Famous Austrian Architects

Austrian visual artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser is remembered for his imagination, his love for bold colors and uneven forms, and his dislike for “straight lines.” He and his Jewish mother escaped the Nazis by posing as Christians. His architectural projects are focused on environment-friendly buildings, such as the Hundertwasserhaus apartment block.

Austrian architect Adolf Loos is often compared to American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in terms of his contribution. Loos believed architecture shouldn’t contain the extra elements and ornaments promoted by Art Nouveau. Mostly known for his residential projects, he built modern buildings such as the Goldman and Salatsch Building.

Born into an affluent Austro-Hungarian family, Richard Neutra later moved to the U.S. Best known for imparting the International Style in American architecture, he had previously worked on an award-winning project in Palestine. He created iconic buildings such as the Lovell House and also penned books such as Survival Through Design.

Austrian urban architect and furniture designer Otto Wagner started his career in line with the Neo-Renaissance style but later made pioneering contributions to the modern architectural movement in Europe. A major figure of both the Vienna Secession and the Art Nouveau, he built iconic buildings such as the Postal Savings Bank.

One of the first female architects from Austria, Lilia Skala later also became a reputed actor, winning an Academy Award nomination for her film Lilies of the Field. She had also worked in Broadway plays such as Letters to Lucerne and in soaps such as Claudia: The Story of a Marriage.

Born in Austria, architect Victor Gruen had his own firm in Vienna but moved to the U.S. after Germany invaded his country. He then launched Victor Gruen Associates and revolutionized the shopping experience of Americans by pioneering the shopping center and mall designs of the country.

Architect Josef Hoffmann was one of the pioneering figures of the Vienna Sezession. He also supported the British Arts and Crafts Movement and helped in setting up the Vienna Workshop, serving as its director for 30 years. He was later made the city architect of Vienna.

Born to a craftsman in Austria, Rudolph Schindler grew up to a master architect. He also introduced his signature form of modern architecture, known as space architecture, and his own adaptation of the wood frame, the Schindler Frame. He built most of his masterpieces in Southern California, primarily in Los Angeles.

One of the most significant figures of postmodern architecture, Austrian architect Hans Hollein is a Pritzker Prize winner. While he initially studied civil engineering, he later focused on architecture and rose to build structures that were characteristic of the Modernist Viennese architecture. He also taught at Yale and had his own firm.

One of the pioneers of the Wiener Sezession/Secession, or the Austrian Art Nouveau movement, architect Joseph Maria Olbrich was trained by modern architecture founder Otto Wagner. One of his best works was The Sezession Building in Vienna. He, unfortunately, lost his battle with leukemia at age 40.

Renowned Austrian architect Camillo Sitte, best known for his book City Planning According to Artistic Principles, believed in a lot of ideas that were similar to those of English architect Sir Ebenezer Howard. He had also been the director of the Vienna State Polytechnic School and launched the periodical City Building.

Painter, printmaker, singer-songwriter, dancer, poet, academic teacher, architect and stage designer Arik Brauer was reputed as a Universalkünstler (all-round artist) in Austria. He featured as a singer-songwriter at the start of Austropop, co-founded the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism and taught at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. His art was exhibited at many galleries and museums across the globe.  

The Baroque architecture of Austrian architect, sculptor, and architectural-historian Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, who penned the influential book titled A Plan of Civil and Historical Architecture, greatly influenced the Habsburg Empire and shaped the architectural tastes of Austrian aristocracy for decades. Two of his major works include the Austrian National Library in Vienna, and the Holy Trinity Church in Salzburg.

Apart from being the first female architect from Austria, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky was also a staunch communist and played a significant role in the resistance to Nazism. Her best-known work was the model known as the Frankfurt Kitchen, which led to the regular kitchen model found in Western homes.

Raimund Abraham was an Austrian architect who lived and worked in the United States of America for most of his career. An influential architect in the New York avant-garde, Raimund Abraham is credited with designing notable buildings like the House Dellacher, Experimental Kindergarten, and Public Housing Complex. His best-known work is the Austrian Cultural Forum New York.

Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt was also a military engineer and influenced 18th-century European architecture to a great extent. Known for his unique architectural decoration, he designed some of the most impactful buildings of his era, such as the Belvedere in Vienna, the Schönborn Castle, and the Mirabell Palace.

Walter Pichler was an Austrian sculptor, architect, designer, and artist. Best remembered for creating installations and objects designed for utopian city models, Walter Pichler came up with visionary architectural ideas. Along with Hollein, Pichler worked towards founding a new school of architecture aimed at liberating art from the constraints of conventional methods.