Friedrich Eisenhofer

Friedrich "Fritz" Eisenhofer ONZM (born 14 November 1926) is a New Zealand modernist architect based in Waikanae.

Eisenhofer in 2010

Biography

Eisenhofer, born in the Austrian town of Spittal an der Drau on 14 November 1926,[1] studied architecture at the Kunstakademie in Vienna after the Second World War. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1953 in a group of almost 200 skilled Austrian tradesmen contracted to build 500 pre-cut Austrian state houses in Titahi Bay (Porirua).[2] After the completion of the project, Eisenhofer gained New Zealand residency and began working at the Department of Housing in Wellington. In the late 1950s he went into partnership with fellow Austrian architect Erwin Winkler, setting up practice at 108 Cuba Street, Wellington. Their style adhered to the principles of the modern movement, heavily influenced by architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Charles Eames.[3]

Eisenhofer became a naturalised New Zealander in 1960.[1]

In recent years, Eisenhofer has been described as a visionary architect[4] who practised "uncompromised high-style modernism".[5] He is noted for his stylish, modern design in 1964 of Suzy's Coffee Lounge in Willis Street, Wellington,[6] which is the subject of the 1967 oil-on-hardboard painting, At Suzy's Coffee Lounge, by Rita Angus.[7]

For much of his career, Eisenhofer's work has focused on solar gain and a relationship to the surrounding landscape.[8] His own home is dome-shaped, built four metres underground and made from ferro-cement. The large north-facing glass wall regulates the temperature by slowly heating the ground floor through summer. This heat is then gradually released during winter. Inside, the home has a swimming-pool and a tropical garden.[9]

In the 2010 New Year Honours, Eisenhofer was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to architecture.[10]

gollark: (okay, I'm not sure about "provably sound")
gollark: It's completely free of any errors or bugs, works in almost any language, and is provably sound!
gollark: Sometimes `tbl` too.
gollark: I call my temporary tables `t` or `x` generally.
gollark: I mean, you can transmit to everything, but not "jam" things.

References
  1. "New Zealand, naturalisations, 1843–1968". Ancestry.com Operations. 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. Wolfsberger, Margit (2012). "Österreichische Migration nach Neuseeland" [Austrian migration to New Zealand]. In Mückler, Hermann (ed.). Österreicher in der Südsee: Forscher, Reisende, Auswanderer [Austrians in the South Seas: Explorers, Travellers, Emigrants]. Austria: Forschung und Wissenschaft: Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie (in German). 1. Münster: LIT Verlag. p. 300. ISBN 9783643503909. Retrieved 18 August 2014. Neben kleineren Gruppen von ArbeitsmigrantInnen für Fabriksarbeiten oder in Krankenhäusern kamen zwischen 1952 und 1953 194 österreichische Handwerker nach Neuseeland, um ein staatliches Hausbauprojekt in Porirua, einem Nachbarort von Wellington, durchzuführen. [...] Diese Gruppenmigration war ursprünglich zeitlich befristet, ging allerdings nach Beendigung der Dreijahresverträge als 'Gastarbeiter' in individuelle Migration und den Verbleib im Migrationsland über.
  3. Wells, Catherine. "Pleasuredome," New Zealand Home and Entertaining, Jun/Jul (2003): 66–70.
  4. Brown, Beverley. "Buried Treasures," The Independent on Sunday, 24 April 2005, p. 34–36.
  5. Lloyd Jenkins, Douglas. At Home: A Century of New Zealand Design (Auckland: Random House, 2004), 228.
  6. Tóth, Gábor. "The impact of design and technology on Wellington café culture, from the 1930s milk bar to the 1960s coffee bar" (PDF). New Zealand History Online. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  7. "At Suzy's Coffee Lounge". Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. Fritz Eisenhofer
  9. International Listings - 25 Incredible Personal Biodomes
  10. "New Year honours list 2010". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
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