Two professionals from the field of architecture for the new Chair of Baukultur

As of October 1, 2023 Department of Architecture

On October 1, Heidi Pretterhofer and Michael Rieper will take up the professorship for Baukultur at the Department of Architecture at the University of Arts Linz, endowed by the Province of Upper Austria.

The duo will work with practitioners, those responsible in Upper Austria's municipalities and citizens' initiatives.

The professorship, a first in German-speaking countries, is committed to the high-quality development of rural and urban areas as well as prosperous regions and is involved in shaping them. The professorship is funded by the state of Upper Austria and cooperates with the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture at the Catholic Private University of Linz in terms of teaching, research and networking. This involves, for example, measures to revitalize town centers and the reuse of vacant buildings as well as to reduce urban sprawl and the sealing of land.

The work of Heidi Pretterhofer, born in Graz in 1970, studied at Graz University of Technology and, as head of her architectural practice Pretterhofer Arquitectos, operates at the interface of architecture, urbanism, theory and cultural production. As editor and author of numerous publications, she has repeatedly devoted herself to the relationship between urban conditions and architectural action. Pretterhofer has taught and researched at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the University of Technology Vienna, among others. She has been a member of the board of trustees of IBA 27 StadtRegionStuttgart since 2018 and a member of the expert committee for art in public space in Lower Austria since 2019.

Her colleague Michael Rieper, born in 1965 in Brixen in South Tyrol, also studied architecture at Graz University of Technology and, like Pretterhofer, is a freelance architect in Vienna. His focus lies on the development, planning and realization of experiments at the interface between architecture, art and design, with a passion for installations and interactions in public space. Rieper has been teaching at the University of Technology in Vienna since 1999, specializing in housing and urban planning.

Rector Brigitte Hütter on the newly appointed professorship at the University of Art and Design Linz: “With this appointment, the new and holistic subject of Baukultur has been filled with a university professorship for the first time in the German-speaking world, thus taking an important step towards strengthening the outstanding work of the Department of Architecture and promoting the necessary networking between all those involved in Baukultur. In the future, this will allow the Baukultur platform to be established and further developed in terms of teaching and research, as well as educational work. I would like to thank the province of Upper Austria for sponsoring this professorship.” (english translation 2024)

“Our goal is to further develop Upper Austria in the interests of the people. With our Baukultur guidelines, we want to shape our living space and thus the future in a sustainable and high-quality way. This ranges from lively town centers and economical land use to the preservation of our architectural heritage and the promotion of high-quality public spaces. The new chair, which will now be held by Heidi Pretterhofer and Michael Rieper, underlines the special importance of this area for Upper Austria,” (english translation 2024) explains Governor Thomas Stelzer.

“The new Chair of Baukultur is a further milestone in our activities for economical land use and sustainable building in Upper Austria, bundling the expertise in the areas of spatial planning, architecture and sustainability as well as building heritage in Upper Austria and thus enabling it to be used jointly. Heidi Pretterhofer and Michael Rieper, who will together take up the new professorship for Baukultur, will provide important impulses in this regard,” (english translation 2024) emphasizes Markus Achleitner, Provincial Councillor for Economic Affairs and Science.