KARL SCHWANZER / English

1918 1975

English

karl schwanzer

arranging planning designing shaping building

Fragments

Once you have made the decision to become an architect then you have to have the courage to want to fulfil visions. You have to be prepared to let intuition mature within you. If you have the initiative to formulate these ideas and the patience to find, to convince and ultimately the strength to bring the unborn to life, then you are creative. The best companions for this undertaking are exactness, accuracy, continuity and modesty. We experience the naturalness of our world through the most valuable gift that God has given us; our eyes. And with these same eyes we create the artificial environment needed for our own necessities. The fascination that lies within experiencing this tension is the foundation for creativity. The inner desire to solve the problems, which are needed to shape life, coupled with the necessity to work. To create as a need of pleasure not as an agonising torture, a relief from inner tension.

As far as I am concerned „Work“ on solving a problem is not work at all, more a preoccupation which creates desire. I am unhappy when I don’t have enough work to do. Work is a way of not becoming depressed. It gives amazing fulfilment and enrichment to concentrate on a piece of work. When you are possessed by an idea, slaving to realise this dream is a gift from God.

Life has a meaning when work is done with pleasure. Working just to earn money is soulless and discontenting. But work must also be combined with success. But just what can be seen as success?

Success is the fulfilment in creating something that has form, something that now exists, that didn’t before. The pleasure on beholding the created is coupled with the sensual desire to create. When the dream cannot be realised, disappointment and despondence are as much part of the emotional make-up as the exalted gratification that accompanies the successful completion of the idea.

The pleasure that envelops the inner self in the midst of the creative process is the source of pleasure for creative deeds. This craving for pleasure, for fulfilment is neither the pressure to succeed nor greed for material wealth.

At an early stage in my development I told myself that quality must come before merit and I have kept this ideal to this day. The quest for the best solution, for perfection is an inherent human trait even though we are damned to carry with us the Original Sin of imperfection, which suffocates every attempt to reach this ideal in a myriad of deficiencies. But every attempt to forge into the unknown needs the courage of imperfection as it needs the desire to makes things better.

The „complete“ is pure arrogance. It suggests closure and where is there not room for improvement in the human world?

Hereby, I want to emphasise the humility before the creation that must be felt by all humans. We need strength to reach the goals that we set ourselves, especially as the goals are set further time after time. And this strength often takes its toll physically.

The goal of the architect must be realisation. In the long run thoughts and ideas cannot bring satisfaction. There is a deep personal involvement between the first draughts and the final design should the project be brought to life. There is no obligation should the designs be anonymous. The results of such undertakings can be seen clearly. Sad compromises of proportional thinking or substance-less desire for profit. The work itself is realised in the brain through a process of unexplainable coincidences brought on by an accumulation of will. The human is part of the cosmos and its order.

Only very few people are predestined for outstanding achievements. This selection is the power of fate. Maybe it is part of the burden of life that not everyone is gifted with the same efficiency and intent.

We all have eyes that see and perceive, that capture form and attempt to process the received information. Even when a building is no longer suitable for its original usage the building still stands and pleases us.

The architect attempts to realise the spirit of order and the meaning of coherences in his plans. Creating the form is not merely a creation of the spirit. The architect must possess the ability to think and create on an elementary level. He can use all materials and decide freely on how they will be implemented. Architecture is plastic, it has form, it is form. And with this form we tell, just as with colours, scents, sounds and feelings and the curious sensation of sympathy. Speciality is less a prerequisite than universality.

I was often asked: „What is your specialty“?

My „specialty“ is the depth and breadth of variety. Speciality on the other hand is a one-track system with limited overview. The more perspicacious the architect takes in the outside world and reflects upon it the more creativity he will be able to develop. If an architect wishes to remain within society he is obliged to create something useful.

Integrating the phenomenon of „Life“ into the activities of upholding human existence forces the reasonable principle of composing the way life is led. Building projects that do not fulfil a need will not be realised and the plans will become nothing more than spiritual waste. The basic principle of desire and pleasure created in the building process must also encompass the wish to realise the goal. Therefore, the architect must keep his feet on the ground of reality if he wants to build. Only what is built is a real vital result of the creative process.

Twenty-five years flew by, spent doing the most beautiful work I could imagine. There was understanding, there were also misunderstandings, there was the stimulation of my colleagues and the rewards of success. Enthusiasm and passion that sometimes turns to obsession is often not conducive to making friends.

Often you are alone with a problem. But isolation gives an inner strength. It saves time, helps to crystallize the search for truth.

Only the individual can delve into the depths, to fish out one‘s own truth.

Discussion among architects can lead to confusion, it can be damaging, but it cannot be disputed that many of these spiritual encounters can lay the foundation for further fertile development.

It has always been close to my heart to concern myself with shape and form. My first practical experience and one of the most important factors in my development came from designing exhibitions. This gave me the chance to experiment with form and shape as well as realize the significance of perception as an important visual event.

These experiments gave me the necessary knowledge about the proportional relationships of space and body and the effectiveness of detail. The experience of the process of creativity started during these periods of great stress. I learned to fathom the momentousness of risking new steps and the desire to break new ground bestowed me with further momentum to continue in my evolution.

It is a very important support in the work process to have colleagues that understand quality and reflect in their minds the thoughts I have in mine. Criticism, following and reliability are also a fantastic source for creative work. I am thankful to all those who I came across and worked with. My colleagues showed great patience in dealing with me, my temperament and my disquiet.

Without their support I would never have been able to develop.

Karl Schwanzer architecture out of passion Vienna 1973

Exhibition Service to the People 1952

Commercial Exhibition 1951

Austrian-Pavilion International World Fair 1958

Exhibitions in the Museum of the 20th Century Art from 1900 until today Belgian Paintings since 1900 Wilhelm Lehmbruck Rudolf Hoflehner Hans Hartung Fritz Wotruba Idols and demons Roberto Sebastian Matta French Film 1900 until today Andreas Urteil Josef Mikl Franz Kline Adolf Loos Masterpieces in plastic Pop and so on Wander Bertoni Herbert Boeckl Fritz Hundertwasser Victor Brauner Art in freedom World exhibition of photography Arshile Gorky Robert Müller Emil Nolde Franz Kafka Herbert Boeckl From Rodin until today Wolfgang Hollegha E. W. Nay Gyula Derkovits Kinetika Frank Kupka Paul Klee Antonio Tapiès Fernand Léger Plastics and objects Paris Mai ’68 Arnulf Rainer Roland Goeschl Oto Gutfreund Schönberg-Webern-Berg Charles Rennie Mackintosh Expressionisten Collection Morton D. May Marks on a Canvas New Figuration USA Bruno Gironcoli Hausrucker & Co. East European traditional art Comic Strips Man in space

1962 1963

1964

1965

1966 1967

1968

1969

1970

Museum of 20th Century Vienna 1962

Children paint Adolf Loos for young people The Beginnings of Informel Erich Brauer Van Beethoven Environment Walter Pichler Ödön von Horvath Jacques Lipchitz Rudolf Hoflehner Industrial Design from Italy Art and Child Revolution architecture Gemini Ernst Haas Neumarkt Vienna School of fantastic Realism Rudolf Richly

1971

1972

1973

Tom Ungerer Ad Reinhardt Missing Link The street Knoll International Kurt Switters Heiligenbrunn Art at 1960 Emil Mayer Cornelius Kolig Manossier Shaker Franz Ringel Example Eisenstadt Richard Lindner Richard Hamilton Creative Photography Albert Paris Gütersloh

1974

1975

Evil beautiful world Gerhard Moswitzer Alternatives in social building projects Saul Steinberg László Moholy-Nagy Rainer Wittenborn 3rd World Exhibition of Photography Levi´s Pop Jeans Galerie Art and Language 1976 Walker Evans Claes Oldenburg Francesco Somaini George Grosz Christo Wuppertal Artists Eduard Angeli Hans Wewerka Andy Warhol 1977 Henri Michaux Elfriede Mejchar Martha Jungwirth Bachelor machines Robert Motherwell Eduard Sauerzopf Max Meinecke New Practicality and Realism Max Beckmann Donald Judd Peter Skubic Bruno Gironcoli Retrospective Neumarkt Adolf Wölfli Zbynek Sekal 1978 American Photography Kurt Talos Surrealism, Museum of Modern Art

1962 – 1978 105 Exhibitions 1 130 035 visitors 61 Theatre & Concert Programmes 53 Film Programmes 48 Lectures & Discussions 30 General Events

OECD-Pavilion International World Fair BrĂźssel 1958

Austrian-Pavilion International World Fair Montreal 1967

Space theatre Austrovision

Shops

Economic Development Institute & School, Vienna 1963

Philips Administration Centre, Vienna 1966

BMW Administration Centre, Munich 1973

Production of buildingshaft in slide shell construction. The scyscrapershaft was lift up at a speed of 3m per day to 100m

BMW Museum, Munich 1973

Construction Period 6/1971 until 9/1972 Lightweight shell of pre-stressed concrete, platforms and ramps of reinforced concrete.

Basically, the public shall be attracted to the building due to the particular form. This in turn will encourage people to visit the museum. The closed bowl shape promotes the interest to enter the interior. The artists themselves in the framework of the basic concept shall conceive the arrangement of individual exhibitions.

Economic Development Institute & School, St. Pรถlten 1972

Perlmooser Zementwerke AG factory Mannersdorf 1970

The Mannersdorf Factory includes a long revolving tube furnace, an 82 metres high cooling tower, the aggregate stores for 40,000 tons, the drier installation for raw materials; silos, the mill, homogenisers and cement stores for 15,000 tons.

Construction Period 1968-1970

BMW Garage 1971

Multi-storey Garage for 1600 cars designed on the d´Humy-System. Planning and development took 19 months.

Number of parking spaces 1586 cars Number of prefab elements 1852 Volume 101 557 cbm Building space 6387 sqm

University of Riyadh Saudi Arabien Masterplan 1974 A. D.

Project specifications

Planning specifications

Planning Evolution

New University Campus at Daryah 9 (16) square kilometres of a hilly desert site without infrastructure 15 km to the Centre of Riyadh Students 15.000-20.000 undergraduate students 3.500-4.700 postgraduate students 1.500-2.000 academic staff 1.800-2.400 non-academic staff 50-100 % of students and staff resident on site plus their dependents (families) and ancillary population app. 20.000-40.000 inhabitants in total 9 faculties pharmacy, science, arts, education, commerce, law, engineering, agriculture, medicine plus teaching hospital with 500700 beds reserve areas for further faculties like veterinary medicine, fine arts, etc.

Central facilities, sports, reserve areas for research facilities and related industry Gross floor areas: app. 540,000 sqm faculties app. 95.000 sqm central facilities app. 20.000 sqm sports buildings app. 650.000 sqm residential facilities (50%) Provided Completion from that Masterplan 7 years

Start of consulting services in 1968 Planning stages Basic research Academic programme Guiding project Master plan Elaboration of Master plan in 8 months period Officially adopted by the University in 1975.

Scope of Master plan: Programme Fundamental data Space requirements Spatial interrelationships Physical plan Regional development Land use Building distribution Housing Typical sectors, Utility plants Design standards

Saudi Arabia, a country with a deep-rooted cultural tradition, has undergone a fascinating development in the last fifty years, particular attention being devoted to education.

Implementation study Implementation policy Preliminary financing plan Guidelines for the development Bibliography Final report 250 pages 12 reports 600 pages 180 documents 4500 pages Computer print-outs : 5000 pages Slides, film, models etc.

In 1957, the primary, intermediate and secondary school system was supplemented by the first faculty at Riyadh University, the Faculty of Arts, soon to be followed by other faculties and a College of Engineering, which was set up with the assistance of UNESCO. In the preliminary stages, these facilities were close to schools in character, and their development was comparatively independent, the faculties being partly accommodated in adapter or already existing buildings. This latter feature is apparent in the widely scattered locations of the present University, with areas of concentration on the western and eastern limits of the town.

With the establishment of the individual faculties, there arose the question of longterm objectives and developmental concepts. The University charter defined the University as an entity , which should not have academic facilities that duplicate each other. There was also the wish to express this concept in terms of space through an integrated University Campus.

It was at this stage of operation that we started with the elaboration of the basic concept for the New University Campus, which was to be situated outside Riyadh near Dari ayah, the home of the Saudi Royal family. The driving force behind this decision was more than just based on economic or civil planning factors. It was the wish to give the academic concept a pure and independent form. During this period the university authorities first came into contact with Professor Schwanzer, the beginning of a fruitful partnership. After initial consultations Professor Schwanzer was awarded the brief of developing the basic concept, which included the basic research, the academic plan and a guiding project. This began in 1972. Student numbers, the academic structure, as well as the resulting space requirements were projected. This included a topological, geological, and climatic evaluation of the green-field area. Projections were then made on usage of the site and plans on infrastructure and supply possibilities.

This was then expanded in 1973 to include the development of a master plan. The development of the master plan was not designed to present complete buildings plans. It was designed to answer questions relating to problems of project planning and implementation. The master plan was made up of three main parts: Programme, Physical Plan and, Implementation Study.

Multi-task engineering offices, international planning and construction specialists and academic experts were all involved in the planning process. But the deciding factor in implementing the master plan was the cooperation between the university authorities and the planning consultants.

University authorities accepted the master plan in 1975 as the basis for all further planning. Professor Schwanzer was also invited by the university to continue his work as a consultant. An Anglo-American consortium was awarded the contract to plan the architectural and engineering specifications of the university, based on the master plan.

Saudi King H. R. M. Khaleb Ibn Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone in 1976.

Ten basic planning concepts 1. The Arabic concept, the desire to include the Arabic traditions in the implementation of the modern university projects.

2. The international concept, use of modern planning methods, technology and standards.

3. The urban concept, the integration of the university in the city, i.e. the balance between academic and non-academic facilities on campus.

4. The functional concept, quantity and quality of specific compositions of functioning units. 5. The environmental concept, assimilation of local environmental conditions, such as climate, geology and topology.

6. The identification concept, the creation of an expressive and symbolic solution, which represents the spirit of the university.

7. The total unity concept, homogeneity of the structure with diversification in detail.

8. The growth concept, the possibility to expand in each stage of development without affecting the status quo.

9. The economic concept, not necessarily the cheapest solution but maximum use from minimum costs.

10. The creative concept, creativity as the deciding catalyser of rational process..

There are two dimensions in the space and function programme: Planning the goals and the means needed to reach these goals. One of the first steps in planning the university is formulating the programme. It was, therefore, necessary to clearly define the academic structure (faculties and scientific disciplines) as a starting point. It was also necessary to develop a clear plan to define as quickly as possible the effects this structure or another structure would have on the physical realisation of the project. This is why a computer model developed the academic plan. The goal of the computer model was to transform scientific and academic goals into physical categories in the planning structure.

The computer model A computer model was needed that would enable international standards to be implemented on a local academic structure.

The specially designed computer programme made it possible to assess the individual needs of a specific student studying at any of the faculties in the university. This was a very important factor.

To asses in which departments how much space and how high the quality would need to be to satisfy the students academic needs. The academic factors were as follows: a) The lectures in each department with a clear structure defined by the department organisation and the scientific department.(qualitative academic structure) b) The number of students per curriculum (quantative academic structure) c) International standards for each member of staff.

The space needed for each unit can be decided through the number of students attending the courses and indirectly through the number of staff needed to keep the faculty running or as a percentage of the space already established. (i.e. extra space for laboratories). The results of these calculations can then be directly used in the planning process, for instance as follows: 1 Space needed for each unit (faculties, departments and sub-departments) The space needed can then be divided into categories of usage and into categories of construction. Using special programmes the model can then assess the net space, gross space and green-field space for the project.

2 Space per student per curriculum. It can be shown how much space one student of any particular unit (sub-department) needs to study effectively. These values are particularly important for the feedback in the academic planning.

3 Movement of students. The total distance a student has to cover to move between each department on a weekly basis can also be shown in varying degrees of detail.

4 Auditorium Needs Special print outs relating to planning for auditoria and consequently the timetable for each auditorium.

5 Variability Study The effects of any quantative or qualitative change in the academic structure were also examined on an individual basis and as a relation to the entire spatial requirements.

These studies are extremely important to confirm the space needed and to examine the economic degree of adaptability and variability of the spatial requirements and further the building itself and the construction system.

6 Transfer Programme The computer model also assessed the economic and academic effects of transferring existing departments to the new university campus.

It was recommended that the academic plan be permanently updated using the computer programme. This should be done on the one hand to test various academic goals and on the other to immediately assess the effects on the physical planning. In this way, a simulation model for permanent updating and feedback was constructed. This can be used in the process up to and including the final completion and opening of the university.

Austrian Embassy Brasilia 1974

Kindergarden of the City of Vienna Montreal 1967

Children’s Day Care Centre of the City of Vienna 1973

Augarten Senior Citizens Home 1975

195 one-bed suites 39 two-bed suites Nursing facilities and 11 special rooms, multipurpose and dining hall for 300 people, TV room, meeting and hobby rooms, hair dresser, library, port office, furniture stores, workshops, utility rooms, administration, oncall rooms for doctors and nurses, kitchen, laundry, staff rooms

Leopoldau Church 1972

Parochial Centre Per Albin Hansson Estate Completion 1977

Pรถtzleinsdorf Church 1964

Imperial Tomb, Vienna 1960

Industrial Design & Furniture Shops, BrĂźssel, Wifi, Philips, BMW

Villa, Vienna 1962

Project Onion-Building, Munich 1970

Project German Pavilion World Fair Osaka 1967

Project Exhibition Vindobona 2000 1976

Project City Center Vienna 1968

Project Gallery of 20th Century 1972

Project Albertina Square 1973

Project IBM Administration Centre, Vienna Artists house 1966

Karl Schwanzer 21.5. 1918-20.8. 1975 Study at the Technical University, Vienna 1940 Degree 1941 Doctorate

since 1947 chartered architect in Vienna 1947 – 1951 Assistant in the Academy for Applied Art, Vienna 1954 Josef-Hoffman Award of the Vienna Secession 1958 Silver honorary award for services to the Republic of Austria Grand Prix for architecture at the World Fair in Brussels Chevalier de l’Ordre de Léopold, Belgium 1959 Award of Architecture from the City Vienna, Appointed Professor at the Technical University, Vienna, Board of the Institute for Building Methods and Design 5 1963 Honorary Corresponding Member of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) 1964-1965 Guest Professor at the Technical University, Darmstadt 1965 Officier du Mérite Touristique, France 1965-1966 Dean at the Faculty Construction Engineering and Architecture at the Technical University, Vienna 1967 Guest Professor at the Technical University, Budapest Founded Atelier in Munich Honorary Fellow of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) 1969 Honorary Member of the BDA (Association of German Architects) Award for Services to the Republic of Austria 1972 Guest lecturer at the Riyadh University, Saudi Arabia 1973 Guest Professor in universities in Darmstadt and Budapest BDA (Association of German Architects) Award Bavaria 1975 Architecture Award Concrete of the Association of the German Cement Industry Died on the 20th August in Vienna Austrian State Award for Fine Arts awarded posthumously

List of Projects

Completed Constructions 1947 – 1950 Exhibition buildings in Vienna, Brussels and Chicago Shops Furniture design Cinema interior design Workshop Buildings

Carlift Neuer Markt Expansion of the Imperial „Capuchin“ tomb, Vienna 1960 – 1965 Grill Restaurant Auersperg Institute for Economic Development Institute and School, Vienna Industrial Buildings Expansion of the Academy for Applied Art Museum of the 20th Century Vienna Pötzleinsdorf Church Technical Centre and Administration Building ÖAMTC Exhibition Design Dwelling-houses Vienna Boarding School of the Economic Development Institute, Vienna Laboratory Buildings Peter Stoll Commercial Buildings Philips Administration Centre Vienna GIG Office Building Industrial Plants Isovolta und Stolllack

1951 – 1955 Dwelling-houses, Vienna Exhibition buildings in Paris, Stockholm, Chicago, Toronto, Vienna Trade Exhibition, Vienna Cinema interior design Shops Workshop Buildings Exhibition „Dienst am Volk“ Vienna Coffee House Hotel Chicago Exhibition Western Africa Roto Show USCOA Detached Homes Energy Exhibition Linz Trade Fair Pavilions Energy Exhibition Vienna US Pavilion Vienna Fair

1966 –1970 Dwelling-houses Shops Senior Citizens Home „Wiener Kaufmannschaft“ Austrian Pavilion World Fair Montreal Kindergarden of the City of Vienna, World Trade Fair Montreal GIG Industrial Buildings Exhibition Design Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver Logistics Centre Perlmooser Cement Plant Perlmooser Cement Plant Industrial Plant Mannersdorf BMW Parking Garage Munich Service Station Philips Vienna

1956 – 1960 Dwelling-houses Cinemas Shops Petrol Stations Car Showrooms Exhibition in Milan US Pavilion Vienna Fair Austrian Pavilion World Fair Brussels European Council – OECE Pavilion World Fair Brussels Detached Homes Industrial Buildings

1971 – 1974 Business Development Institute St. Pölten Boarding School of the Economic Development Institute, St. Pölten Industrial Plants Stolllack, Eybl, Isovolta Storage Halls Schwechat Brewery Children’s Day Care Centre of the City of Vienna Exhibition Halls Vancouver, Toronto BMW Administration Centre Munich BMW Museum Munich Austrian Embassy in Brasilia Industrial Plants Teich Bros.

University Planning Riyadh Leopoldau Church Exhibition Buildings 1975 Technical Centre of the Creditanstalt Bankverein Zoological Institute of Vienna University Parochial Centre Per Albin Hansson Estate Dornbach Senior Citizens Home Apartment Blocks Exhibition Buildings Industrial Buildings Augarten Senior Citizens Home Casualty Hospital Graz Nurses Home and Administration Buildings for Graz Casualty Hospital Service Centre Denzel AG Graz Apartment House Munich Projects und Competitions Recreational Centre Ostende Free University Berlin Madrid Opera Electro-technical Institute of the Technical University Vienna Bank for Labour and Business Sports Hall Bottrop Lorenz Böhler Hospital Vienna IBM Administration Centre Vienna Sports Hall for the Innsbruck University Jubilee Exhibition Vindobona 2000 City Centre Vienna Atmospherium – German Pavilion for The World Fair Osaka Hotel chain Harz, Germany Bielefeld University Administrative Centre Mobil Oil Hamburg Ingolstadt Central Hospital Administration Centre IVG Munich Onion House Munich Audit Court Vienna Technical College Vienna Cover – Bavarian Municipal Bank Sprengel-Museum Hanover Diagnose Street University Planning Vienna Zedlitzhalle Office Building Garage Buildings BASF Industrial Building Museum Düsseldorf Deutscher Ring Hamburg Europa School Munich Pension Scheme Insurer for Employees Building

by courtesy of modul-Verlag, Wien

EZNAWHC

by courtesy of modul-Verlag, Vienna