COOP HIMMELB(L)AU was founded in 1968 in Vienna, Austria, by Wolf D. Prix and Helmut Swiczinsky and continues to work since then in the fields of ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN and ART.
In 1988, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU opened a second office in Los Angeles, California.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU has realized projects which range from remodelings in Vienna to city planning projects in France. The most recognized projects are the Rooftop Remodeling in Vienna, Austria, the masterplan for the city of Melun-Sénart in France and the Museum Pavilion in Groningen, Netherlands. In March 1998 the "UFA-Cinema Center", a multifunctional cinema, was opened in Dresden, Germany. The "SEG Apartment Tower" in Vienna, Austria, was completed in summer 1998.
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU is working on international projects in Germany, the Netherlands, France, the United States and Japan.
In the last five years, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU received numerous awards and first prizes in international competitions. COOP HIMMELB(L)AU is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Currently in planning are numerous projects including a complex in Hamburg ("Hamburg Double Cone"), a multifunctional Office and Educational Center, residential projects in Vienna ("Apartment Building Gasometer Simmering", "Apartment Building Remise") as well as exhibition designs and set designs.
The works of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU have been shown in many international exhibitions. Among them a solo retrospective at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France, and the "Deconstructivist Architecture" show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, curated by Philip Johnson. In 1996, was invited as the Austrian representative to participate at the Sixth International Architecture Exhibition - Biennale in Venice.
Wolf D. Prix: Born in 1942 in Vienna, Austria, Wolf D. Prix was educated at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and the Architectural Association in London, England. He is currently Professor of the Masterclass of Architecture3 at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria; an Adjunct Professor at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles, California.
1984: Adjunct Professor of the Architectural Association in London, England.
1990: Visiting Professor at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1995-1997: Member of the Architectural Counselor to the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.
Since 1998: Faculty Member of Columbia University, New York, USA.
Helmut Swiczinsky: Born in 1944 in Poznan, Poland. Helmut Swiczinsky was raised in Vienna, Austria and educated at the Technical University in Vienna, Austria, and the Architectural Association in London, England.
1973: Visiting Professor at the Architectural Association in London, England.