Under Construction
Building with Prefabricated Concrete Elements in the Social Housing Sector
Prefabricated composite façade elements save a lot of time during construction and enable high-quality and precise processing of concrete. We already employed this building method for our own office project, the Stadtelefant, and now we are following a similar concept for a residential development in Vienna’s 22nd district with a premium quality exposed concrete façade – elegant, honest, and straightforward.
Photo: Eylül Aslan
Turn On 2023
Lecture at the Architecture Festival
As part of the Turn On architecture festival, Franz&Sue partner Michael Anhammer, together with lighting designer Christian Ploderer and Gudrun Schach from Zumtobel, recently presented the Montanuni Leoben study centre. An identity-forming building has been created here next to the Mur river. Inside, the three lecture halls and the main staircase are freely arranged. In the flowing room structure, the lighting concept supports orientation and helps to create a clearer zoning between daylight and artificial lighting areas in the large public building.
Triple "Best of Austria"
AzW Publication Shows Award-Winning Projects
We are featured with no less than three projects in the new publication "Best of Austria 2020/21" published by the Architekturzentrum Wien. The anthology shows buildings that were awarded national and international architecture prizes in these two years and also presents the architectural studios behind them. In addition to the Leoben Education Centre and the renovated and expanded Court House in Salzburg, our Stadtelefant office building in Vienna's Sonnwendviertel district is also presented in the publication.
Ceremonial Opening
Konrad Lorenz Secondary School, Gänserndorf
Last September, the students of the BG/BRG Gänserndorf moved from their substitute accommodation back to the secondary school, which was renovated and expanded by us. Now the school was ceremoniously inaugurated by Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research Martin Polaschek, BIG Managing Director Wolfgang Gleissner and Regional Education Councillor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister. A delegation from the Franz&Sue planning team was also present at the opening - and because the school also has plenty of space to let off steam during the breaks, we brought the director of the school, Eva Zillinger, a punching bag as a gift.
Opening Celebration
Graz-Puntigam Education Campus
"A school has been built according to our needs and ideas, from the very beginning we have had the feeling that we are moving into our common house, which we have helped to plan and design", says Roland Schadl, director of the elementary school Puntigam. Recently, the largest elementary school in Styria was ceremoniously opened, where we turned a pavilion-like structure into a contemporary cooperative educational campus with plenty of space for education, exercise and leisure. And the special part about it: for the building, we opted for materials such as brick, loam and hemp and a low-tech approach that promises longevity. "
Foto: Stadt Graz/Foto Fischer
Better Worlds of Learning
Distinction for Leoben Education Centre
At the beginning of October, Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research Martin Polaschek presented the award for projects in “building culture education” for the second time, and our primary and secondary school complex in Leoben received an honourable mention. “Architectural factors can have a significant influence on one’s concentration and thus on successful learning. That is why contemporary and functional architecture is essential, especially for educational buildings,” said Polaschek. Architect Carla Kuhn, Director Christian Gschiel, and Franz&Sue partner Michael Anhammer (from left) were delighted to accept the award.
Opening Celebration
Montanuni Leoben Study Centre
Glück auf! is an Austrian miners’ greeting of old. After opening the doors to our new study centre at the University of Leoben to students in early October, it was now ceremoniously inaugurated by Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research Martin Polaschek, Rector Wilfried Eichlseder, BIG CEO Hans-Peter Weiss, Styrian Governor Christopher Drexler, and Mayor Kurt Wallner, amongst others. Franz&Sue partners Corinna Toell and Michael Anhammer were also on site to join BIG project manager Gabriele Leitner in a befitting celebration to cheer in the campus’s new hub.
Photo: Foto Freisinger
Lower Austrian Building Award 2022
Special Award for the IST Austria Chemistry Lab
The learning and research building we planned in cooperation with Maurer&Partner has received the “special award” from the Lower Austrian building guild and the government of Lower Austria. The focus of the award is on quality craftsmanship, contemporary design, economic functionality, and sustainable construction. The jury highlighted the fulfilment of special user requirements – such as the special reinforcement solution for spectroscopic NMR technology – and the spatial layout, which specifically fosters interaction and “offers top researchers from 75 nations spaces and technical standards at the highest level.”
September 2022
Healing with Nature
Competition Winner, Styria
Where clover now grows, the new regional hospital for the Liezen district will rise in the coming years. In collaboration with Maurer&Partner, our design for the 230-bed hospital on a slope provides for short distances, simple orientation, and optimal lighting. And all this “hides” behind just three visible floors and harmonizes perfectly with the rural idyll.
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
City Planning Day
A visit with Camillo Sitte Bautechnikum
At this year’s Stadtbautag (City Planning Day), everything revolved around the Vienna metro extension for the polytechnical students. After a visit to the train remise, a tour of the construction site at Frankhplatz, and a lecture by planning director Thomas Madreiter, the Stadtelefant was the last stop on the excursion. Franz&Sue partner Erwin Stättner and Robert Leitner of YF architekten gave the students some insights into the planning of the U5 line, the development of the design concept, and the role of the architects in this project.
Open House
Anatomy of the Med Uni Graz
We adapted and expanded the former Institute of Pathology for the Institute of Anatomy of the Medical University of Graz. The heritage-listed building, which dates back to 1912, will be enhanced with a new, two-story entrance area including a spacious foyer and also accommodate laboratories, offices, and a library. A subterranean lecture hall for 500 students connects the existing structure with the modern new building. Two dissection rooms with 70 tables, for example, are situated here. In cooperation with the Haus der Architektur, the project manager of Franz&Sue, Thomas Rögelsperger, and of BIG, Klaus Grill, gave interested parties first-hand insights into the project during two guided tours on September 17.
Fotos: HDA/Felix Dokonal
Oberwart Education Centre, Competition winner 2021
Silver for Schools
2nd place in the competitionline school rankings
At the end of the summer vacations, competitionline ranked the most successful German-speaking architectural firms in school construction 2021, and we landed in second place in the ranking behind h4a and ahead of Kohlmayer Oberst from Stuttgart. We are particularly pleased with this second prize because schools are places for real encounters between people, built for the next generations. They must fulfil their function as places and offer children safe learning landscapes.
August 2022
Franz&Sue on tour
Office Excursion to Graz
This year, our excursion took us to the Styrian capital where we are currently completing two exciting projects. First, the team went to the Puntigam Education Campus, and after a group lunch, they continued to the Institute of Anatomy at the Medical University of Graz. A big thank you to the project managers who presented their designs with so much enthusiasm!
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
Franz&Sue&home grounds
1 Year in the Studio
For over a year now, part of our team has been working in the Franz&Sue studio, our second office location not far from the Stadtelefant. Since then, new routines have also taken hold: Meetings of the competition team take place outdoors when the weather is nice, a reading corner has been added in the tea kitchen, and the height-adjustable tables in the meeting rooms are usually fully booked. You could say: We have arrived at our second home.
Franz&Sue&crossing the border
Bratislava Excursion
Our project team, which planned the Institute of Anatomy at Med Uni Graz, has done a great job in the past years. To conclude the project, the team went for a trip on the Twin City Liner to Bratislava, where Pavol Paňák, partner of BKPŠ, gave us a guided tour of the National Gallery, which is currently under construction. With architect Andrea Dilhoffová, we then headed to other stops in the city: the Radio and Television of Slovakia building, the functionalist housing project Avion, the Slovak University of Technology, Freedom Square, and Kamenné námestie. With so much exciting architecture, we will definitely come back soon!
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
U5 Extension
First Automatic Platform Doors in Volkstheater Station
Several years of work went into the design of the platform doors for the new fully automated U5 metro line. First, we worked in a joint venture with YF architekten on a mock-up in Erdberg, later in close coordination with the manufacturer and Wiener Linien on a connecting track between the stations Erdberg and Stadion to test and optimise the platform element. For example, special templates were developed to ensure that the anchor points in the reinforced concrete fit to the millimetre. At the Volkstheater, the construction team has now mounted the first two of 36 platform screen doors for the station. To this end, the pre-assembled platform doors were lifted down onto the tracks by a crane via an opening in the construction site. From there, a special vehicle took the doors to the platforms where they were hoisted precisely into place.
Communication is everything
Competition winner, Leonding | Pasching
The internationally active company KEBA needs new office and production space that communicates its corporate culture to the outside world. Our design links the working worlds between office and production, incorporates the outdoor space, and focuses on resource-saving circular economy.
Photo: KAGes/locustmedia
Liezen Regional Hospital
Competition winner, Styria
Recently, the Health Fund Styria announced the winners of the general planning competition for Liezen Regional Hospital,and, together with Maurer&Partner, we are very pleased about winning first place! “A hospital must be designed so that it not only meets current needs but also those of the future. (...) With the award-winning design for Liezen Regional Hospital,these diverse demands for a modern hospital architecture become reality in a regional area,” commented social regional councillor Doris Kampus. More details about our design will follow!
July 2022
Franz&Sue&letting go
End of the week at the Heurigen
This time, the Franz&Sue regulars’ table included a hike through the vineyards on the Kahlenberg for a toast to the summer up at the Wailand winery with lots of sunshine and good wine. We were rewarded with typical Viennese Brettljause snacks and a stunning view over Vienna.
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
Growing with the Mountain
New Educational Campus in Frastanz Fellengatter
The municipality of Frastanz by Feldkirch decided to reorganise its early childhood care, kindergarten, and elementary school into a joint building ensemble. Our design, in cooperation with Querformat, envisages three offset buildings with different heights that form an overall ensemble, a meeting place for children and a social centre for the district. With varied connections on the different levels, the slope flows through the ensemble and adds character to the project. This integration of the landscape creates a smooth transition between natural and architectural space, despite the large volumes. We received 3rd prize for this proposal.
Franz&Sue&learning from each other
Kick-off Franz&Sue Academy
In recent years, we were able to deepen our knowledge in a number of specialist areas and gather a lot of experience as a team. Now we would like to pass on this know-how to our colleagues in the framework of an internal training programme and continue learning together. This idea led to the Franz&Sue Academy, which will take place at regular intervals. We also open the floor to guest lectures by experts – such as Ursula Spannberger, who recently presented her Raumwert method in a workshop.
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
Behind the Scenes
Renovation and Extension of the Salzburg Festival Houses
Our design for the new workshop building, developed in collaboration with Prof. Jörg Friedrich, envisages a cube with workshop areas stacked on top of each other – with high rooms, ample daylight, and as few supports as possible. We situate the volume in its urban context in a way that draws air and lightness into the density of the historical theatre complex. To this end, we thrust the new building into the mountain towards a subterranean logistics corridor and thereby attain a generous inner courtyard. We were kindly awarded 2nd prize.
Tunnel Tapping at U2xU5 Metro Intersection
Construction Work at Vienna City Hall Begins
At the future U2xU5 metro station Rathaus (City Hall), the first tunnel construction works for the new U2 metro line to “Matzleinsdorfer Platz” started in June. We visited the old, imposing tunnels, most of which will be preserved and integrated into the new infrastructure. At the Rathaus station, the U2 line will cross underneath the tracks of the fully automated U5 line.
Photo: Wr. Linien/Johannes Zinner
"Work from Shed"
Inspiring garden offices from all over the world
Why commute to an office when you can work from a shed? The British publishing house Hoxton Mini Press has collected the most beautiful garden offices in the book “Work from Shed” – including our enchanted shed from the Vienna Woods. “Though the crumbling building has been almost completely renewed, the architects note that ‘we didn't touch the roof. It is covered with moss – and we like that.’”
June 2022
Your Best
Short Lecture Evening at BFI Linz
When the Austria-Architects platform was looking for the building of the year 2021 in a reader voting, we reached the top 10 with the Chemistry Lab at the IST Campus in Klosterneuburg – making us now part of “Your Best”! At the finale of the Architecture Days on June 9, our project manager Björn Haunschmid-Wakolbinger provided insights into the design process and told the story of how the building came into being.
Photos: Austria-Architects
Photos: Louai Abdul Fattah
gebaut 2021
Award for Housing Project
No master plan, but together for diversity! We collaborated with the architectural firms g.o.y.a. and Illiz on the development of the Carrée Atzgersdorf neighbourhood in Vienna’s 23rd district, which now received the “gebaut 2021” award. Each year, the City of Vienna awards this prize to high-quality architectural projects that also contribute to social sustainability and climate protection. This time, the award ceremony with city councillor Ulli Sima took place at our Mimi im Stadtelefant! By the way, all award-winning projects are now on display for one year at an exhibition in the building of the MA 19 municipal department.
Montanuni Leoben Study Centre
Time-Lapse Video
The recordings of the webcam from the University of Leoben campus impressively document all that has happened in only 1.5 years of construction time at the newly built study centre. The site directly beside the Mur River used to be a parking lot. On behalf of the BIG real estate company, we designed a centre for 1,000 students with three lecture halls. The horizontal layers of the façade are reminiscent of the mining landscape, which Austria’s only university for mining and metallurgy is intrinsically linked to.
Photos: Louai Abdul Fattah
Franz&Sue&a change of perspective
Joining a Shades Tour
In several groups, we got to know Vienna from a different side as part of our regular “Stammtisch” activities: The Shades Tours are guided by people who provide insights into socially polarising topics, such as homelessness and addiction, based on their own experience. We were deeply impressed by the intimate stories of the guides and are still exchanging about what we learned from this unusual perspective.
May 2022
Long Live Sports
Competition First Prize, Vienna
Across from the Generali Arena stadium and close to a major traffic junction in Vienna’s Favoriten district, a ball sports high school is being built, where – in addition to the standard lessons in German, English and math – the focus is on competitive sports. Our design is oriented upon the needs of young athletes and includes a gymnasium that accommodates three courts with a roof garden where students can relax after training.
Franz&Sue&daring to dream
Fifth Anniversary of Franz&Sue
On May 19, 2017, we tied the knot at an exuberant wedding in the Brotfabrik in Vienna. That was five years ago – five years full of successes, challenges, and, above all, constant team growth. Since the company merger, our team has almost tripled in size. We celebrated the wooden wedding at Mimi im Stadtelefant with an opulent cake, fine drinks, and lively conversation.
The Cycle of Life
Competition winner, Berlin
The working group of Franz&Sue and Schenker Salvi Weber has landed in Berlin! For three quarters of a year, we put a lot of heart and soul into the design for the new building of this great German institution. Looking back on working out two stages and a revision phase for this project, and after several joint competitions, we finally came out the winners for the first time! All the greater is our delight about this prize!
Weinviertel at its best
Kindergarten Immendorf, Lower Austria
The new kindergarten in Immendorf, a village in the Weinviertel region, is reminiscent of the traditional Lower Austrian elongated farmhouse typology – reinterpreted for the next generations. The exposed wooden beams unconsciously convey the idea of architecture to the children – they propose a rhythm and structure and reveal the construction of the building.
April 2022
Order in the Quarter
Administration Building for the European Stability Mechanism and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
This quarter in Luxembourg City is characterized by EU institutions, security concepts, and heterogeneous architecture. Our design lends the neighbourhood more civic identity with an ensemble that incorporates public space and adds a touch of calm to the urban fabric. These ideas earned us 2nd prize.
Number One in Austria
Competitionline Ranking 2021
At the top of the list for the second time: In the ranking oriented upon our competition results, we succeeded once again to be the best-placed Austrian architectural office! Internationally, we rose to sixth place.
Franz&Sue&The Shiny Colours
Exhibition visit
The Architekturzentrum Wien has a colourful new permanent exhibition, and we recently paid it a visit: “Hot Questions – Cold Storage” provides insights into Austrian architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries. Many thanks to curator Monika Platzer and architect Michael Hieslmair from Tracing Spaces, who gave us an exclusive guided tour and engaged in a lively discourse with us!
On the Apprentice’s Behalf
The New Central Vocational School in Seestadt Aspern
Our design integrates into the heterogenous neighbourhood elegantly and articulates diverse spatial-pedagogical concepts in three clusters for hands-on professional training. Our plan was awarded 3rd prize by the jury.
February 2022
Groundbreaking
Construction Starts in Donaustadt
Project manager Friederike Dammaß (middle) with Anita Bartos and Edin Hadžović from the project team celebrated the construction kick-off of the school complex on Leopold-Kohr-Straße together with City Councillor of Education Christoph Wiederkehr and District Councillor Ernst Nevrivy. The cluster school will comprise 29 educational spaces for nearly 800 students.
News from the Nordbahnviertel
Construction Begins on the Residential High-Rise
Right beside the “Freie Mitte” – the planned wilderness park in the quarter – and right in the centre of the end loop of tramway O, the cranes have taken their positions. This is where our 21-storey residential high-rise is being built. The concrete foundation slab is currently being poured, and the first walls are soon to follow. What’s special about this project is its striking form and the differently designed balcony fronts. Follow the link to see our design.
Institute of Anatomy Med Uni Graz
Time-Lapse Video
The images from the webcam on the campus of the Medical University of Graz show how much has happened in two years of construction at the central Institute of Anatomy! We adapted and expanded the existing building on behalf of the Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft real estate company – in the new building there is now ample space for large dissection rooms, communication and learning zones as well as for events on the open plan ground floor.
Sleeping Beauty in Gersthof
Renovation and Conversion of the Monument-Listed Orthopaedic Hospital
We set on a journey through the past of this historic building and had a look at what has changed through bygone decades. How do the former operating rooms look today? By how many floors did the hospital grow? And we also dare to peek into the future: Here’s how the hospital rooms will transform into school classrooms.
[Translate to English:]
Foto: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
Building without Insulation
Graz-Puntigam Education Campus
Sustainable and at the same time simple, built with natural materials – that’s our claim. In our school project in Graz, we are therefore using 50-cm-thick insulating bricks, which we cover with clay plaster on the inside and with only 3-cm-thick hemp panels on the outside. This strategy provides ecological thermal, heat, and sound protection and replaces conventional polystyrene thermal insulation. The clay plaster also provides a particularly comfortable indoor climate for the future pupils.
A Wood Building for Research
New Replacement Building, University of Bonn, North Rhein-Westphalia
Our design for the laboratory and research building focuses on sustainable timber construction and climate-friendly fabrication. To this end, we developed a sustainability concept together with experts in this early planning stage. The competition jury awarded us 2nd prize.
December 2021
Photo: Daniel Shaked
Everything’s new in 2022
Franz&Sue expands the management team
In January 2022 the longstanding team members Corinna Toell and Björn Haunschmid-Wakolbinger become partners at Franz&Sue.
November 2021
Piran Days of Architecture
Architecture Conference in Slovenia
The programme of the Piran Days of Architecture, which takes place each year in the Slovenian coastal town, consists of lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and an architectural competition. This year Franz&Sue partner Christian Ambos participated at the international architecture conference as a juror and lecturer. The 2021 theme was centred on the question of what is measurable in architecture. Other lectures were held by architects from Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Spain, and the USA.
Photo: Jadran Rusjan
Photo: Jadran Rusjan
Austrian State Prize for Architecture 2021
Nomination for Salzburg Courthouse
We made it to the short list! Our Salzburg Courthouse has been nominated for the Austrian State Prize for Architecture 2021 of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs – in a group with high-calibre design projects such as those by Snøhetta Studio Innsbruck, SWAP Architects, Caramel Architects, or Berger+Parkkinen. We and our colleagues are thrilled and looking forward to the award ceremony!
Diploma Double-Pack
Congratulations to Completion!
We congratulate Katarína Martoňáková and Ajdin Vukovic for their exciting research projects! Katarína’s diploma thesis "Die Stadt und die Trauer" (The City and Mourning) reflects on the relationship of the city and society towards death and how mourning can be localised in contemporary cities. Parallel to his work, Ajdin furthered his studies at the Institute of Anatomy at Med Uni Graz in the field of neurosciences and wrote about innovations in psychological trauma therapy. In "Body as a House" he investigates the role of our bodies in trauma treatment and how architecture can make a contribution.
Design the design process!
Lecture at the TU Wien
How do we design the design process? Which tools do we use to design, which methods are employed to analyse, research, experiment, evaluate, and arrive at decisions? For the first time, the Architecture and Design Field of Research at the TU Wien organised guest lectures with contemporary architecture groups, who provide short introductions to their own design strategies. Together with Claude Probst and Elisabeth Nobl, Franz&Sue partner Robert Diem spoke about our design methodologies.
Architekturumtrunk
Lecture at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences
The series “Architektur Umtrunk” of the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Wiesbaden kicked off its winter semester with a lecture by Michael Anhammer. He provided the students insights into our work methods and projects – for example, the Salzburg Courthouse, the Leoben School Complex, and the Evangelic Church Campus in Nuremberg.
Photo: Stefan Dadic
October 2021
Off to Oberwagram
Residential Project in St. Pölten, Lower Austria
The aim of our new residential project nearby the Government district in St. Pölten, with its eye-catching indented rows of lush green loggias, is densification. But opposed to building a 140-metre-long block facing the city, our strategy was to play with various heights and to fracture the volume into four individual building components. The small-scale articulation of the façade generates an individuality that is embedded in a harmonious ensemble.
The best of both worlds
Lecture at the Graphisoft Conference
Upon invitation of Graphisoft, BIM coordinator Thomas Karl held a lecture at the international event “Building Together” in September 2021 on the entanglements between digital and analogue working methods and how we applied them in the Stadtelefant.
under construction
Building site: Headquarters of the Upper Austria Provincial Police Directorate
A command centre to take emergency calls from all over Upper Austria – and it’s under construction at the moment on the premises of the Upper Austria Provincial Police Directorate in Linz. The heart of the three-storey complex will be the 300-plus m² operations coordination room. A glazed bridge connects the new building with the existing – if needed, the headquarters can be topped off with two additional floors. The green atrium offers an attractive space for relaxing during the breaks.
wienwood 21
Vienna Timber Construction Award
We build on wood! For instance, the residential complex for Caritas Wien in Strebersdorf, which was distinguished with the wienwood 21 award! proHolz Austria, together with the City of Vienna and Architekturzentrum Wien, awards the prize for outstanding timber constructions in Vienna. “From the very beginning, the new building was viewed critically by its neighbours, here and there even with a pinch of hostility. Hence, it was all the more important for the architects to lend the building a friendly face in the form of a timber façade,” stated the jury.
September 2021
Franz&Sue on Tour
Office excursion to Lower Austria
Following a pause, we were on the road once again to check out two exciting projects. Franz&Sue partner Robert Diem and project manager Björn Haunschmid-Wakolbinger guided the team through our recently unveiled Chemistry Lab on the IST Campus. After lunch together, the tour continued to the Großweikersdorf community centre where Christian Kircher and Olya Sendetska from smartvoll architects gave us some insights into their building.
Welcome to the Studio!
New office location
Our team just keeps growing. And so fast that the two floors that accommodate Franz&Sue in the Stadtelefant just aren’t enough anymore. Hence, we opened a new office location right around the corner: the Franz&Sue Studio. It is home to the competition team, there is a spacious model making workshop, and to top it off, there’s also a leafy inner courtyard for relaxed breaks.
Chemistry Lab in Operation
Architecture for Research
2.5 years construction, 61,700 m³ excavation, 184,000 m IT cables, 194 lab spaces, and offices for 130 PhD students. Together with Maurer & Partner, we designed a laboratory facility for the Institute of Science and Technology Austria in Klosterneuburg with an adjacent study and teaching area, which brackets the site and integrates the surrounding architectural settings. On 3000 m² surface area, pioneering experiments will be conducted, for example, with NMR spectroscopy.
Dream Team with Distinction
Congratulations on Graduation!
Lukas Föger and Josef Kern got to know one another on their very first day at the TU Wien and have been close friends ever since. In 2018 they both began working at Franz&Sue, and now they have completed their diploma studies in architecture – each with distinction – at the same time. Since 2020 the duo has been busy in our construction engineering department and take care of the detailing in projects such as the Evangelical Church Campus in Nuremberg or the Puntigam Education Campus. “We look forward to the many exciting challenges in which we can learn more and grow together with the team,” say Lukas and Josef in unison. May your shared path be a long one!
August 2021
1 Year, 11 Prizes
Congratulations to our competition team
We are delighted with our team in the Franz&Sue competition department, who once again did great work in the past year and landed a number of podium finishes. Of the more than 20 submitted competition entries, we won 5 first place, 3 second place, and 3 third place titles. Plus 6 honourable mentions! We toasted to the success recently in Augarten park – including farewell presents for the interns of the department, who made valuable contributions to the (winning) projects over the course of the last year.
Photos: Franz&Sue/Louai Abdul Fattah
Franz&Sue&the successfully together
New slogans, new printed matter
We’ve learned that good architecture and good collaborations can only flourish from dialogue on eye level. This belief motivated us to further develop our language in an exchange with the experts from Jung von Matt – because without the & there is no Franz&Sue. Our new slogans on stickers, cloth bags, notepads, and building site tarps now communicate to the world what’s important to us in our architectural work but also for life together in society.
Lake view ahoy
Redesign of the University of Klagenfurt Campus, Carinthia
The University of Klagenfurt needed an urban planning concept to accommodate the continual growth of the campus. This included the design of the first new buildings and the organisation of public pathways. We proposed institute and seminar buildings grouped around a central square, which form a nexus for the entire campus.
July 2021
Together in the Neighbourhood
Bockmühle Essen Campus, North Rhine-Westphalia
Our aim was to create a stimulus for the Essen-Altendorf district with a sustainable place for all – the new buildings for the Bockmühle Comprehensive School, a sports hall, and a neighbourhood centre reorganise the urban fabric and public space with tangible benefits for the district. Our concept proposes an inviting ensemble of buildings with welcoming qualities both inside and outdoors. We were honoured by the competition jury with 2nd prize.
June 2021
A long-awaited get-together
Franz&Sue Picnic in the Park
For the longest time we have had to go without get-togethers and parties… Now the team could finally meet up out in the park and spend some laid-back hours together with picnic baskets and a park quiz.
More than the Sum of the Parts
Competition winner, Oberwart
We are the winners of an EU-wide open architectural competition with 63 participants and will realise the new Oberwart Education Centre! “It was very important to us to pay attention to all details and select the best project for the welfare of our children and the town’s role as an educational hub. I am pleased that the choice for this winning project was unanimous,” says Oberwart Mayor Georg Rosner about our competition success.
Parlour of Inclusion
Competition winner, Vienna
Village im Dritten: Our new residential project creates a space for living and working together. The two-storey parlour – the entrance to the building but also to the city quarter – encourages encounters and communication; numerous communal rooms, open spaces, and a village street of sorts expand the living spaces of the inhabitants. Furthermore, it is they who will also play an important role in the project development and support in the framework of the “MIeTMACHEREI” participatory planning process , and after moving in, in the residents’ advisory board.
May 2021
under construction
Building site: Study Centre at Montanuniversität Leoben
As the first project of a long-term extension of the campus, we have been building the new Study Centre of the Montanuni since June 2020. The open structure is designed as a learning landscape in which three auditoriums are embedded like diamonds. Parametric column generation for the outer structural walls and novel constructional solutions inside provide light and clear views.
Operation Schwarzenberg
Competition winner, Salzburg
Kick-off for our first hospital! In collaboration with Maurer & Partner, we are planning a new seven-story building on the premises of the Cardinal Schwarzenberg Clinic in Schwarzach. The second-largest hospital in the province of Salzburg was in need of additional space for operating rooms, a pharmacy, a laboratory, and the pathology and psychiatric departments.
under construction
Construction site at the Institute of Anatomy, Med Uni Graz
Since autumn 2019 construction is underway at the Institute of Anatomy for the Medical University of Graz. The existing historical building will accommodate a generous entrance area, and the former Institute of Pathology transforms into a state-of-the-art institute building for a large number of students. A courtyard with a cheerful atmosphere connects the existing and the new buildings, a large auditorium finds its place below.
Sleeping Beauty in Gersthof
Competition winner, Vienna
The former orthopaedic hospital in Gersthof, with its characteristic historical architecture, will be refurbished from the ground up and adapted with targeted interventions into a contemporary school complex.
Ring A Ring o’ Roses!
Competition winner, Luxembourg
Together with our cooperation partner SchemelWirtz Architectes Associés, we are planning a school building with a day-care centre and gymnasium in Rodange, Luxembourg. Its child-friendly, identity-building architecture creates a marked contrast to the neighbourhood and a new stimulus for the town.
November 2020
Recognition
Franz&Sue awarded the Lower Austrian Culture Prize 2020
“This architecture office with its large team and strong network stands for profoundly contemporary and future-oriented architecture and has left exemplary traces both in Lower Austria and around the world.” — Andi Breuss, Lower Austrian Culture Prize jury member
Photo: Stefan Sappert
Oktober 2020
…and the many stories
Lecture at the Wiener Stadthalle event and convention centre, October 15, 2020
Upon invitation by curator Volker Dienst (architektur in progress), Franz&Sue partner Michael Anhammer held a passionate lecture on the topic of façades at the international trade show Architect@Work.
September 2020
Stories from the lockdown
Video contribution for the Stadtansichten lecture series 2020
In our video for the online lecture series “Stubenarrest” (Grounded), initiated by the Münster School of Architecture, our team reflects on the special year 2020, from life and work in home office to the new challenges for cities.
Photo: David Schreyer
The many potentials of imperfection
Interview with WohnenPlus
For its September edition WohnenPlus magazine invited Franz&Sue partner Harald Höller to an interview about housing construction and the human aspect in architecture.
Juni 2020
Investing in the future
Campus for the headquarters of the Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt am Main
In the framework of a large-scale redesign and expansion plan, a modern campus is being built for the 5000 employees of the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany. Together with our partner Schenker Salvi Weber, we developed a competition concept that sets a new path between architectural ensemble and individuality.
See project
Photo: Hertha Hurnaus
best architects 21
Leoben Education Centre
Our renovation and extension of the historically listed primary school and new secondary school in Leoben has won an internationally prestigious best architects 21 award.
Architecture without Vanity
Intermezzo with Franz&Sue on Ö1 radio station
Each Sunday, the radio programme Intermezzo on radio station Ö1 invites artists to a conversation. Franz&Sue partners Harald Höller and Robert Diem spoke with Anna Soucek about our office philosophy, the architecture cluster Stadtelefant, and projects that are important to us on a personal and political level.
Mai 2020
Photo: Louai Abdul Fattah
What a boost!
Top 3 in the architect ranking on competitiononline.com
In this year’s ranking of competition successes we rose to the top amongst Austrian offices and took third place internationally. On the occasion competitiononline invited us for an interview.
März 2020
We keep on working
Franz&Sue in home office
In mid-March 2020 the Austrian Federal Government announced a nationwide lockdown to combat the pandemic. Our team keeps on working and provides insights into the architects’ daily work in home office.
