Günther Domenig

T-Center Wien
Zentralsparkassenfiliale Favoritenstrasse
'Steinhaus' at Lake Ossiach
FunderMax Werk II (built in 1987)

Günther Domenig (6 July 1934 – 15 June 2012) was an Austrian architect.[1]

Domenig was born in Klagenfurt, and studied architecture at the Graz University of Technology (1953–1959). After working as an architectural assistant, he set up in practice with Eilfried Huth (1963–1973), producing highly regarded buildings in a brutalist vein. Domenig's first internationally acclaimed completed work was the Z-bank in Vienna, which signalled a much more expressionistic, counter-modernist aesthetic. Domenig's subsequent work has been important, particularly in the exploration of free flowing, highly modelled but technically precise architecture which has achieved a wide acceptance for commercial and public commissions (as in, for example, the work of Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind).

A group of architects based in Graz achieved recognition following the 'Grazer Schule' exhibition and widely disseminated catalogue (published 1984), with Domening the most significant member in terms of built works and international standing.

Domenig's own house, the 'Steinhaus' at Lake Ossiach, a lake near Klagenfurt, became a personal manifesto. Over the many years of its construction, it was both an outlet for his technical and formal experimentation, and a focus for his architectural aspirations. The Steinhaus has become a cultural icon, having hosted concerts, been the subject of television and art projects, and having featured in many books and magazines.

In the wider world, Domenig produced many notable buildings, with clients as diverse as schools, banks, local authority social housing departments, and difficult projects such as the Dokumentationszentrum (Documentation Centre, 1999) in Nürnberg adjacent to Albert Speer's Nazi Party Congress complex.

In addition to his practice, Domenig became a professor at the Graz University of Technology in 1980. He passed away at the age of 77 in Graz.

Main works

  • 1963–68 Pedagogic Academy, Graz (with Eilfried Huth)
  • 1965–69 Parish centre, Oberwart (with Eilfried Huth)
  • 1973–77 Multi-purpose school hall, Graz
  • 1974–79 Zentralsparkasse bank, Vienna
  • 1980– Steinhaus, Steindorf
  • 1987 Funder Factory (Funder Werk II), St Veit
  • 1993–96 RESOWI-Zentrum (university building), Karl Franzens Universität, Graz
  • 1998 Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg
  • 2004 T-Center (headquarters building), Vienna (with Hermann Eisenköck, Herfried Peyker)

Decorations and awards

  • 1967: Austrian builders award for Catholic Educational Academy in Graz (with Eilfried Huth)
  • 1969: Grand Prix International d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme Cannes (with Eilfried Huth)
  • 1981: Austrian builders prize for the Z-branch Favoriten in Vienna
  • 1989: Austrian builders prize for the power plant in Frombork Unzmarkt
  • 1995: Austrian builders award for the National Exhibition Carinthia: Grubenhunt und Ofensau
  • 1995: Golden Medal of Honour of Vienna
  • 1996: Award of Carinthia
  • 1997: Austrian builders award for RESOWI centre in Graz
  • 1998: Austrian builders award for the refurbishment of the City Theatre in Klagenfurt
  • 2004: Grand Austrian State Prize for Architecture
  • 2004: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class[2]
  • 2006: Austrian State Prize for Architecture and Austrian builders prize for the T-Center St. Marx

References

  1. ↑ "Architekt Günther Domenig verstorben". steiermark.ORF.at. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  2. ↑ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (pdf) (in German). p. 1595. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
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