A Discovery! Helmut Gatterer’s Apart­ment

The Az W has been collecting the estates and bequests of relevant Austrian architects in order to preserve and process important documentation. Contacting Helmut Gatterer in this context led to the rediscovery of the architect's original apartment from the 1960s.

Helmut Gatterer qualified as a master carpenter and master craftsman in 1958. While working for the Hergesell carpentry firm, which carried out the carpentry work in Karl Schwanzer’s new apartment building in 1962, he was responsible for the working drawings and construction details. This brought Gatterer into contact with Alfred Podgorschek, at whose architectural firm he was responsible for the planning and the supervision of construction for numerous projects in Austria and abroad (including the Austrian Airlines offices in Brussels, Bucharest, London and Tel Aviv) until 1978. In 1977, the Friseur Salon Reny (hairdressing salon) was completed on Bauernmarkt, as well as further commercial premises and apartments up until the 1980s, none of which have survived. This makes the excursion to the interior design of his rented flat, completed between 1962 and 1968, all the more unique an opportunity to get to know the self-taught architect and his work, which also includes several apartment buildings.

With: Helmut Gatterer, architect; Monika Platzer, Az W; Alexander van der Donk, architect

Moderated by Suzanne Kříženecký, Az W