length: 38.5 m
Width: 25.5 m
Acquisition/Study: 02/2008
Start of Planning: 10/2009
Start of Construction: 04/2010
Opening: 06/2010
Building Costs: Eur 2.1 Mio Net
(Excl. Vat)
Client: The Free State of Bavaria
represented by The Bavarian State
Opera Munich, Germany
munich, germany
20082010
48
Temporary Opera Space - Top View Duccio Malagamba
49
project data concept text
Program and Site
The Central Los Angeles Public High School for the Visual and Per-
forming Arts of the Los Angeles Unifed School District (LAUSD) is part
of phase II of LAUSDs rigorous state bond funded plan to have 155
new schools built in its district by 2012. It is located on a 9.8 acre
site on Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The school will be a
comprehensive High School and in addition will ofer courses in the
Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Music and Dance. Due to its central loca-
tion on Grand Avenue the High School will be a part of the cultural
facilities along the Grand Avenue cultural corridor, joining the Disney
Concert Hall, Music Center, Colburn School of Music, Museum of Con-
temporary Art and the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels. To fulfll its
mandate to be a public facility in keeping with the spirit of the other
facilities on Grand Avenue the school campus will include a profes-
sional performing arts theater for just below 1,000 visitors, a venue,
which so far has been missing in the spectrum of performance facili-
ties downtown Los Angeles. The theater will be used for educational
purposes, will be open to the public and for use by other institutions,
and is equipped with a full stage, orchestra pit, back stage and fy-
loft. The school will house approximately 1,800 students organized
in four academies, one for each discipline in the Arts. Accordingly,
the campus is comprised of seven buildings, the theater building,
four classroom buildings, the library and the cafeteria.
The unique central location of the site downtown, separated from
the Grand Avenue corridor by the 101 freeway and thus visually ex-
posed along the edge of one of the most widely used thoroughfares
in downtown Los Angeles, was a determining factor in the decision to
use this site to create LAUSDs fagship high school for the Visual and
Performing Arts and together with the program served as the point of
departure for the architectural concept for the school.
Architectural Signs - Chess Concept
COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs design concept is to use architectural signs as
symbols to communicate the commitment of the Los Angeles commu-
nity to Art. Like chess fgures three sculptural buildings, which relate
to the context of downtown Los Angeles and the program, re-defne
spatially and energetically the otherwise orthogonal arrangement
of the master plan. A Tower fgure with spiraling ramp in the shape
of the number 9 located on top of the theaters fy-loft serves as a
widely visible sign for the Arts in the city and a point of identifcation
for the students. Inside the tower, an event, conference and exhibi-
tion space with a view across the city is planned to be located. The
theater complex is placed at the corner of Grand Avenue and the 101
Freeway. The tower connects the school visually and formally with
downtown Los Angeles, and together with the Cathedrals tower the
twin towers will become a new landmark for the city. In addition to
the tower a representational Lobby on Grand Avenue serves as the
public entrance and integrates the school with the Grand Avenue
corridor. Like a bridgehead the Lobby connects the site with the cul-
tural facilities on the other side of the freeway. It is envisioned that
the theater with all its amenities can be made available for public and
commercial events to create additional revenue for the school.
As the symbol for learning and education the Library, or the Space of
Knowledge, is formally expressed through a slanted, truncated cone
and placed in the center of the school courtyard. Inside, the cone pro-
vides a large open space illuminated from above by a circular skylight
thus ofering an open, dynamic, but introverted and concentrated
space for contemplation and focused learning. Through its diagonal
position in relationship to the other buildings and its slanted form,
the dynamic, circular building directs views and fows of people
through the school courtyards, changes the perception of the court-
yard space and provides a point of orientation for the students within
the campus.
In addition to the public entrance on Grand Avenue the seven build-
ings frame a second representational entrance, the main school en-
trance, located at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Cesar Chavez
Street and facing the community. The main school entrance is for-
mally expressed through an 80 wide grand open stair, which leads
directly into the main school courtyard with the conical library in its
center and theater and tower in the background. The main entrance
symbolically sets the stage for the students to experience this school
as a decisive stage in their life and education.
To provide opportunities for public spaces within a high school
through the architecture and supported by the performing arts pro-
gram is one of the main contributions of this project to education and
the community, and unique in contemporary public school buildings
in Los Angeles.
Central Los Angeles Area High School #9
for the Visual and Performing Arts
Program: High School for the Visual and
Performing Arts
Start of Planning: 10/2002
Start of Construction: 03/2006
Completion: 10/2008
Floor Area: 21,204 m
Site Area: 39,578 m
Budget: USD 171.9 Mio (include site
and landscaping)
Client: LAUSD, Los Angeles Unifed
School District, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Executive Architect: HMC Architects,
Ontario, CA, USA
los angeles, usa
20022008
50
Courtyard View with Auditorium and Library Roland Halbe
51
project data concept text
In 2000, the BMW Group decided to build a brand-experience and
car-delivery center in close vicinity to the corporate headquarters
and the BMW museum. 275 architects participated in an open in-
ternational competition for the project. In a multi-stage selection
procedure, the design by COOP HIMMELB(L)AU came out winning in
July 2001.
One of the central design ideas is to expand the existing confguration
of the BMW Tower and the museum with an additional element so as
to create a spatial, ideal, and identity-forming architectural ensemble.
The design proposal by COOP HIMMELB(L)AU consists of a large trans-
parent hall with a sculptural roof and a double cone informed by the
relation with the existing company headquarter building.
Conception
The realization of the technical building facilities within the scope of
the architecture led to a planning model with fve thematic blocks:
Hall, Premiere, Forum, Gastronomy and Double Cone.
Hall
A low-tech concept optimized ecologically using high-tech methods
The technical solution here is based on previous experience with
large halls. All of the necessary features were realized successfully
according to a low-tech concept. The interrelations of daylight and
artifcial light with ambient climate and acoustics infuence peoples
feeling of well-being in the Hall. The concept for the technological
building systems takes up these relationships and integrates them
in an interdependent manner, adapting their range of infuence by
modifying their dimensions or building in appropriate control mecha-
nisms. A major goal in designing the systems was to save energy.
This aim is achieved by minimizing the mechanical apparatus for ven-
tilation, heating and cooling. The gigantic Hall is thus conceived as a
solar-heated, naturally ventilated sub-climatic area, a multifunctional
space that does not follow the otherwise customary requirements for
heating and ventilation.
Premiere
Exhaust gas difusion prevented through negative pressure
The key task of the new BMW Welt is to deliver cars in the Premiere
section with all concepts geared toward enhancing the experience
of delivery. Because of the exhaust gases that this task involves,
special considerations and calculations had to be made in terms
of the ventilation plan, since the Premiere is open to the Hall the
major space in this world of experience. Beyond merely fne-tuning
the volume of air intake and outfow currents, it was also important
to extract the exhaust fumes directly and pump in fresh air. Planning
here was based on an assumed turnover of 40 cars per hour, or 250
cars per day.
Forum
A room-in-a-room for maximum fexibility
The Forum is a separate event area for up to 1.200 persons, equipped
to meet all the specifcations for a full-fedged theater or conference
room.
Tower
Island solutions place high demands on building systems to ensure
well-being
The technical equipment discreetly supports the gastronomic func-
tions. In places where guests spend longer periods of time, air
sources are placed near the foor. In order to ensure pleasant air
quality even near the glass faades, the vertical faade support pro-
fles are heated to prevent the cold downdrafts typical for this kind of
construction.
Double Cone
An event space ofering all the options of a public assembly place
The Double Cone is used as an exhibition space and for special
events. Air is brought in by means of a low-induction system along
the base of the faade and streams into the roof through the opening
at the top of the cone. Floor air conditioning and air circulation cool-
ers in the wall and foor areas ensure the necessary comfort level.
In the in-between seasons, natural ventilation via faade shutters is
used. The structural design of BMW Welt represents a special chal-
lenge when determining how to conduct supply lines. Because of the
vast support-free space, which is borne by only 11 columns plus the
elevator shafts, the supply cross-sections for the Lounge foors and
the Tower had to be integrated into the few supporting core cross-
sections. This situation necessitated close coordination at a very
early project phase between those responsible for structural engi-
neering, the routing of facility services and building technology.
BMW Welt
Program: Event Exhibition and
Automobile Delivery Center
Competition: 2001, 1st Prize
Start of Planning: 11/2001
Start of Construction: 08/2003
Opening: 10/2007
Site Area: 25,000 m
Gross Floor Area: approx. 73,000 m;
Budget: above EUR 100 Mio
Client: BMW AG, Munich, Germany;
Structural Engineering: B+G
Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann
GmbH, Frankfurt/M., Germany
munich, germany
20022007
52
View from East towards Double Cone and Main Hall Marcus Buck
53
project data concept text
Akron
Art Museum
Museum as Urban Space
The concept of museums has changed radically since the miracle
chamber ("Wunderkammer") of Rudolf II and Ferdinand II in the 16th
century.
The museum of today is no longer conceived only as an institution
for the storage and display of knowledge, it is an urban concept. The
museum of the future is a three-dimensional sign in the city which
exhibits the content of our visual world. Museums are no longer only
exhibition spaces to display diverse forms of digital and analog vi-
sual information, but they also function as spaces that cater to urban
experiences.
This means that art should be able to fow out of the building and the
city should be able to fow inside. This zone becomes a hybrid space
where various types of people can meet and unexpected events can
occur. Rather than going to the museum simply to look at art, visitors
are encouraged to engage in artistic discourse, attend music and arts
festivals, or to simply pass the time until an appointment. Our design
is therefore an urban connector as well as a destination point.
Design
The building is broken up into 3 parts: the Crystal, the Gallery Box,
and the Roof Cloud. The Crystal serves as the main entry and oper-
ates as an orientation and connection space serving both the new
and old buildings. It is a grand, fexible space that can also be used
for banquets, arts festivals, and events hosted by outside organiza-
tions. The traditional idea of a banquet hall as an enclosed isolated
event space dissolves away into a visible, public experience.
The energy necessary for lighting, heating and cooling the Crystal is
minimized by strategic building massing and extensive daylighting.
The mass and location of the Gallery Box and High Roof protect the
southern oriented Crystal glazing from direct sunlight. At the same
time the refectivity of the faade material raises natural light levels
in the Crystal and reduces the need to power artifcial light sources.
The Crystal utilizes microclimate zones as a heating and cooling con-
cept. These diferent zones are determined by analyzing the type and
anticipated length of occupancy in various areas of the crystal and
are conditioned through optimization of active and passive means.
By eliminating the need to condition the entire air volume in the Crys-
tal, and by focusing the energy used to condition the space in the
areas where people are located, operating costs and energy use are
signifcantly reduced. The interior of the Gallery Box is an expansive
space which has very few columns and is therefore extremely fexible
for varying exhibition requirements. A large freight elevator brings
oversized works to and from the storage areas and serves as a link
between the loading dock and Gallery Box. Natural light is eliminated
in the galleries so that it can be strictly controlled and damage from
sunlight can be eliminated.
The foors of the Gallery Box and Crystal are composed of poured in
place concrete slabs with water flled tubes that supply heating and
cooling by changing temperature state of the massive foor slab. This
radiant foor system is more efcient than simple forced air systems
because it uses the mass of the concrete as a storage device which
delivers a stable continuous source of heating and cooling. Forced
air systems are much less efcient than radiant systems because of
the extra work required by the system when occupancy loads sud-
denly change and create a far higher burden of use of non-renewable
resources.
The Roof Cloud, which hovers above the building, creates a blurred
envelope for the museum because of its sheer mass and materiality.
It encloses interior space, provides shade for exterior spaces, and
operates as a horizontal landmark in the city.
Program: Museum of Contemporary Art
Competition: 2001, 1st Prize
Design Development: 2002
Start of Construction: 06/2004
Completion: 06/2007
Opening: 07/2007
Site Area: 8,370 m
Total usable Floor Area: 8,244 m
Existing building (renovated) usable
Floor Area: 2,367 m
Extension (new construction) usable
Floor Area: 5,877 m
Building Costs: USD 20 Mio
Client: Akron Art Museum, Ohio, USA
akron, ohio, usa
20012007
54
Akron
Art Museum
View towards 1899 Building, Main Entrance and Gallery Box Roland Halbe
55
project data concept text
Academy
of Fine Arts
The project was to expand the Academy of Fine Arts
in Munich, built in 1876.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs design concept is based on the idea of trans-
forming the three diferent urban spatial systems which come to-
gether on the site. Those three are the axial system of Leopoldstrae
/ Akademiestrae containing its stately buildings, the structure of
Schwabing, developed over time into small-scale, diferentiated
buildings, and the garden areas of Leopoldpark and Akademiegarten
which hold historical trees under landmark conservation.
The resulting open confguration of buildings locked together pro-
duces a sequence of transitory connecting spaces between the park
and urban spaces: the glass facade acting as a media membrane, the
gate to the Academy, the inner court, the studio terraces functioning
as both the connecting link to the park and the gate to the park. This
confguration then takes on diferentiated relationships to the exte-
rior spaces.
Diagonal ramps and gangways connect the functional areas of the
various parts of the building and thus the diferent departments. In
this way, an energized complex is created, which corresponds ideally
to the diversity of needs of creative activity. Connections arise be-
tween painting studios, the plastic workshop, sculpture studios, the
media workshop, photography studios and the print workshop.
The studio for sculptors lies on the ground foor in two sections of the
building and spans across terraces to the park; those of the painters
and the guests are in the upper studio foors and are connected to
the roof terraces.
Workshops are located in all parts of the building. The meeting room
and the rectors ofces are connected to the administrative section
by means of an open gangway.
By covering the central inner court with a roof, an additional space is
created which integrates the conglomerate of diferent spaces into
a unifed whole and at the same time allows the building complex to
be more economical in terms of energy efciency. The minimal extra
costs brought about by the spacious hall are more than ofset by op-
timization of energy consumption over the middle and long term. The
inner court opens up through a glass facade to the city in the south
and to the park in the north.
A public space, the caf is situated such that it can be connected to
the inner court by means of mobile wall elements, making it into ex-
hibition space. It is oriented towards the city over the south terrace.
The two to four story buildings are planned as solid wall construction,
the cantilevered building parts as steel truss constructions.
Program: Art Academy
Competition: 1992
Usable Floor Area: 5,666 m
Gross Floor Area: 9,909 m
Gross Volume: 44,761 m
Design Development: 1995
Construction Documents: 20022003
Start of Construction: 07/2003
Completion: 10/2005
Total Construction Costs (gross): 15.2
Mio Euro;
Client: Freistaat Bayern, Germany
Structural Engineering:
Planungsgruppe Brachmann, Munich,
Germany
munich, germany
1992/20022005
56
View towards Main Entrance Duccio Malagamba
57
project data concept text
Apartment Building
Gasometer B
The four historical Gasometers originally housed the tanks for the
gas supply of Vienna. After the closure of these Gasometers the in-
terior elements were dismantled, leaving the classical facades. The
specifc location of these Gasometers within an industrial site as well
as the unusual character of the resulting spaces led to the Gasom-
eters often being used for diverse cultural activities.
The location of the project presents a special opportunity to develop
the urban fabric of Vienna by means of various alterations of the
transportation system, such as the extension of the U3 subway and
the construction of the North-East Highway.
In addition to COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, three other architectural teams
are working out new living opportunities to be realized in the remain-
ing Gasometers. An Entertainment Center and Shopping Mall are
also integrated into the complex, making it into a new city center.
The concept of the COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Gasometer B adds three new
volumes to the existing facade: The cylinder inside the Gasometer,
the striking addition of the shield that is visible from outside, and
the multifunctional event hall situated in the base of the Gasometer.
Inside the cylinder and the shield are apartments and ofces. The
lighting for these inside spaces is provided by the conical innercourt,
and that for the outside through the historical Gasometer wall. The
lighting for the shield is provided through a spacious north-oriented
glass facade with loggias.
The 360 apartments ofer diferentiated living forms, ranging from
3-room-maisonette-apartments and loft-apartments to smaller ones
like student apartments. By combining ofce and apartment uses,
new ways of working and living are expected.
The Gasometer - separated diferently for inhabitants and for visitors -
can be accessed either from the outside via Guglgasse, or directly from
the subway station through the connecting shopping mall. The mall
connects all Gasometers on the ground level. Inside the Gasometer B
a spacial and functional bufer between the event hall and the apart-
ment/ofce wing is created. Internal communication is thereby inten-
sifed. The "Sky-Lobby" on the 6th foor creates a social space for the
inhabitants. Other remaining spaces can be used as common areas.
The foyer of the event hall is connected with the subway both by
means of the "Night-Mall" of the Gasometer A, and directly through
an entrance at Guglgasse. The "Night-Mall" also hosts common
spaces, thus becoming a transit area for people arriving or leaving
the event hall.
Program: Residential, Shopping,
Event Hall
Start of Planning: 02/1995
Design Development: 1998
Construction: 12/19982001
Completion: 09/2001
Floor Area: 35,000 m
Volume: 132,000 m
Height: 60 m
Budget: EUR 47.24 Mio
Client: WBV Wohnbauvereinigung fr
Privatangestellte, Vienna, Austria
Structural Engineering: Fritsch-Chiari,
Vienna, Austria
vienna, austria
19952001
58
Apartment Building
Gasometer B
Dialogue of Old and New Gerald Zugmann
59
project data concept text
SEG
Apartment Tower
Located between Wagramerstrae and Kratochwilestrae and ad-
jacent to the "Alte Donau" metro station, the 60m high SEG - Tower
from COOP HIMMELB(L)AU forms in conjunction with two other pro-
jected high-rise buildings the new district "Donau - City". The tower
includes 70 apartments, 9 eating facilities, ofces and practices on
25 foors.
The complete arrangement captivates by its immediate nearness to
the city core and the shopping center "Donauzentrum" as well as by
its location in one of the favourite leisure districts of Vienna. It is also
captivating due to its striking height and its quality of space, which is
determined by diferent typological concepts.
Two major considerations were important for the design of the outer
form of the COOP HIMMELB(L)AU building:
On the one hand the concept of the tower is based on the idea to put
two houses, one on top of the other, in a way such that a common
space would occur at the intersection. This common space - called a
sky-lobby - is then used for the accommodation of a venue, a play-
ground, a "teleworking caf" and a sundeck. On the other hand the
concept of the so-called climate facade was developed, which is the
linking and surrounding element between the two components.
This is an "intelligent" glass facade that regulates together with the
"air - box" on top of the roof and the circulation core (planned as
heat accumulator) the cooling of the apartments in summer and the
heating in winter. This well calculated system ofers a higher level
of comfort during hot weather and a minimizing of costs during the
heating period. Besides its function as a sound protection, the cli-
mate facade provides space for glazed loggias placed in front of the
apartments and comprising two or three foors. These loggias allow
green spaces, not normally seen in high-rise buildings, and a view to
the city and to nature, also uncommon for urban living.
The concept of the glass skin surrounding the building enables an
orientation of all buildings towards south.
All apartments (ranging from 55m2 to 130m2) are based on a loft
concept with an open plan and without load-bearing walls. This
concept enables a fexible layout of all the apartments. A concierge
located in the two-foor entrance lobby will provide optimal service
for all the inhabitants.
Concept of the Climate facade
The glass facade, developed from the architectural concept, is in-
tended to passively exploit solar energy. Thus less initial investment
for the energy system is needed and the amortisation period would
be considerably shortened.
It is also planned to power compressor engines by means of wind
energy, which would provide necessary air circulation in the building.
Passive Energy Concept
The glass facade is the medium through which thermal energy will be
stored as radiant energy potential during winter, spring and autumn.
The facade faces southeast and southwest. The thermal energy pro-
duced during daylight hours will be supplied to a thermal reservoir
unit located in the interior of the building. In this way, a milder, more
equitable room climate as compared to the exterior conditions will
be created in the areas of the building directly behind the climate
facade. The exploitation of solar energy will lead to a considerable
reduction in total energy consumption. This is efected on the one
hand by the stabilisation of the diferences in temperature between
the interior living space and the loggia area, and on the other hand
by the direct supply of energy to the apartments from the thermal
reservoir inside the core area of the building.
Thermal Mass
The central thermal mass is to be a reinforced concrete shaft. To ex-
pedite the energy exchange process, this shaft will be equipped with
heat exchange surfaces, also made of reinforced concrete.
To guarantee heat exchange between the loggia area and the climate
facade, air circulation between the two system areas will be provided
mechanically. This air circulation will be efected by the ventilators in
the thermal mass shaft.
Program: Residential;
Start of Planning: 03/1994
Start of Construction: 03/1996
Completion: 09/1998
Floor Area: 7,100 m
Volume: 32,000 m
Height: 60 m
Budget: EUR 8.72 Mio
Client: SEG Stadterneuerungs- und
Eigentumswohnungsgesellschaft m. b.
H., Vienna, Austria
Construction Documents: ARGE Eiger
Nord, Vienna, Austria
Structural Engineering: Projektierungs-
bro fr Industrie-, Hoch- und
Tiefbauten AG, Vienna, Austria
vienna, austria
19941998
60
Sustainable Building technology: Energy Box on rooftop Duccio Malagamba
61
project data concept text
UFA
Cinema Center
The Urban Design Concept
The urban design concept of the UFA Cinema Center confronts the issue
of public space, which is currently endangered in European cities. This
situation is caused by the fnancial insolvency of city governments,
which forces the sale of public space to developers, who then propose
monofunctional buildings in order to maximize capital return.
By disintegrating the monofunctionality of these structures and add-
ing urban functions to them, a new urbanity can arise in the city. This
character of this urbanity would not only be determined by functional
diferentiation and the creation of new spatial sequences thereby,
but also by the injection of media events.
The project for the UFA Cinema Center is a result of the urban design
concept developed for the planning competition Pragerstrae Nord.
Pragerstrae was defned as a dynamic spatial sequence, defned by
tangents and diagonals rather than by axis.
The interweaving of public squares, public interiors, and passage-
ways was proposed as a way of energizing and densifying the new
center of Dresden. The junctures between these urban vectors are
defned as public spaces.
The UFA Cinema Center is located at one of these junctures; it is for-
mulated as the urban connection between Pragerplatz and St. Peters-
burger Strae. Thereby The Cinema itself is thereby transformed into
a public space.
The Architectural Design Concept
The design is characterized by two intricately interconnected building
units: The Cinema Block, with eight cinemas and seating for 2600,
and the Crystal, a glass shell which serves simultaneously as foyer
and Public Square.
The Cinema Block
The Cinema Block opens up towards the street and is permeable for
pedestrian trafc between Pragerstrae and St. Petersburger Strae.
It is diferentiated by the circulation system of the cinemas and by
views through to St. Petersburger Strae.
The Crystal
The Crystal is no longer merely a functional entry hall to the cinemas,
but an urban passageway.
The bridges, ramps and stairs to the cinemas are themselves urban
expressions. They allow views of the movement of people on a multi-
tude of levels, unfolding the urban space into three dimensions. The
lively quality of this space can be described in relation to the dynamic
structure of flm.
The Skybar, the "foating" double-cone inside the foyer, is accessible
and will host diferent functions (caf, bar etc.).
In this way, the content of the building becomes visible to the city as
much as the city is visible from the building. It is an inside-out build-
ing which sustains a dialogue with the city. The media event - pro-
jected from the interior towards the exterior - assists in the creation
of urban space.
Program: Cinema
Competition: 1993
Design Development: 1996
Construction: 19971998
Completion: 03/1998
Floor Area: 6,174 m
Volume: 53,725 m
Budget: EUR 16.36 Mio
Client: Ufa Theater AG, Dsseldorf,
Germany
Construction Documents: ARGE Eiger
Nord Wien, Vienna, Austria
Structural Engineering: B+G
Ingenieure, Bollinger und Grohmann
GmbH, Frankfurt/M., Germany
dresden, germany
19931998
62
View Towards Main Entrance Gerald Zugmann
63
project data concept text
Rooftop
Remodelling Falkestrasse
If there was ever really a task in architecture, then this was it:
The law frm Schuppich, Sporn, Winischhofer, Schuppich wished to
extend their ofce upwards. The ofce is situated on the frst and
second foor of the building on the corner of Falkestrasse and Biber-
strasse in the inner City of Vienna. The attention was to be focussed
on a large meeting room. Adjacent to it several smaller ofce units
were to be designed.
Although the construction site was 21 meters above the ground and
one of the streets just happened to be Falkestrasse (Falcon Street), we
did not in this case think of a bird or wings, although it was hard not to.
The preliminary design of 1983 depicts the corner solution. (If there
really is such a thing as a solution in architecture.)
There are no alcoves or turrets on the roof, no context of proportions,
materials or colors but, instead, a visualized line of energy which,
coming from the street spans the project, thus breaking the existing
roof and thereby opening it.
While designing, we envisioned a lightning bolt reversed and a taut arc.
This space-creating taut arc - an element of our architecture that
since 1980 has progressively become more important - is both the
steel backbone of the project and its posture. The open, glazed sur-
faces and the closed, folded or linear surfaces of the outer shell con-
trol the light and allow or restrict the view.
Both directions of view, that from outside and that from within, which
are captured in one of the early drawings, defne the complexity of
the construction's spacial relations. The diferentiated and diferen-
tiating constructional system, which is a cross between a bridge and
an airplane, translates the spacial energy into constructional reality.
The project constitutes two storeys with a height of 7.80 m, with a
fat area of 400 m. The spacial layout consists of a 90 m meeting
room, three ofce units include an ofce space, a reception area
and adjacent rooms. It would also be possible to use the ofce as an
apartment.
The construction tookone year and was completed on December 23rd, 1988.
Program: Ofce
Design: 1983
Design Development: 1987
Construction: 1988
Completion: 1988
Floor Area: 400 m
Volume: 2,400 m
Budget: EUR 1.5 Mio
Client: Law frm Schuppich, Sporn,
Winischhofer, Vienna, Austria
Structural Engineering: Oskar Graf,
Vienna, Austria
vienna, austria
1983/19871988
64
Rooftop Office Gerald Zugmann
65
APARTMENT BUILDING GASOMETER B, Vienna, Austria, 19952001 JVC - NEW URBAN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, Guadalajara, Mexico, 1998
ACADEMy OF FINE ARTS, Munich, Germany, 1992/20022005
SEG APARTMENT TOWER, Vienna, Austria, 19941998
SEG APARTMENT BLOCK REMISE, Vienna, Austria, 19942000 UFA CINEMA CENTER, Dresden, Germany, 19931998
GRONINGER MUSEUM- THE EAST PAVILION
Groningen, The Netherlands, 19931994
OFFICE AND RESEARCH CENTER SEIBERSDORF
Seibersdorf, Austria, 19911995
ROOFTOP REMODELING FALKESTRASSE
Vienna, Austria, 1983/19871988
FUNDER FACTORy 3, St.Veit/Glan, Austria, 19871989 THE HEART OF A CITy - MELUN SNART, Mlun Senart, France, 1986
THE BLAZING WING, Graz, Austria, 1980
CENTRAL LOS ANGELES AREA HIGH SCHOOL #9
Los Angeles, California, USA, 20022008
TOWN TOWN - ERDBERG OFFICE TOWER, Vienna, Austria, 2000/20102012 MUSE DES CONFLUENCES, Lyon, France, 20012014 BMW WELT, Munich, Germany, 20012007
AKRON ART MUSEUM, Akron, Ohio, USA, 20012007 VILLA S., Millstatt, Austria, 20012006 HAMMERHEAD COMMUNITIES - OUTER BANKS, North Carolina, USA, 2001
THE GREAT EGyPTIAN MUSEUM, Cairo, Egypt, 2002 HOUSE OF MUSIC I, Aalborg, Denmark, 2002
APARTMENT TOWERS WIENERBERG CITy, Vienna, Austria, 1999-2004 EXPO.02 - FORUMARTEPLAGE, Biel, Switzerland, 1999-2002
APARTMENT AND OFFICE BUILDING SCHLACHTHAUSGASSE
Vienna, Austria, 2001/2003-2005
COMMUNICATION CENTER KONSTANTINOVSKy, St.Petersburg, Russia, 2007
ZORLU GATEWAy CENTER, Istanbul, Turkey, 2007
HOTEL AT DMCLARK SqUARE, Budapest, Hungary, 2007
MUSEUMOF CONTEMPORARy ART & PLANNING EXHIBITION
Shenzhen, China, 20072013
HOUSE OF MUSIC II, AALBORG, Denmark, 2003/20082012 CLOUD ROOF - FAIR EXTENSION, Riva del Garda, Italy, 20062012
RHEIN MAIN ARENA, Frankfurt/M., Germany, 2006 SPACE OF CONTEMPORARy ARTISTIC CREATION, Cordoba, Spain, 2005 BUSAN CINEMA CENTER, Busan, Corea, 20052011
SKy-ARC / SCI-ARC - 24 HOUR LIVING, CULTURE AND ARTS DISTRICT
Los Angeles, California, USA, 2005 GUADALAJARA COUNTRy CLUB - TORRES PLATA, Guadalajara, Mexico, 2005
THE NEW PREMISES OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK (ECB)
Frankfurt/M., Germany, 20032014
www.coop-himmelblau.at
TOWER AT SUK AL THALATH AL GADEEM, Tripoli, Libya, 2007 DALIAN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER, Dalian, China, 20082011 SUSTAINABLE CITy - NORDWESTBAHNHOF, Vienna, Austria, 2008
SOCCER STADIUMZARAGOZA, Zaragoza, Spain, 2008
DR. MARTIN LUTHER CHURCH, Hainburg, Austria, 20082011
MIXED USE CENTER BAKU, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2008
ART MUSEUMSTRONGOLI, Strongoli, Italy, 20082014
OPERA PAVILION, Munich, Germany, 20082010
ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUMEGyPT, Tell el-Daba, Egypt, 2010
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU was founded by Wolf D. Prix,
Helmut Swiczinsky, and Michael Holzer in Vienna,
Austria, in 1968, and is active in architecture, urban
planning, design, and art. In 1988, a second studio
was opened in Los Angeles, USA. Further project of-
fces are located in Frankfurt, Germany; Paris, France;
and Hongkong,China. COOP HIMMELB(L)AU employs
currently 150 team members from nineteen nations.
OFFICE PROFILE
The architectural studio COOP HIMMELB(L)AU is di-
rected by Wolf D. Prix, Wolfdieter Dreibholz, Harald
Krieger, Karolin Schmidbaur and Project Partners.
Those are Andrea Graser, Hartmut Hank, Helmut Hol-
leis, Markus Pillhofer, Markus Prossnigg, Wolfgang
Reicht, Frank Stepper, and Michael Volk.
After Michael Holzer left the team in 1971, and with
the retirement of Helmut Swiczinsky in 2001 from
COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs daily operations and in 2006
from the ofce, Wolf D. Prix is leading the studio as
Design Principal/ CEO. In 2000, Wolfdieter Dreib-
holz joined COOP HIMMELB(L)AU as CEO of COOP
HIMMELB(L)AU Mex S. A. de C. V. and became a part-
ner of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Wolf D. Prix / W. Dreib-
holz & Partner ZT GmbH, and CEO of the main studio
in 2004. In 2003 Harald Krieger was designated as
Partner of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Wolf D. Prix / W. Dreib-
holz & Partner ZT GmbH and is managing director of
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Europe GmbH, Frankfurt/ M.,
Germany, since 2006. Karolin Schmidbaur was made
Partner of the ofce in 1996 and is currently Design
and Managing Partner of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Vienna
(since 2009) as well as the Director of the ofce in Los
Angeles, California (since 2003).
PROJECTS (SELECTION)
COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs most well-known projects in-
clude: the Rooftop Remodeling Falkestrae in Vienna
(1988) ; the master plan for the City of Melun-Sn-
art in France; the Groninger Museum, East Pavilion in
Groningen (1994) in the Netherlands; the design for
the EXPO.02Forum Arteplage in Biel, Switzerland;
the multifunctional UFA Cinema Center in Dresden,
Germany (1998); the Academy of Fine Arts (2005) and
the BMW Welt (2007) in Munich, Germany; the Akron
Art Museum in Ohio, USA (2007); the Central Los An-
geles Area High School #9 of Visual and Performing
Arts in Los Angeles, CA, USA (2008); and the Pavilion
21 MINI Opera Space in Munich, Germany (2010).
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU realized further key projects in
Vienna in the past years, including the SEG Apartment
Tower (1998), followed by the SEG Apartment Block
Remise (2000); the Apartment Building Gasometer
B (2001); and the Apartment and Ofce Building,
Schlachthausgasse (2005).
Among the recent projects that COOP HIMMEL-
B(L)AU is pursuing throughout the world are the
Muse des Confuences in Lyon, France (2014); the
House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark (2012); the Eu-
ropean Central Banks new headquarters in Frankfurt
am Main, Germany (2014); the Busan Cinema Center
in Busan, South Korea (2011); and the Dalian Interna-
tional Conference Center in China (2011). Additional
projects in planning are the Museum of Contempo-
rary Art & Planning Exhibition in Shenzhen, China
(2012); the expansion of the Fair and Multifunctional
Hall in Riva del Garda, Italy (2014); the Cultural Cen-
ter Zarautz, Spain (2012); the Central Bank of Azer-
baijan, Baku, Azerbaijan (2014) as well as the Martin
Luther Church in Hainburg, Austria (2011).
HONORS AND AWARDS (SELECTION)
Over the course of the past three decades, COOP
HIMMELB(L)AU has received numerous international
awards. These include: the Frderungspreis fr Bau-
kunst, Berlin (1982), the Award of the City of Vienna
for Architecture (1988), the Erich Schelling Architek-
tur Preis (1992), the Progressive Architecture/ P. A.
Award (1989, 1990, and 1991), the Groer ster-
reichischer Staatspreis (1999) as well as the Euro-
Biography
70
pean Steel Design Award (2001). In December 2002,
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU was made Ofcier de lordre des
arts et des lettres and was awarded the Ehrenzeichen
fr Verdienste um das Land Wien. In 2005, for the
design of the Akron Art Museum, our ofce received
the American Architecture Award. Our ofce was
awarded the 2007 International Architecture Award
for four projects: for the Busan Cinema Complex, the
Akademie der Bildenden Knste, the Great Egyptian
Museum at the pyramids in Giza, and the Space of
Contemporary Artistic Creation in Cordoba. In 2008
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU has been announced for the
RIBA International Award for the Akron Art Museum
and the RIBA European Award for the BMW Welt. In
2010, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU won the MIPIM Architec-
tural Review Future Projects Award in the category
sustainability for their project Town Town Erdberg.
EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
Recognized as seminal for the architecture of the
future, the works of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU have con-
tinually been the subject of international exhibitions.
Among the largest and most widely known are the solo
retrospectives Construire le Ciel in 1992 at the Centre
Georges Pompidou in Paris, France, and the exhibition
entitled Deconstructivist Architecture held in 1988 at
the Museum of Modern Art, New York, under the cura-
torship of Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley.
Internationally renowned institutions such as the Get-
ty Foundation in Los Angeles, the Austrian Museum of
Applied Arts/Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna and
the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris display the
works of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU as part of their perma-
nent exhibitions.
In 1996, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU was invited to serve
as the Austrian representative to the 6
th
International
Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, It-
aly. Since then, our studio has been a regular partici-
pant, presenting several projects such as the Muse
des Confuences and the Guangzhou Opera House.
The Muse des Confuences in Lyon was additionally
shown at the Latent Utopias exhibition in Graz, Aus-
tria, from October 2002 to March 2003.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU has also been presented on
several occasions at the Aedes East Gallery in Berlin,
for example, at well-known shows such as Skyline
in 1985, The Vienna Trilogy + One Cinema in 1998,
and the exhibition on the competition for the BMW
Event and Delivery Center in 2002. In the same year,
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU was also present at the 8th In-
ternational Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di
Venezia, Italy, with the projects BMW Welt and a de-
sign for the new World Trade Center. In 2007/08, the
exhibition COOP HIMMELB(L)AU.Beyond the Blue was
shown at the MAK in Vienna and traveled in 2009 to
the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
At the 11th International Architecture Exhibition of
La Biennale di Venezia, Italy, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
has been presented with two contributions: Astro
Balloon 1969 Revisited - Feedback Space at L Arse-
nale and Brain City Lab at Padiglione Italia. The two
installations were also shown in 2009, at the COOP
HIMMELB(L)AU: Future Revisited exhibition at NTT In-
terCommunication Center [ICC] in Tokyo, Japan.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU has also designed several exhi-
bitions. Among their best known works are Paradise
Cage: Kiki Smith and Coop Himmelb(l)au, shown in
1996 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Ange-
les, and in 2000 Rudi Gernreich: Fashion will go out
of fashion, for the Steirischer Herbst festival in Graz,
Austria, which also traveled to Philadelphia, USA.
71
Wolf D. Prix / Co-Founder of Coop Himmelb(l)au 1968
Design Principal / CEO
72
Wolf D. Prix, born in Vienna in 1942, is a co-founder of
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. He studied architecture at the Vien-
na University of Technology, the Architectural Association
of London, and the Southern California Institute of Archi-
tecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles.
In 1993, Wolf D. Prix was named Professor for Architecture
at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria. Since
2003, he has been head of the Institute for Architecture,
the head of Studio Prix, and serves as vice-rector of the
university.
He taught as a visiting professor at the Architectural As-
sociation in London in 1984, and at Harvard University in
Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1990. From 1985 to 1995,
Wolf D. Prix was active as Adjunct Professor at the SCI-Arc
in Los Angeles. Since 1998, he has been a faculty member
of Columbia University in New York. In 1999, Wolf D. Prix
was awarded the Harvey S. Perlof Professorship at the
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2001, he
was made an adjunct professor at UCLA. Since 2001 he
has been a Doctor Honoris Causa de la Universidad de
Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2004, Wolf D. Prix
received the Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Archi-
tectural Education for his commitment to teaching and
training. In 2008, Wolf D. Prix was awarded with the Jencks
Award: Visions Built prize for his major contribution to the
theory and practice of architecture. In May 2009, Federal
President Dr. Heinz Fischer bestowed the Austrian Decora-
tion of Honor for Science and Art on Wolf D. Prix for his
outstanding creative achievements.
From 1995 to 1997, Wolf D. Prix was a member of the ar-
chitectural committee in the Austrian Federal Ministry of
Science, Research, and the Arts.
He is a member of the Austrian Art Senate, of the European
Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as of the Advisory
Committee for Building Culture. Furthermore, Wolf D.
Prix is a member of the Architectural Association Austria,
Union of German Architects (BDA) in Germany, the Archi-
tectural Union Santa Clara in Cuba, the Royal Institute of
British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Archi-
tects (AIA) and the Architectural Association Italy. In 2006,
he was the commissioner for the Austrian contribution for
the 10th International Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.
73
Karolin Schmidbaur, born 1967 in Wrzburg, Germany,
was raised and educated in Munich. She studied archi-
tecture at the Technical University of Munich and received
her diploma in 1992. Since 1992 she has been practicing
Architecture internationally with COOP HIMMELB(L)AU in
their ofces in Vienna, Austria; Guadalajara, Mxico; and
Los Angeles, California. Since 1993 she has been based
in Los Angeles, California. She is a Licensed Architect in
Germany since 1995.
In 1996, she was made a Partner of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU.
Currently Karolin Schmidbaur is design and managing
partner of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Vienna and also the direc-
tor of COOP HIMMELB(L)AUs Los Angeles, California ofce.
Projects at COOP HIMMELB(L)AU include the Groningen
Museum East Pavilion, the Netherlands, completed in
1994; the JVC Urban Entertainment Center in Guadalajara,
Mxico; and most recently the Central Los Angeles Area
High School #9 for visual and performing arts in downtown
Los Angeles, California, completed in 2008. Among stud-
ies and competitions are mixed use projects all over the
world, a master plan for an Urban Development downtown
Los Angeles, California, and contributions to the formula-
tion of new museum concepts such as the Broad Art Mu-
seum in Lansing, Michigan, and the Randers Art Museum
in Randers, Denmark.
Karolin Schmidbaur has taught design studio at the Uni-
versity of Southern California (1997-1998) and the South-
ern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) from 1998
to 1999.
Karolin Schmidbaur
Design Partner
74
Wolfdieter Dreibholz, born in Vienna in 1941, was trained
at the Technical University of Vienna, graduating in 1966
as a Dipl. Ing. with an engineering degree in architecture.
From 1968 to 1974 he worked as an assistant at the
Faculty of Architecture of the Graz University of Technol-
ogy where he graduated in 1977 as Doctor of Technical
Sciences. Working with the planning department of the
federal state of Styria from 1978 to 1998, Wolfdieter
Dreibholz was appointed director in 1990. In this capacity
he was responsible for all public building projects, includ-
ing universities, ofce buildings, municipal buildings, and
housing.
In 2000, Wolfdieter Dreibholz joined COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
as CEO of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Mex S. A. de C. V. and was
nominated partner of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Wolf D. Prix /
W. Dreibholz & Partner ZT GmbH, becoming their CEO in
2004.
Wolfdieter Dreibholz is a member of the chambers of
architects of Germany, France, Austria and Italy, and the
author of numerous articles and research papers in the
felds of architecture and urban planning.
Wolfdieter Dreibholz
CEO
Harald Krieger, born 1956 in Graz, studied law and
business administration at the Karl-Franzens-Universitt
Graz from where he received his graduate degree in
Laws in 1987. From 1987 to 2000 he worked in the
Austrian Inland Revenue Ofce and as tax and company
auditor for major companies in Styria. In 2000 he moved
into the private sector as managing partner of a tax
consulting, auditing, and business consulting frm.
In 2003, Harald Krieger was designated as partner of
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU Wolf D. Prix / W. Dreibholz & Part-
ner ZT GmbH. He is authorized signatory of the architec-
tural ofce and managing director of COOP HIMMEL-
B(L)AU Europe GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany since
2006.
Harald Krieger
CFO
75
Wallpaper* Design Award 2011
(Category: Best Building Sites)
London, UK, 2011
Project: Dalian International Conference Center
MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Award
(Category: Sustainability)
Cannes, France 2010
Project: Town Town Erdberg, Vienna, Austria
Downtowners of Distinction Award
Los Angeles, California, USA 2010
Project: Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 for the visual
and performing arts
Metal Construction Association's Presidents
Award for Overall Excellence
Glenview, Illinois, USA 2010
Project: Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 for the visual
and performing arts
Best of 2009 Award
Los Angeles, California, USA 2009
Project: Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 for the visual
and performing arts
Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Art
for Wolf D. Prix/ COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Vienna, Austria 2009
Detail Prize 2009 - Innovation Steel
Munich, Germany 2009
Project: BMW Welt

Wallpaper Design Award 2009: Best New Public Building
London, UK 2009
Project: BMW Welt
World Architecture Festival Award: Production
Barcelona, Spain 2008
Project: BMW Welt
World Architecture Festival Preis: Production
Barcelona, Spain 2008
Project: BMW Welt
Jencks Award: Visions Built 2008
for Wolf D. Prix / COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
London, UK, 2008
Preis des Deutschen Stahlbaues 2008
Mainz, Germany 2008
Project: BMW Welt
RIBA European Award 2008
London, UK 2008
Project: BMW Welt
RIBA International Award 2008
London, UK 2008
Project: Akron Art Museum
International Architecture Award 2007
The Chicago Athenaeum, Illinois, USA 2007
4 Projects: Busan Cinema Complex, Busan, South Korea;
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, Germany; Space of Contem-
porary Artistic Creation, Cordoba, Spain; The Great Egyptian
Museum, Cairo, Egypt
Honorary Fellowship of the American
Institut of Architects
AIA, New York, USA, 2006
International Fellowship of the Royal Institute
of British Architects
RIBA, London, UK, 2006
American Architecture Award 2005
The Chicago Athenaeum, Illinois, USA 2005
Project: Akron Art Museum
Annie Spink Award for Excellence in
Architectural Education
RIBA, London, UK 2004
Goldenes Ehrenzeichen fr Verdienste um das Land Wien
(Gold Medal for merits to the federal state of Vienna)
Vienna, Austria 2002
Ofcier de lordre des arts et des lettres
Vienna, Austria 2002
Anerkennungspreis fr Architektur des
Landes Niedersterreich
(Recognition Prize for Architecture in lower Austria)
St. Plten, Austria 2002
Project: Water Tower, Donau-Auen National Park Hainburg
Architekturpreis der sterreichischen Zementindustrie
(Architectural Prize of the Austrian Cement Industry 2001)
Vienna, Austria 2001
Project: SEG Remise
Europischer Stahlbaupreis 2001
(European Steel Design Award 2001)
Venice, Italy 2001
Project: UFA Cinema Center Dresden
Groer sterreichischer Staatspreis
(Great Austrian State Award)
Bauherrenpreis der Zentralvereinigung
der Architekten sterreichs
(Prize of the Austrian Architectural Association)
Vienna, Austria 1999
Project: SEG Apartment Tower
Awards and Honors
76
Architekturpreis 1999 Beton
(Architectural Prize 1999 Concrete)
Baden-Baden, Germany 1999
Project: UFA Cinema Center, Dresden
Deutscher Architekturpreis 1999
(Award to the German Architecture Prize 1999)
Berlin, Germany 1999
Project: UFA Cinema Center, Dresden
Neuer Schsischer Kunstverein e.V., Architekturpreis 1996
(Architectural Prize of the Neuer Schsischer
Kunst-verein)
Germany 1996
Project: UFA Cinema Center, Dresden
Bauherrenpreis der Zentralvereinigung
der Architekten sterreichs
(Prize of the Austrian Architectural Association)
Vienna, Austria 1996
Project: Ofce and Research Center Seibersdorf
Tau Sigma Delta Award
Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society in Architecture
and the Allied Arts
Washington D.C., USA 1993
Dutch National Steel Prize
The Netherlands, 1992
Project: Groninger Museum
Erich-Schelling-Architekturpreis
(Erich-Schelling-Architecture Prize)
Staatliche Hochschule fr Gestaltung, Karlsruhe,
Germany 1992
Constructa Preis. Europischer Preis
fr Industriearchitektur
(Constructa Prize. Award for European Industrial
Architecture)
Hannover, Germany 1992
P.A. Award (Progressive Architecture)
New York, USA 1991
P.A. Award (Progressive Architecture)
New York, USA 1990
Project: Open House
Bauherrenpreis der Zentralvereinigung
der Architekten sterreich
(Award of the Austrian Architectural Association)
Vienna, Austria 1990
Project: Funder Factory 3
P.A. Award (Progressive Architecture)
New York, USA 1989
(COOP HIMMELB(L)AU MORPHOSIS)
Project: L.A. Art Park
Krntner Landespreis fr Gutes Bauen
(Award of the State of Carinthia for Superior Architecture)
Austria 1989
Project: Funder Factory 3
Ehrenmitglied beim Bund Deutscher Architekten
(Honorary Membership in the League of German Architects)
Bonn, Germany 1989
Preis der Stadt Wien fr Architektur
(Award of the City of Vienna for Architecture)
Austria 1988
Project: Rooftop Remodelling Falkestrae
Bauherrenpreis der Zentralvereinigung
der Architekten sterreichs
(Award of the Austrian Architectural Association)
Vienna, Austria 1985
Project: Studio Baumann
Berliner Frderungspreis fr Baukunst
(Berlin Prize for Building Art)
Germany 1982
77
Peter Gssel (Ed.)
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Complete Works 19682010
Taschen GmbH, Kln 2010.
Thomas Kramer (Ed.):
Himmelblau no es ningn color
wolf d. prix, coop himmelb(l)au.
Editorial Gustavo Gili, Barcelona 2010.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU (Ed.) :
Pavillon 21 MINI Opera Space.
HIMMELPRINT, Vienna 2010.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU (Ed.) :
HS#9, Central Los Angeles Area High School #9
for the Visual and Performing Arts.
Prestel Publishing, Munich 2010.
Menges, Axel (Ed.):
Coop Himmelb(l)au, BMW Welt, Mnchen.
Edition Axel Menges, Stuttgart, London 2009.
Noever, Peter (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Beyond the Blue.
Prestel Verlag, Munich, Berlin, London, New York 2007.
Feireiss, Kristin (Ed.):
Dynamic Forces.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. BMW Welt Munich.
Prestel Verlag, Munich, Berlin, London,
New York 2007.
Kandeler-Fritsch, Martina; Kramer, Thomas (Ed.):
Get Of of My Cloud. Wolf D. Prix.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Texts 1968-2005.
Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfldern-Ruit 2005.
Dar, Mattia; Zamponi, Beatrice (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Edil Stampa, Roma 2004.
Noever, Peter (Ed.):
Gerald Zugmann - Blue Universe. Transforming Models into
Pictures. Architectural Projects by COOP HIMMELB(L)AU.
Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfldern-Ruit 2002.
Werner, Frank (Ed.):
Covering + Exposing. The Architecture of
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Birkhuser, Berlin 2000.
Feireiss, Kristin; Commerell, Jrgen (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. The Vienna Trilogy + One Cinema.
Three Residential Buildings in Vienna and a Cinema in
Dresden. Berlin 1998.
De Sessa, Cesare (Ed.):
Spazi atonali e ibridazionelinguistica.
Testo & Immagine, Torino 1998.
Hausegger, Gudrun; Kandeler-Fritsch, Martina (Ed.):
Wolf D. Prix Helmut Swiczinsky. COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Austria. Biennale die Venezia 1996, Sixth International
Exhibition of Architecture.
Verlag Ritter, Klagenfurt 1996.
Museum of Contemporary Art (Ed.):
Paradise Cage Kiki Smith and
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Los Angeles 1996.
Centre Georges Pompidou (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Construire le ciel. Paris 1992.
Gruenberg, Oliver; Hahn, Robert; Knecht, Doris (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. The Power of the City. 2.
Edition, Jrgen Husser, Darmstadt 1992.
Aedes Galerie and Architekturforum (Ed.):
Hans Hollein - COOP HIMMELBLAU. Profle Expo '95 Vienna.
Berlin 1990.
COOP HIMMELBLAU. 6 Projects for 4 Cities.
Verlag Jrgen Husser, Darmstadt 1990.
Architectural Association London (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Blaubox.
Folio XXIII, London 1988.
Gruenberg, Oliver; Hahn, Robert; Knecht, Doris (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. The Power of the City.
Georg Bchner, Darmstadt 1988.
Johnson, Philip; Wigley, Mark (Ed.):
Deconstructivist Architecture.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York 1988.
Architekturgalerie Mnchen (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Ofene Architektur. Wohnanlage Wien 2.
Munich 1986.
Gallery Aedes (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Skyline. Projekt fr das Hamburger
Bauforum 1985. Berlin 1985.
Gallery Aedes (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Ofene Architektur
Ent-Wrfe 1980-1984. Berlin 1984.
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Architecture is now.
Hatje Cantz, Stuttgart; Rizzoli, New York; Thames & Hudson,
London 1993.
Technische Universitt Graz; Gallery H (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Architektur muss brennen.
Graz 1980.
Weiermair, Peter; Galerie im Taxispalais (Ed.):
COOP HIMMELBLAU. Sie leben in Wien.
Vienna 1975.
Monographs
78
Key Data
English/Deutsch
2010. 36 pp.,
26,6 x 19,6 cm
softcover
pub. date: July 2010
10,00
ISBN 978-3200019010
Publisher: HIMMELPRINT (2010)
http://www.amazon.de
Key Data
Editor: Sylvia Lavin
Publisher: Prestel (2010)
Languages: English
192 pages, softcover, Size: 234 x 206 mm.
ISBN 978-3791344331
(English Version)
EURO 39.95, US $ 49.95, GB 25.00
http://www.prestel.com

Key Data
Author: Michael Mnninger
Editor: Peter Gssel
Hardcover, 30.8 x 39 cm
500 pages
99.99
ISBN: 978-3-8365-1788-1
Multilingual Edition: English, French, German
http://www.taschen.com
Coop Himmelb(l)au
Pavillon 21 Mini Opera Space
Munich, Germany
20082010
Coop Himmelb(l)au
HS#9 Central Los Angeles Area High School #9
Coop Himmelb(l)au
Complete Works 1968-2010
by taschen
79
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Wolf D. Prix / W. Dreibholz & Partner ZT GmbH
Spengergasse 37
A 1050 Vienna
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Contact
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