Schwanzer – Architect. Visionary. Maestro.: Three Decades of Architectural and Contemporary History 9783035618648, 9783035618532

Citation preview

for caro

Benjamin Swiczinsky

Architect.

visionary. maestro.

Three Decades of Architectural and Contemporary History

Max Gruber

Text and Story Editing

Martin Schwanzer Editor

birkhäuser basel

Introduction Vienna, the early 1970s. Through the events of recent history, the city has ended up on the margins. The Iron Curtain lies only a few kilometers to the east, and Vienna itself has become a bit gray and sluggish, like a baggy, worn-out suit. The population is shrinking. Yet even though the Danube monarchy had collapsed a long time ago, the imperial splendor of the Habsburg dynasty is still palpable everywhere. There is more than a grain of truth in the wry remark that, in Vienna, people look back at the past full of confidence. The mood is quite different at Seilergasse 16. Here in the center of Vienna is the atelier of the architect Karl Schwanzer. He looks to the future. Far into the future. Beyond the bounds of convention. His atelier is home to one of the leading architectural firms of the day. Karl Schwanzer is currently realizing several projects simultaneously, among them two of his largest projects to date: The WIFI Institute of Economic Promotion, St. Pölten, and the ensemble that will definitively mark his international breakthrough, the BMW headquarters in Munich. But despite all of the overflowing orders, Karl Schwanzer recognizes that the time has come to restructure his atelier. As a means to this end, he decides to publish a book about his work and visions. With a very personal, highly unconventional approach to design and project selection, he intends for the publication to be not only a work report and image bro chure rolled into one, but also an indication of his future course of development. This graphic novel tells the story of how the book Architecture Out of Passion was created. Published in 1973, just two years before Karl Schwanzer’s death, it ultimately proved to be a comprehensive testament to this remarkable architect’s tremendous legacy.

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1 7 9 1 a n n e i v

5

Hello, please have a seat. Professor Schwanzer will be right with you.

Hilde, I’ll have to be at the office all weekend. There’s just so much work to do at the moment... I’ll see you later.

6

Professor…

The gentleman is here about the book…

Ah, you’re here! Wonderful…

Well then, let’s get started!

And that brings us to my first question: how do we begin?

As I mentioned, I want this to be a truly extraordinary book. Unlike any other architecture book ever.

With your childhood, I’d say.

Well, I was born in 1918 and those were difficult times.

In this photo, you look pretty serious for a young boy.

7

1918

When I was born, Austria was still a monarchy – just a few months before its downfall…

1918 was a year of cataclysmic change. Moser, Schiele, Klimt, and Otto Wagner all died that year, too.

I grew up in Vienna’s seventh district. We had an apartment in the municipal district building, which also housed a jail...

8

That’s where my father worked.

My mother did all the cooking. For us – and for the prisoners.

He was a jail guard.

My father intuitively recognized my interests and talents and he always supported my development and education.

Maybe I could have become a musician. I really liked playing the violin. I began at a young age and continued till I became quite proficient.

…What an interesting shape!

I designed this for my parents – a cottage.

But what I liked to do most was to draw.

Aha…

Karli, what are you doing?

I was lucky to have had Professor S cheerpeltz as my teacher. Not only did he promote me but also Karl Kupsky and many others who would later become architects.

9

To gether with my uncle, who was a carpenter, I built my first house. It was a cottage on our plot of land. I desi gned it myself when I was only 16.

He wants to study architecture... Well, watching him out there like that...

My father was the complete opposite. He always encouraged and supported me in everything, even though he didn’t have the slightest idea about architecture. But he was extremely open-minded. Really open.

My parents had very different views about my career wish. My mother tended to be anxious and worried. And that applied to the cost of tuition, too.

The boy MUST go to college!

Wouldn’t it be better if our Karl became a civil servant? There’s security in that.

1937

And so I studied architecture. At the Technical University in Vienna. There were just six of us students in that year. Job perspectives were pretty bleak back then. But still, I was the first one in our family to go to college.

1938

10

I did learn something of the trade back then, but I didn’t get the stimulation that I was craving.

Of course, in those days you were confronted with the fascist building style – even before Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria.

I would much rather have written my dissertation. My topic, at any rate, was a concession to the times…

You were drafted into the army after graduation, ri ght?

Yes… I did try to avoid military duty…

But it didn’t do any good.

Dissertation Karl Schwanzer Neues Bauen im befreiten Oberschlesien. Der Ring in Sohrau. Entschandelung und Gestaltung



After serving briefly at the Rybnik district building authority in occupied Upper Silesia I was drafted and supposed to go and fight in the Russian Campai gn.

The professors on the examination committee ripped my work to shreds. Siegfried Theiss and Erwin Ilz, both staunch Nazis, said my dissertation was shallow and not scholarly. They gave me a barely passing grade.

Karl Holey, who wasn’t a Nazi, stood up for me. His evaluation was very positive.

11

But instead of the eastern front, I ended up in the hospital with an acute kidney condition. That probably saved my life.

After I recovered, I worked in the building service division of the Luftwaffe – German Air force – in Breslau as a construction manager for airports and anti-aircraft facilities.

1941

And there, far from the front we listened to “enemy” radio broadcasts.

ist Hie rlan d… En g

It was during this time that I met the Viennese architect Oswald Haerdtl, whose job was camouflaging factory buildings.

As the front came closer, my division was relo cated to Prague.

1945

But after the Prague uprising, we weren’t able to hold on for very long. Just before the end of the war, I fled the city by bicycle.

12

Those were horrible years. It was pure luck that I survived. And I didn’t even fire a single shot.

I fled as far west as you could go, until I was eventually detained by US troops. And the goddamn war was finally over!

MAY 8, 1945



I can’t describe how great it felt to be liberated. Immediately the American military government put me to work on the rebuilding of Regensburg.

Toward the end of the war, I had fled farther and farther westward. But then I was pulled back east – back home to Vienna.

My real education started at the A cademy of Applied Arts in Vienna, where I went to work for an old friend…

A new wing would fit perfectly on the left side of this building.

I started working as an assistant to Professor Oswald Haerdtl.

1946

Back then, I had no idea that fifteen years later, I actually would build the new wing to gether with Eugen Wörle.

The international architecture magazines in his office really opened my eyes… I finally got my first glimpse of all the modern architecture out there in the world... I have to discover this new freedom and carefree expression. After all those years of formal training, it’s a new world!

13

What also developed during this time was my understanding of architecture. Like my great role models, I began to regard architecture as a comprehensive art form.

BUILDING

DOOR HANDLES

SUGAR BOWL

ARCHITECTURE AS A

OTTO WAGNER

ADOLF LOOS

FURNITURE

WORK OF ART

JOSEF HOFFMANN OSWALD HAERDTL

And when my father-in-law bought me my first car, a “barn find,” I could hardly wait to get out of Vienna and represent Haerdtl abroad.

KAR L SCHWANZER

14

Paris 1946

Coming from gray postwar Vienna, I found Paris to be absolutely magnificent. Until then, all the cities I had been to were damaged by bombs.

And in a little monastery in the Rue de Sèvres, I paid a visit to a world-famous architect…

Bonjour, Monsieur Le Corbusier! I’d like to come and work for you…

I really wanted to work for Le Corbusier. My French was good, too. But without pay? I already had a family by then.

You’re more than welcome to – if you’re willing to work for free lodging.

We haven’t talked about your family yet. Do you want them in the book? Your wife, for instance?

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My wife?!

My wife and I…

We met when we were both very young.

I met Hilde at a dance s chool, and the two of us – we were like wallflowers… and we both came from humble background.

I had the rattiest shoes in the whole dance school.

Then, in 1943, Berthold was born.

This was really obvious… But Hilda didn’t mind, she took an interest in me anyway.

In the middle of the war…

And we got married a few years later.

1940

But this isn’t really relevant to the book. Let’s talk about how I got started as an architect instead.

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vienna 1948

Come in!

Professor Haerdtl, you’re just the person to remodel our fashion salon for French-inspired Haute Couture!

Why isn’t anyone calling?

I’m afraid I don’t have time, Frau Ungar, but there is someone I would recommend.

Atelier Schwanzer, good afternoon!

Remodeling the Haute Couture salon “Elegance” of my first projects after founding my own atelier.

was one

Even when the old ceiling collapsed, Frau Ungar was still enthusiastic about my work!

The new STRIATED CEILING looks better than the old one!

17

1948 All the passersby pressed their noses against the display windows in the Kärntner Strasse, Vienna’s main shopping street…

…to catch their first glimpse of Parisian fashion.

Your new salon looks absolutely divine!

And since the ladies from high so ciety would come to Frau Ungar’s salon, the word got around – they recommended me, and soon You think so? Well let I was desi gning other shops and even movie theaters.

me recommend my talented young architect...

And the movies would also play a role on one of my next trips…

18

“Once you’ve made the decision to become an architect, you have to find the courage to want to fulfill visions.”

1950

In 1950, I flew to the USA for the first time, having designed the Austrian exhibition booth for an international trade fair.

In Chi cago, I saw skys crapers for the first time in my life…

And in my hotel, there was an enormous cinema. I’d never seen anything like it in Europe!

I then started keeping a travel journal, jotting down notes for a radio pro gram…

“In the United States, there are architectural firms with as many as 100 employees...”

vienna 1951

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I did everything I could to get new clients in those days, and I wrote more than 1,000 proposals per year. But I ended up getting contracts that way.

To finally hook them, I used whatever possible skills I had… indulging in, shall we say, rather unconventional methods…

Fairgrounds, vIENna 1951

Welcome to the Vienna Trade Fair, ladies and gentlemen.

… at this exhibition, we won’t just be showing the various trades... but we’ll also be DEMONSTR ATING them!

The exhibition was a spectacular success and drew many prominent visitors… Austrian Chancellor

FIGL

Austrian President

KÖRNER

But for the most part, getting contracts meant participating in an endless number of competitions.

… and I managed to make a name for myself.

21

“The best specialization is non-specialization. It is universality.”

My team grew steadily, and we worked on many different projects. But what I wanted most of all was to sink my teeth into bigger jobs...

The trade fair was followed by other exhibitions such as “Dienst am Volk”1 or the Energy Expo in Linz.

1952

1954 During this time I was involved in building pavilions in Paris, Brussels, Toronto, Milan, Chicago and Sto ckholm.

In Sweden I met the Wittgenstein family, and they in turn knew Bruno Kreisky.

Jag anser att…2

1952 1 An exhibition celebrating seven years of economic recovery in Austria

2 It is my opinion…

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Working on a design or grappling with a problem was something I never thought of as work – it was enjoyable and stimulating.

In 1952 my son Martin was born.

When I wasn’t working, I was unhappy.

My boys were always a very important part of my life.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t always around. In those days, I traveled a lot.

And I often thought of going abroad for good...

But those thoughts were always quickly pushed aside because of the next big contract...

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vienna 1955,

AUSTRIA IS FREE!

belvedere

The new Republic of Austria wanted to present itself in a new li ght in Brussels, at the first World’s Fair to be held since the end of WWII.

The industrialist and art patron Manfred Mautner-Markhof was named Austrian Commissioner for the World’s Fair. And under his direction, a desi gn competition for the Austrian pavilion was launched.

The old image was a cross between the AustroHungarian Empire and the Third Reich.

The program involved creating a new image for the budding Second Republic. Jury chairman CLEMENS HOLZMEISTER

My idea was to show in the pavilion the works of contemporary Austrian artists I had selected. Among them were...

FRITZ WOTRUBA

HERBERT BOECKL

OSKAR KOKOSCHKA 25

1958 It was amazing luck – really an honor – that of all the great architects out there, I was chosen to design the Austrian pavilion, which would stand directly across from Le Corbusier’s building. And my design ended up winning the Grand Prix d’Architecture...

On the “hovering” top floor, visitors could, for example, listen with headphones to rehearsals of the Wiener Musikakademie1 students. Herbert von Karajan was one of their instructors.

1 Vienna Music A cademy

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The lower level had a Viennese kindergarten that provided child care for Expo visitors.

My desi gn and construction of the Council of Europe pavilion at Expo 58 was a bi g success as well. Here, too, I won the desi gn competition. Like my other building, it also had a very prominent lo cation at the fairgrounds.

In Brussels, I met Bruno Kreisky again, who at that time was the Undersecretary in the Austrian Chancellery.

It was very important to me that I design a building that could be used again.

And in 1962, it was reinstalled in Vienna, in the Schweizergarten park, as the Museum of the 20th Century.

First director

WERNER HOFMANN

And this became the legendary

20er Haus.

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1962

HUNDERTWASSER

WILHELM LEHMBRUCK

EXHIBITIONS AT THE 20er HAUS

HAUS-RUCKER-CO

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POP ART E.T.C.

After Brussels and the 20er Haus, it wasn’t long before the next big project came along. Roland Rainer was Vienna’s head urban planner when we started designing an office building for Philips onTriester Strasse.

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ROLAND RAINER

With the help of an external framework of prestressed concrete elements we were able to create flexible, column-free interior spaces. We also convinced Rainer to give the building a radical twist. By rotating it 90 degrees, we created a kind of city limit symbol – a gateway to Vienna. And to this day it remains one of the city’s most striking landmarks.

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Today, however, this gateway symbol is known by a different name…

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… the Philips Building! Prestressed concrete bridge construction elements transfer the entire weight of the building to the four main supports.

The characteristic hovering element 32

The building, you know, it’s always been a landmark.

What is it, Frau Manhardt?

Excuse me for interrupting, Herr Professor.

He’s way too early! Tell him he’ll have to wait.

Herr Hubmann is already here to shoot the portrait series.

Now then, where was I? Ah yes, the Philips Building was…

I’ll be done shortly.

Professor, could you have a quick look at the BMW drawings before your next appointment?

Well, work calls again. But if you want, we can take a look at the Atelier now.

Sounds good!

A be r …

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MY DESIGN GROUP

ERICH REISER

BORIS PODRECCA

K AR L FLEISCHER HARDO RASLAGG

RO LAND STARZEN

HELMUT SCHIMEK

HEINZ NEUMANN

LAURIDS ORTNER

SEPP F R ANK GERNOT NA LBACH

GERHARD KRAMPF

TADEUSZ SPYCHA LA

ERICH HO FBAUER

To me the office almost looks like a fashion salon.

I like the distinctive green and the orange floor.

The image of my atelier is very important to me. Funny you should mention that, because we had a fashion show here just last week.

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But that’s just one of the many events I use the atelier for on a regular basis.

This is an exhibition I put together about Le Corbusier.

I invite potential clients and colleagues here too,… even though I rarely receive a return invitation from the colleagues…

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Sounds like lots of fun… Yes, most of the time anyway, just not on my 40th birthday…

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37

“Enthusiasm and passion that at times turn into obsession don’t always make you many friends.”

Professor?

Professor!

I’m ready now!

I can’t keep Herr Hubmann waiting any longer. I suggest…

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…we meet again next time at my other workplace, the Institute for Building Theory at the Technical University.

karlsplatz

1972

Technical University? Over there!

The Institute for Building Theory? In the grayest In there! school of all.

S chwanzer? Don’t ask me! He’s NEVER around.

Professor Schwanzer? Probably back there in his office.

Come in, don’t worry. Here at the Institute, their bark is worse than their bite…

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How long have you been teaching here at the Technical University?

Ah, what have we here the new layouts for the book…

I’d be very happy to tell you the story…

Vienna

1959

After my success in Brussels, the Technical University offered me a full professorship.

My main concern was making sure my students got a better education than I had received 20 years earlier…

When I became head of the Institute, I noticed that my assistants would suddenly, but discreetly, leave me alone at the same time every day.

They were used to the habits of my predecessor, who always took a midday nap.

I soon realized that quite a few things around here needed to change...

43

I even put in an ultramodern electric door buzzer.

I had the Institute completely refurbished at my own expense.

Like in Haerdtl’s office, we had copies of all the international architecture journals.

Also new was that I got rid of set consultation hours. Students could come by whenever they wanted.

Same as in my atelier, where I had my employees flag the articles they read. We organized study trips, too, like Haerdtl did at the A cademy of Applied Arts.

I wanted my students to see the world…

But Dr. Kupsky, he can’t do that!

However, with all these changes, I didn’t always make friends.

44

Now, now, the study trips are very much worthwhile – they expose students to the way a hi ghly energetic and creative mind views and pro cesses experiences.

In 1964, I organized a study trip to the USA. That was quite remarkable back then! I managed to finance it – a very expensive undertaking, believe me – by getting most students a research contract in the construction industry. And I even lent some students their travel money.

USA 1964

In America, we visited several of the most eminent living architects, like the Austrianborn F RIEDRICH KIESLER…

As for the Technical University itself, I gave the classroom a more international focus by inviting speakers from different countries…

… and other prominent fi gures such as LOUIS KAHN and PHILIP JOHNSON.

… and from di- fferent disciplines too. With Hans Hass, we designed underwater houses. The weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel, called it “Deep Nonsense.”

One of my most trusted asso ciates was Günther Feuerstein, a free spirit with personal ties to the Viennese Aktionismus scene.

Every time I went on a trip, they kicked him out...

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45

But I would bring him back again. We didn’t always agree on everything, but we got along very well to gether. If you say so…

Though it wasn’t considered common academic practice, I allowed group projects. But not everyone thought it was a good idea, arguing that there’s always someone in the group who only makes coffee...

Still, the method worked, because it spawned a number of very interesting groups.

HAUSRUCKER Founded 1967

COOP HIMMELBLAU Founded 1968

ZÜND-UP Founded 1969

MISSING LINK Founded 1970

My students always invited me to their presentations, and I enjoyed going to them. For example, to the inflatable house “Villa Rosa” by Coop Himmelblau…

So this is how you want to do it? Hm… well, that’s not how I would do it, but if you can back it up and present it professionally, then you’ve got my support…

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…or the giant pinball machine-shaped building desi gned by Zünd-Up and presented along with the Harley Davidson Club.

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46

What did you do in 1968, that tumultuous year of student protests?

VINDOBONA 2000? Where was that supposed to be?

, Ri ght herenplatz! wede on the S ch

I worked, of course. I was busy with

VINDOBONA 2000 among other projects.

I designed an enormous exhibition hall to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Vienna as the capital of Austria.

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47

“The architect’s goal must be realization, for ideas alone cannot satisfy him in the long run.”

I envisioned the exhibition content projected as photos and films onto various spheres.

It would have been a temporary building straddling the Danube Canal.

Unfortunately, it was never realized…

Later, I redesi gned the project as the City Center, for the same site. That didn’t pan out either. They just didn’t understand my concept…

Let’s just call it a day and go to my place to unwind.

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The most important experiences and insights are gleaned from taking part in competitions, and particularly from the projects that don’t win – those that are never realized. They are invaluable for readjusting one’s own position.

*

* The project is dead. Long live the next project!

Later at hawelgasse

23…

I like to invite people to my home…

We’re still getting everything set up… Where do you want us to put this, Herr Wotruba?

This house was originally built as a “demonstration building for contemporary living”…

Delicious!

There are always lots of prominent guests here…

RUDOLF HOFLEHNER

This place li ghts up when Mr. S chwanzer enters the room.

WILHELM SCHÜTTE

RICHARD NEUTR A

BOB GUTMANN

JOHANNES PETER PERZ

WOLFGANG DENZEL

OTTO SCHENK

F RITZ WOTRUBA

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When I think of Schwanzer, I always imagine something grand, though never ostentatious.

I like to use our house for all sorts of events. It can accommodate plenty of guests, and I try to invite a diverse crowd…

… which occasionally includes my senioryear students.

What? Already so late? I’m supposed to be on a plane in three hours…

53

The house has also served as a movie set on several occasions. Curd Jürgens and Lilli Palmer were here…

72 9 1 O I D U T S G N I RECORD

As an architect who doesn’t belong to any particular clique, you stand apart. And you stand alone with your opinions, too.

Did you have a good time at the party? I had to catch a plane…

Ah! You’re here already!

As it was, I was late…

I’m an avid traveler. I spend half my time abroad…

…and I’m always on the lookout for good architecture.

I feel freer, happier…

Did you take these trips with your family?

I’m never thrilled about returning home…

55

No, usually alone or with one of my sons.

But in Montreal, my interests in elaborate stagings, multimedia concepts and the integration of film and photo graphy helped me land a truly spectacular contract. Remember - ever since my first trip to the USA, I had a soft spot for those As an architect huge movie palaces… who doesn’t belong

In the ‘60s, I still had a bumpy road ahead of me, despite all my successes...

to any particular clique, you stand apart.

Montreal? OK! Here we go ! Another story...

And you stand alone with your opinions, too.

For example – preservin g the fabri c oft he city…

I won the desi gn competition for the Austrian pavilion at the Montreal World’s Fair...

Austrian President

FRANZ JONAS

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Also by Karl Schwanzer: the EXPO Kindergarten ...with the idea of using it not to display objects but to project a multimedia show I developed myself, “AUSTROVISION.”

The pavilion gave Austria a bold new image…

For this complex show, we even built special projectors. And Otto Schenk directed the whole thing.

...but I have to say that I completely changed my ori ginal desi gn.

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Unlike in Brussels, this design met with a lot of disapproval back home. Most of all from Friedrich Achleitner. erie nages! e m que valu otestituted r g A ros of p An architectural carousel.

A nig

htm

are!

In a way, the critique was justified, since there’s always room for improvement – and the protracted formal development phase had involved countless study models…

We’re going with model number 346A-3.

In my atelier, they even coined the term “golden wastebasket” – which referred to my practice of constantly tossing out finished plans.

The rest goes in the trash can.

A chleitner’s criticism really did irk me, but I was always my own harshest critic. The current trend in Vienna seems to consider everything built before 1925 as worthy of preservation...

Some criticism, on the other hand, just makes me laugh...

In my opinion, a relatively large portion goes to preserving old buildings…

57

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A few years ago, I was asked to build a church in Pötzleinsdorf. The priest was all for my plan… But what the critics had to say was hilarious.

At least wait until the poor architect finishes the church before attacking him. The roof is still missing…

I am often asked for my opinion, usually as a judge in international architecture competitions. This is where I emphasize professionalism even more…

FATHER ZETNER

…and the walls haven’t been plastered yet.

…here, of course, my language skills come in handy.

GUT!

BON!

BUONO!

GÜNTHER DOMENIG

EILFRIED HUTH

LOUIS KAHN GOOD!

And I also organize competitions, for example the new UN Headquarters in Vienna.

Back then, another idea we had was to form an international group of architectural firms under the name “EUROPLAN.” HENRI CALSAT (France)

Secretary-General

U THANT

WALTER HENN (Germany)

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MAURICIO VITALE (Italy)

ME

PIERRE VAGO (France)

MARC SAUGEY (Switzerland)

It sounds like there was always something going on…

Well, there were also lulls...quiet periods…

CHRISTMAS 1967

The presents this year are pretty frugal…

Yeah, this is nothing compared to the remotecontrolled car last year…

What if we don’t get any new contracts…

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As soon as I finished up one project, I started to worry about what would happen next.

Once, when I came back from one of my trips abroad... We’re beginning our descent to Vienna. Please extinguish your cigarettes and…

We won the competition for ST. PÖLTEN!

We did?

What’s going on here?

For the Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut – you know, the WIFI in Lower Austria. We submitted it while you were away.

WIFI-ST. PÖLTEN

PL ANS No! No! No! We’re doing this completely differently!

But – come on ! Not like that !

But…

A school has to look like a school from the outside. We need a distinctive sign! Something sculptural! In an international language of forms!

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Once again, the plans all ended up in our “golden wastebasket,” and the St. Pölten project was built in the “ARCHITECTURE BRUT” style.

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my team

In the early 1970’s Karl S chwanzer’s Atelier had more than 100 employees.

“In essence, architecture also must always be a work of art.”

I think we’ve got everything recorded now. The album should be ready in 1–2 weeks.

Great!

Whose idea was it to record an album with architectural texts?

Hello?

His… To commemorate the European Year of Monument Protection.

It’s for you! Hollywood…

United Artists! In my building! C’mon, come with me!

I have to go to Munich. United Artists wants to shoot a science fiction movie. At BMW!

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Did you have a good fli ght?

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Wow! A new BMW! Is that how you got the BMW contract?

In the ‘60s, the construction industry boomed in Munich because of the Olympic games. The BMW site was lo cated just opp osite of the Olympic Stadium.

I’d always wanted to build in Germany. And, after all, my first car was a BMW, too.

Ha ha! It wasn’t quite that simple…

I’d already realized several projects for Wolfgang Denzel...

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Denzel had excellent contacts at BMW – he developed a very important model for them once. And he used his clout to get me invited to the BMW competition.

BMW 700

Speaking of competitions, do you feel like going to the Olympics?

Sure!

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HERBERT QUANDT

This is great! I can see your building from here.

Yes, you can even see the BMW emblem already.

A ctually, we weren’t allowed to put up the logo. The city planning commissioner, Uli Zech, caused a bi g commotion. BMW even had to pay a fine.

ULI ZECH

But now, during the Olympics, everyone in the world can see the lo go on TV. And that more than makes up for the fine. You can’t buy advertising like this!

What’s that bowlshaped building next to it?

I’ll show you. Come on – let’s go for a short drive… 67

What’s going on here?

In that case, I can finish telling you the BMW story...

There’s been an incident in the Olympic Village. I’m going to ask you to wait here…

As with the EXPO in Montreal, we started by playing with all possible forms, concepts, and ideas. And not until we had worked out several desi gns did I decide on one. In this case, a very special one…

We’re going with this one! To me, it was important not to create conventional open-plan offices. They may have a lot of advantages, like more opportunities for working together – but they also have their disadvantages. For example, not everyone gets the same amount of daylight.

Then we divided this plan into smaller, more humane segments.

So we dis carded the factory-farm-like cubicle desi gn and worked on a new kind of functional floor plan.

Then we developed this floor plan into a strong and reco gnizable threedimensional structure.

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But the competition ended with no winner, just two runners-up. And I was one of them.

I went to see every single BMW board member to pitch my desi gn. I soon realized I HAD to have this contract!

…and these are the floor plans… Circular offices?!

Yes, it’s more communicative.

PLANS

a Liketi con! p pano

Sorry, I don’t think the others will be able to picture it...

I soon had Paul Hahnemann, the sales director at BMW, on my side, but I wasn’t so sure about the rest of them…

What are we doing here?

Schwanzer, the architect, wants us to meet him at the film studio...

sly? iou Ser

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In order for people to be able to envision my concept of a circular open-plan office building, I had the Bavaria Film Studios construct a 1:1 model of an entire cloverleaf-shaped floor. I had it furnished right down to the smallest detail, including a view of Munich outside the windows. And I got acting “extras” to play the parts of employees – to perfectly simulate an office atmosphere. Needless to say, it cost an arm and a leg...

HAHAHA! I almost felt like a movie star...

Well? Did the bet pay off ?

The design kind of looks like four liter mugs of beer scrunched together…

It sure did! I got the contract right then and there.

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If you liked it that much on a film set, just imagine how much you’re going to like it in real life!

Top end of a suspension column

But see for yourself…

Architecture must hover…

71

The nearly 100-meter-hi gh administration building is what’s known as a suspended building. The individual circular-plan floors were raised from the ground and suspended from the four arms of a load-bearing cross.

72

In my design drawings, I always included this building alongside the main building, as an optical counterweight to the tower. It just had to be there. It wasn’t part of the actual tender do cument, but because of it, I was later commissioned to build the BMW Museum.

It was the world’s first thoroughly staged corporate museum by an automobile manufacturer. Something completely new! No other car maker had anything like it…

And what happened to the movie set?

We used it again to shoot an image film…

But now I better get you to the airport. You certainly have your work cut out for you…

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CLIENTS

K AR L SCHWANZER

OTTO K. EITEL

RUDOLF SALLINGER

MANF RED MAUTNER MARKHOF JUN.

MANF RED MAUTNER MARKHOF SEN.

HERBERT QUANDT WOLFGANG DENZEL

PAUL G.

HAHNEMANN

F REDERIK JACQUES PHILIPS

We are beginning our final descent into Vienna…

The sheer number of projects he realized is mind-boggling. And all of them largescale, nonconformist, and free-spirited…

…the enormous influence he had on the next generation of architects…

Time’s running short… And there’s still so much material I want to include in the book...

His international perspective and reach. His cultural flexibility…

The teamwork in his atelier. His generous, open and interdisciplinary way of thinking that saw architecture as an overall work of art in the interest of mankind…

His exuberant, playful, unrestrained way of working. And his seemingly inexhaustible energy.

His exceptional, unparalleled status.

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Sorry, but this is too tame, too conventional.

Hmmmm…

It’s not supposed to be a run-of-the-mill architecture book. It should be a biography and monograph, a novel, a coffee-table book and a collection of poetry all in one – and with drawings and nature photography. In short: my credo…

Yes, Herr Professor?

FRAU MANHARDT!

Maybe Frau Hareiter and Herr Kapfinger would like to work on my book? Could you ask them?

Yes, Herr Professor, right away. In fact, they both happen to be outside right now. And I could be the project coordinator !

Does that mean I’m kicked off the project?

77

Of course not! But with all the changes I have in mind, we’ll only be able to pull this off as a team.

Do you already have a publisher?

I guess I have another idea…

Frau Manhardt, we’re going to found our own publishing company… The modul-Verlag!

How did you come up with the name “modul”?

Yes, sir!

It’s the name of the do cumentation on our annual work reports.

And make yourself the managing director while you’re at it. Oh! With pleasure!

An architectural firm should have a comprehensive corporate image. This idea was first introduced to me by Ove Arup in London. Work reports are an essential part of this. OVE ARUP

Then let’s get to work, people… We have a month to get this done!

You’re staying on board, ri ght ?

Sure!

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1973, ONE MONTH LATER…

Thank you! The book turned out great!

And what will be your next exciting project?

Saudi Arabia… In the middle of the oil crisis?

An urban planning project. The comprehensive master plan for the university campus in Riyadh.

Another competition?

Yes, the project is huge. And if all goes well, we will be responsible not only for the master plan but for erecting the individual buildings, too.

No, apparently word of mouth. One day, out of the blue, these two gentlemen showed up on my doorstep...

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“When solving a problem, you are chained to it to the point of self-abandonment. You forget everything around you, forget to eat, to sleep, to love.”

Saudi Arabia is planning an enormous university campus in Riyadh, conceived as a magnet for the entire Gulf region. Ove Arup is on the planning team too.

For this project, we used computers for the first time.

Based on diverse and complex data, such as the composition of the student body, the fields of study, and the number and size of the departments, we calculated the allotment of the available building area.

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We’ve almost completed all the main elements of the master plan – program, physical plan and implementation study. Covering an expanse of 9 square-kilometers, this is our biggest project to date. Absolutely remarkable for an Austrian architectural firm...

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And on top of that, I also have the honor of planning the Austrian embassy in Brasília! …

… the Bayeris che Landesbank in Munich…

… a hospital in Graz…

… and in Vienna the Zoological Institute and a bank building.

Goodbye!

Well, I have to be on my way now.

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Our order books have never been this full.

“Only the individual himself can fathom his own depths and dis cover the truth that dwells there.”

1 975 Beats me! Probably in a studio somewhere.

Where did they shoot that?

That wasn’t a studio… That was REAL!

It’s been ages since I’ve heard from Herr Schwanzer. Wonder how he’s doing…

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87

8 1 0 2 A N VIEN IRTHDAY B H T 0 0 1 ’S ANZER KARL SCHW

88

MAY 21, 2018

I hereby donate our father’s estate to the Wien Museum!

…arranging, planning, shaping, calculating, building, here–there, down–up, front–back, li ght and dark – heavy and li ght, shaping space, recording data, measuring lengths, shaping time! …

NICHOLAS OFCZAREK

89

living beauty – being happy.

EPILOGUE

PROTECTED HISTORIC

BUILDINGS by karl schwanzer

1 961

Extension of the Imperial Crypt (“New Crypt”) Tegetthoffstrasse 2, 1010 Vienna

1 962

Museum of the 20th Century

1 964

Schweizergarten (today Belvedere 21), 1030 Vienna

Pötzleinsdorf church and kindergarten

Schafberggasse 2, 1180 Vienna

1 964

Philips administr. building

1 965

Triester Strasse 64–66, 1100 Vienna

Extension of the University of Applied Arts

Oskar-Kokoschka-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna (with Eugen Wörle)

1 972

Institute for Economic Promotion (WIFI)

1 972

St. Pölten, Lower Austria

Leopoldau Catholic community center with parish church Saikogasse 8, 1220 Vienna

1 973

Protestant church

BMW administration building and BMW museum

1 977

Protestant community center A.C. Per-Albin-Hansson estate (designed 1974–75) Pichelmayergasse 2, 1100 Vienna (built by G. Krampf)

Am Olympiapark 1, Munich

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biograPH

Karl Schwanzer, Architect

y

1918 May 21, born in Vienna

Studied at the University of Technology, Vienna

1940 Diploma 1941 Do ctorate

From 1947 onwards Freelance architect in Vienna with his own architectural practice in Vienna 1947-1951 Assistant to Oswald Haerdtl at the A cademy for Applied Arts, Vienna

1954 Josef-Hoffmann Award, Wiener Secession



1958 Silver order of merit for services to the Republic of Austria

Grand Prix for architecture at the World Fair in Brussels Chevalier de l‘ordre de Léopold, Belgium

1959 Architecture Prize, City of Vienna

Professorship at the University of Technology, Vienna Head of the Institute for Building Theory and Design 1963 Honorary Corresponding Member of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) 1964-1965 Visiting Professor at the University of Technology, Darmstadt, Germany

1965 Officier du Mérite Touristique, France

1965-1966 Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Technology, Vienna

1967 Visiting Professor at the University of Technology, Budapest, Hungary

Honorary Fellow of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Set up office in Munich, Germany

1969 Honorary Member of BDA (Asso ciation of German Architects)

Grand order of merit for services to the Republic of Austria

1972 Visiting Professor at the University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

1973 Visiting Professor at the University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany and Budapest, Hungary 1975 Concrete Architecture Award of the Asso ciation of the German Cement Industry Died in Vienna, August 20 Austrian State Award for the Fine Arts (posthumous)

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KARL SCHWANZER 21.5.1918 — 20.8.1975

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BENJAMIN SWICZINSKY (*1982) is an animation director and illustrator in Vienna. He is one of the three partners of the animation studio “Neuer Österreichischer Trickfilm”. His animated short “Heldenkanzler” has won several awards at international film festivals.

MAX GRUBER (*1957) is a lyric poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He lives in Vienna. In addition to these activities, he is the mastermind behind his ensemble “Des Ano”, for which he is not only the front man but also writes the lyrics.

MARTIN SCHWANZER (*1952) is an architect and project developer in Vienna. The youngest of Karl Schwanzer’s two sons, he initiated this comic and has been an ongoing source of ideas.

imprint Based on an idea by Martin Schwanzer and Mirko Pogoreutz Special Thanks to: Salomea Engländer, Dr. Franz Gangelmayer, Rüdiger Lainer, Dr. Dinah Marin, Mirko Martinovic, Antonia Petric, Caroline Schwanzer A cquisitions Editor: David Marold, Birkhäuser Verlag, A-Vienna Project and Production Editor: Angelika Heller, Birkhäuser Verlag, A-Vienna Translation from German into English: Kimi Lum, Darrel Joseph, Max Gruber, A-Vienna Proofreading: John Arthur Sweet, CA-Montréal Layout und Drawings: Benjamin Swiczinsky, A-Vienna CleanUp/Colours: Benjamin Swiczinsky, Sascha Vernik, Conrad Tambour, Johannes Schiehsl, A-Wien Typography and Book layout: Studio Gabriel, A-Vienna Printing: Holzhausen Druck GmbH, A-Wolkersdorf

The German National Library lists this publication in the Deuts che Nationalbiblio grafie; detailed biblio graphic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. This work is subject to copyri ght. All ri ghts are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the ri ghts of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broad casting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in databases. For any kind of use, permission of the copyri ght owner must be obtained. ISBN 978-3-0356-1853-2 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-0356-1864-8 German Print-ISBN 978-3-0356-1852-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018959386

© 2019 Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, Basel P.O. Box 44, 4009 Basel, Switzerland Part of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Biblio graphic information published by the German National Library

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Recommendations

Further books on Karl S chwanzer published by Birkhäuser

Karl Schwanzer

Karl Schwanzer

Traces A Pictorial Inventory

Anthology Nachlassarchiv Karl Schwanzer (Ed.) Photos and Do cuments from 28 years of architecture and contemporary history

Stefan Oláh, Ulrike Matzer (Ed.)

59.95 EUR / 68.99 USD / 54.50 GBP ISBN: 978-3-0356-1899-0 Available May 2019

His most striking buildings and furniture designs in high-quality color photographs. 49.95 EUR / 57.99 USD / 45.50 GBP ISBN: 978-3-0356-1839-6 Available January 2019

Karl Schwanzer at the Wien Museum-archive: www.wienmuseum.at/de/sammlungen/ kunst/architektur/karl-schwanzer-archiv

Follow Karl Schwanzer on Instagram: instagram.com/karl_schwanzer

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Karl Schwanzer‘s significant others: fellow travelers, friends and acquaintances who also played an important part in the life of the architect, visionary, maestro: Kurt A ckermann, Nikolaus Amiras, Max Bill, Peter Blake, Charlotte Blauensteiner, Arnold Bode, Peter M. Bode, Alberto Camenzind, George Candilis, Carlo de Carli, Lucca Chmel, Josine de Cressonieres, Justus Dahinden, Donald J. Devine, Heinrich Drimmel, Maria Fellner-Dobler, Ulrich Finsterwalder, Martha Foitl, Karl Fuhry, Bertrand Goldberg, Ernö Goldfinger, Annette Grailer, Vi ctor Gruen, Kurt Hamtil, Josef Holaubek, Jürgen Joedicke, Anton Jüttner, Gerhard Karplus, Abdul-Aziz Al-Khuwaiter, Robert Krapfenbauer, Alfred Kunz, Hannes Lintl, Josep Rodríguez Lloveras, Sigrid Neubert, Ernst Neufert, Hermann Ölkrug, Anni Patay-Artaker, Barbara Pflaum, Eleuterio Población Knappe, Gio Ponti, Gerhard Richter, Paul Rudolph, Manfred Sack, Alfred Schmeller, Georg S chmid, Johann S chwanzer, Heikki Sirén, Franz-Heinrich Sobotka, Sir Basil Spence, Hans Jürgen Steffen, Kenzo Tange, Carl Waidelich, A gnes Willert, Karoline Wolf, Maria Wölfl