Handschriftliche Notizen
Günther Feuerstein was a significant driving force behind the new and visionary developments in Austrian architecture after 1945.
As Karl Schwanzer’s assistant at the TH Wien (Technische Hochschule Wien, now called the Technical University of Vienna), Günther Feuerstein developed teaching formats that influenced entire generations of architects. His “Club Seminars” became legendary experimental spaces, and as founder and editor of the magazine Transparent (published 1970–1989), Feuerstein actively participated in the critical social debate on architecture.
The Günther Feuerstein Archive comprises extensive material on teaching, research, and publications, as well as project documentation of his own work. It offers a unique insight into the thinking and work of an architect who combined theory, practice, and critique.
Holdings
Slide Collection
Approximately 35,000–40,000 35mm slides focusing on architecture, urban planning, and teaching
Architectural Documentation
Approximately 40 Bene binders containing around 3,000 black-and-white photographs (A4/A5 formats); the collection documents Austrian and international architecture of the twentieth century.
The magazine Transparent
All 17 volumes of the architecture magazine edited by Feuerstein (1970–1989)
Lecture Collection
Approximately 16 binders containing documents, scripts, and supplementary materials for Feuerstein’s lectures at the Technical University of Vienna and the University of Innsbruck
Project Folders
Approximately 14 A3 binders containing designs, sketches, and documentation for projects and teaching exercises
Biographical Materials
Numerous folders containing biographical notes, correspondence, and working materials—a “work in progress” that vividly illustrates Feuerstein’s thinking and working methods.
Biography
- Born 21.10.1925 in Vienna
- Until 1951 Studied architecture at the TH Wien (Technical University of Vienna)
- 1956 Received civil engineering license
- 1958–1962 Worked in the studio of Karl Schwanzer (including work on the pavilion for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair)
- 1961–1968 Assistant to Karl Schwanzer at the Institute of Building Theory and Design at the TH Wien (Technical University of Vienna)
- 1961–1968 Club seminars at the TH Wien (Technical University of Vienna)
- 1962–2000 Own studio for design, planning, and research in Vienna
- 1965–1967 Dissertation on the Archetypen des Bauens (Archetypes of Building)
- 1968 Inviting the artist Otto Muehl to one of his lectures led to his dismissal from the TH Wien (Technical University of Vienna)
- 1970–1982 Organizer of the extracurricular discussion forum “O. O. – Open Office” for students, architects, and specialists in Vienna
- 1970–1989 Editor of the monthly magazine Transparent
- 1973–1996 Professor of Spatial Design at the University of Art and Design Linz
- Died 04.12.2021 in Vienna
Awards
- 2021 Hans Hollein Art Prize for Architecture (posthumous)
