Discover Germany | Special Theme | World Architecture Festival
ARCHITECT OF THE MONTH, AUSTRIA
Main image: Northern view. Photo: Wolf Leeb Left: Elegant, modern kitchen design. Photo: Wolf Leeb Right: Southern view. Photo: Wolf Leeb
Honest, functional, confident architecture
PLOV Architekten ZT GmbH In everything they do, PLOV Architects are looking for simplicity. Their philosophy is based on the creado: “simplicity is not always the best - but the best is always simple” (Heinrich Tessenow). TEXT: ELISABETH DOEHNE
“PLOV is a project laboratory. Our work depends on numerous factors and we work goal and solution-oriented. We think outside the box. We combine and contrast design solutions until a house, an apartment, or a school arises from this thought process. In all of our designs, we include sustainable approaches and creative models of energy efficiency,” explains Marion Gruber, one of the firm’s partners. Together, Marion Gruber and her partner Christoph Leitner direct the Vienna-based bureau. The two architects have known each other and worked together since 116 | Issue 43 | October 2016
the time of their studies at the Technical University in Vienna. Upon graduation, they both worked in different functions and projects until starting their own firm in 2009. Diversity in thought and projects Their architectural approach is marked by clarity, functionality, confidence and a multitude of influences. In fact, the name PLOV comes from Tashkent, the capital of Usbekistan, and its meaning inspires the philosophy of how these two architects work. Plov is a potpourri of spices and condiments and cooked differently every time. Still, it is always delicious.
This cultural diversity and intellectual richness is also evident in the type of projects the firm works on. Their expertise and interest encompasses a wide spectrum. From private clients and building their individual dream house or spaces, to international companies like IKEA, and to public projects such as schools, the Austrian firm is competent in all areas. All of PLOV Architect’s work is unique and draws on a number of influences and disciplines of thought. Honest, functional, confident design Building on the philosophy that architectural forms and matter of things aim to give meaning to what surrounds us, the firm builds their projects in a way that resonates with the values of simplicity, honesty and sustainability. PLOV Architects believes that the form and matter of spaces reflect a purpose that