Coop Himmelbau was founded by Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky, and Michael Holzer in Vienna, Austria in 1968. It is active in architecture, urban planning, design, and art. In 1988 a second studio was opened in Los Angeles. Further project offices are located in Frankfurt, Germany and Paris, France. COOP HIMMELBAU employs between 50 and 150 people.
History
The architectural studio COOP HIMMELBAU is directed by Wolf D. Prix, Harald Krieger, Karolin Schmidbaur, Markus Prossnigg and Project Partners. After Michael Holzer left the team in 1971, and with the retirement of Helmut Swiczinsky in 2001 from COOP HIMMELBAU’s daily operations and in 2006 from the office, Wolf D. Prix is leading the studio as Design Principal/ CEO. From 2000 until 2011, Wolfdieter Dreibholz was part of COOP HIMMELBAU as CEO and Partner. In 2003 Harald Krieger was designated Partner of COOP HIMMELBAU and is managing director of COOP HIMMELBAU Europe GmbH, Frankfurt/ M., Germany, since 2006, and became CFO of the studio in 2011. Karolin Schmidbaur was made Partner of the office in 1996 and is currently Design and Managing Partner of COOP HIMMELBAU Vienna as well as the Director of the office in Los Angeles, California. In 2012 Louise Kiesling was appointed Head of Product Design. Markus Prossnigg became Managing Partner in 2015 and is responsible for the overall management, supervision and delivery of key projects. COOP HIMMELBAU’s most well-known projects include: the Rooftop Remodeling Falkestraße in Vienna ; the master plan for the City of Melun-Sénart in France; the Groninger Museum, East Pavilion in Groningen in the Netherlands; the design for the EXPO.02—Forum Arteplage in Biel, Switzerland ; the multifunctional UFA Cinema Centerin Dresden, Germany ; the Academy of Fine Arts and the BMW Welt in Munich, Germany; the Akron Art Museum in Ohio, USA ; the Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 of Visual and Performing Arts in Los Angeles, USA ; the Pavilion 21 MINI Opera Space in Munich, Germany ; the Martin Luther Church in Hainburg, Austria ; the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea ; the Dalian International Conference Center in China, the House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark, the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, France, the European Central Bank’s new headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and the Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition in Shenzhen, China. COOP HIMMELBAU realized further key projects in Vienna in recent years, including the SEG Apartment Tower, followed by the SEG Apartment Block Remise ; the Apartment Building Gasometer B ; the Apartment and Office Building Schlachthausgasse ; and the Apartment Building 'Liesing Brewery'. Among the recent projects that COOP HIMMELBAU is pursuing throughout the world are the House of Bread II in Asten, Austria and the Five Star Hotel Tower at the Dawang Mountain Resort, Changsha, China. Additional projects in planning are the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, Baku, Azerbaijan, the 5th World, Russell Means Library, Porcupine, South Dakota, USA, as well as the ATMOS Selfness Resort.
