Günther Domenig

ReSoWi-Zentrum Graz
Zentralsparkassenfiliale Favoritenstrasse
'Steinhaus' at Lake Ossiach

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

Domenig was born in Klagenfurt, and studied architecture at the Technische Universität, Graz (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 was also appointed Professor at the Technische Universität, Graz in 1980. He died, aged 77, in Graz.

Main works

Decorations and awards

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.

External links

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