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

T-Center Wien
Zentralsparkasse building on Favoritenstrasse
'Steinhaus' at Lake Ossiach
1993FunderMax Werk II (built in 1987)

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 buildings in a brutalist vein. They designed buildings with exposed concrete that are among the outstanding examples of brutalism in Austria. Both the Pedagogical Academy Graz and the Oberwart Parish Church were commissioned by the Catholic Church.

Another much-noticed design from this phase is the visionary and unbuildable Stadt Ragnitz project.[2] Here, Huth and Domenig designed a megastructure that is similar to the projects of the so-called Metabolists and Archigram's projects. At the beginning of the 1970s, Huth and Domenig increasingly designed pop-art-architecture. Their temporary buildings for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich were colorful and had the rounded corners and playful geometries typical of pop art. The multi-purpose hall of the Institute of the Sisters of St. Francis in Graz is reminiscent of a tortoise shell and thus is organic architecture.

Domenig's first internationally acclaimed completed work was the Z-bank in Vienna, which signalled a much more expressionistic, counter-modernist aesthetic. He is also known for his own concrete home, the Steinhaus at Lake Ossiach, on which he worked for more than 30 years.[3][4] Since 2003, Günther Domenig has worked primarily with Gerhard Wallner. They founded the company Domenig & Wallner ZT GmbH.

In addition to his practice, Domenig became a professor at the Graz University of Technology in 1980.[5] He died at the age of 77 in Graz.[6][7]

Main works

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Together with Eilfried Huth

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  • 1963–68: Pedagogic Academy, Graz
  • 1965–69: Parish centre, Oberwart
  • 1967: Temporary pavilion for the Trigon 67 art exhibition, Graz
  • 1970–72: Temporary pavilion for olympic swimming pool, Munich
  • 1970–73: Temporary restaurant for the 1972 Summer Olympics, Munich
  • 1973–77: Multi-purpose school hall, Graz

As independent architect

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Decorations and awards

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Architekt Günther Domenig verstorben". steiermark.ORF.at. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  2. ^ Frac centre. "Günther Domenig & Eilfried Huth – Stadt Ragnitz, 1963-1969". www.frac-centre.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  3. ^ "'Counter-Modernist' Domenig dies at 77". architectsjournal.co.uk. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  4. ^ Blundell Jones 1998, pp. 96–99.
  5. ^ a b c Blundell Jones 1998, p. 356.
  6. ^ "Architekt Günther Domenig verstorben". steiermark.ORF.at. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  7. ^ "'Counter-Modernist' Domenig dies at 77". architectsjournal.co.uk. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  8. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 1595. Retrieved 30 December 2012.

References

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