A brand is a story unfolding across all its users. It takes a lot of strength and confidence to build something from scratch, especially in the dynamic profession of architecture. A reputed brand not only showcases the best designs of the firm but also its vision, goals, values, and unique identity.
It is the strategic blend of design excellence, consistency, good marketing, and strong client relationships that makes a brand establish its monopoly in the developing economy.
One brand that celebrates its glory even after 40 years of its foundation is Baumschlager Eberle Architekten in western Austria..
Foundation and Focus
Founded by Dietmar Eberle and Carlo Baumschlagerr in 1985. During the growing years, they focused on the regional traditional woodworking techniques (house building with wood is an ancient tradition in Austria building innovative designs for the low rise.
Evolving with Trends
As the firm started to grow it began to include commercial projects along with residential projects. Broadening their portfolio and attracting a bigger clientage. During their planning and designing process, they included principles of public responsibility and economy, conservation of resources, and social acceptability. They started to focus more on the building and facade typology making it their central element and point of focus.
The 1990s marked the firm’s international presence as they undertook projects like the Munich Re headquarters building and the redevelopment of Vienna airport. This earned them recognition in a land foreign to them. After this huge success, they started to branch out and opened offices in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Now they have set up their offices in 17 different locations with 308 employees staying true to their vision and goals.
Philosophy
“Ultimately, there are just three ways in which architecture can express itself: through geometry, materials, and light. These are the tools with which it must tell its stories.” – Prof Dietmar Eberle
The backbone of the firm is the ideology of staying authentic to the region and remaining relevant with time. Making the buildings sustainable and making sure that cultural, social, and aesthetic values remain intact and well preserved. They depend on poetry as well. The poetry of form, of materials, of light, of everything people experience with their senses. They strive for elegance in their designs and timelessness.
Project Portfolio
The firm has a diverse palette of projects. They have worked on residential housing, mixed-use buildings, office headquarters, educational buildings and many more. Each building stays true to its region and the surroundings maintain its unique character.
For example:
2226 Emmenweid Emmenbrucke, Switzerland
Typology: Office and Administration
The brief was to design a contemporary and cost-effective building.
Being a sustainable building, it touched both the aspects of urban planning and energy efficiency. Emerging as an innovative structure that blended into the existing environment, enhancing its identity. It has a groundbreaking energy concept for an office building, it provides a high level of indoor comfort without heating, cooling, and mechanical ventilation. Its name refers to the interior temperature: a constant 22 to 26°C. Temperature stability is achieved through double-skinned walls almost 80 cm thick and the restrained use of glass. The decor of the building and its interior design also add to make the office more sustainable than before.
This building was awarded first prize in the category of working together under the Brick Award.
Awards and Recognition & Global Presence
Baumschlager Eberle Architekten has been working to achieve excellence since it started in 1985. On this rigorous path, they have been lauded with numerous awards making every employee proud of themselves. They won the Big See Architecture award in 2024, the A+ Award Special Mention for their building in Paris, France, and the BCI Asia Top 10 Architects Award for the third time.
Having established offices in 21 countries across Asia and Europe the firm uses clear and systematic ways to design its structures around the world. Time and again they have proved their mettle in the industry and now bask in the glory of their structures that are now becoming examples for the rest of the architects and designers. They have stayed true to their philosophy forging their path in the future with the understanding of longevity reflected in their project.
