The new release “Architecture in Vorarlberg. Portrait of a Regional Building Culture” explores one of Europe’s most distinctive architectural landscapes. Featuring 50 outstanding projects built since 2000, the book highlights the people, ideas, and craftsmanship that shape contemporary architecture in Austria’s westernmost province. From Lake Constance to the Rhine Valley and up to the Montafon peaks, projects are presented through concise essays, photographs, and plans. Alongside the region’s renowned timber tradition, the selection spans a wide range of typologies — from housing and schools to hospitals and infrastructure.
Architecture in Vorarlberg. Portrait of a Regional Building Culture, edited by Verena Jakoubek-Konrad & Sandra Hofmeister, Hardcover, 20 × 27 cm, 332 pages, Design: strobo BM, Edition Detail, Munich 2026, ISBN 978-3-95553-674-9
Skihütte Der Wolf, bernardo bader architekten, photo: Adolf Bereuter
Foreword of the book by the editors Verena Jakoubek-Konrad & Sandra Hofmeister:
Landscape, Ressources, Architecture
Mountain ranges and valleys alternate across Vorarlberg’s landscape. Chains of hills and striking rock formations, rivers, and alpine pastures shape the topography from the Montafon valley to the Rhine delta. Forests weave through the landscape, covering about 30 percent of the region. Spruce and fir, stone pine and beech not only protect the valleys from avalanches and mudslides, but are also part of the region’s cultural life. The care of forests and the craft of working with wood have been passed down in Vorarlberg over generations and continually refined – both in artisanal practice and in technological expertise. The entire value chain, from forestry and woodland management to timber processing and architecture, is rooted here.
Skihütte der Wolf, bernardo bader architekten, photo: Adolf Bereuter
Vorarlberg is a land of timber construction. Nowhere else in Europe is knowledge of wood so deeply embedded in building culture. Craft and architecture alike set standards in timber construction that radiate outward from Lake Constance, influencing practice in France and Canada as well as in Vienna and neighbouring Germany. Vorarlberg’s building culture has always been pioneering in spirit. This applies not only to timber construction but to architecture as a whole. Respect for the built environment, the high quality of craftsmanship, and the active involvement of many participants in the building process underpin this reputation. In Vorarlberg, architecture is a living culture – shared by many, not reserved for an elite.
City Library Dornbirn, Dietrich Untertrifaller, photo: Aldo Amoretti
Timber has long been a building tradition in the Alpine region. Until the mid-20th century, it was mainly a pragmatic response to local availability. With the advent of modernism, when steel, glass, and concrete became the materials of choice, timber was dismissed as outdated. In the second half of the 20th century, however, the Vorarlberg building movement drew on both wood and modern materials, evolving into a tangible phenomenon. It did not follow a programme or emerge from academia but unfolded from local tradition, from civic engagement by thoughtful and active clients, and from close ties to craftsmanship. Vorarlberg’s architectural visionaries are now understood as a loosely connected constellation of architects, planners, craftspeople, artists, and committed clients. The first generation included pioneers such as Hans Purin and Rudolf Wäger. Purin’s Halde housing estate in Bludenz is now considered a key example of resource-conscious building. Many of the issues it addressed remain urgent today: collective building, affordable and self-determined housing, and a material- and resource-focused architecture with ecological intent. Built between 1964 and 1966, the Halde settlement was followed by the Ruhwiesen housing estate in Schlins by Rudolf Wäger. The pioneering nature of this project lay in the radical simplicity of its construction: frugal and pragmatic in every detail, Wäger oriented his design toward economic, ecological, and social parameters. It was a significant statement in 20th-century architecture in Vorarlberg. Alongside economic concerns, social impulses played a central role. From the late 1960s, and especially in the 1970s and 1980s, the early environmental movement shaped Vorarlberg, influencing social debate as well as new forms of community life beyond the family. Projects such as the primary school in Nüziders by C4 stand within this context. A younger, energetic, and often defiant second generation of architectural visionaries followed. Their first breakthrough came with the “Im Fang” housing estate by the “Cooperative Dornbirn” in the late 1970s. Dietmar Eberle, Wolfgang Juen, Norbert Mittersteiner, and Markus Koch promoted cooperative self-building, taking inspiration from Purin and Wäger. Their aim was to make projects as simple and as affordable as possible, enabling clients to participate directly and create housing for themselves and their families. The constructive simplicity of these buildings resonates with today’s call for “building simply”, championed by Florian Nagler in Germany and Hermann Kaufmann in Austria. Many architects active in Vorarlberg today belong to this second generation, or continue to contribute to the ongoing dialogue across generations that has shaped the region’s architectural culture. A crucial factor in this development has been an interdisciplinary approach. Collaboration with structural engineers, building physics engineers, the wide spectrum of civil engineers, as well as numerous specialist consultants is intrinsic to Vorarlberg’s building culture and marked by a respectful dialogue among experts. Construction trades and craftsmanship, along with an industry willing to develop customised solutions, also have their share in this process.
Oekonomiegebäude Weiss, Julia Kick Architektin, photo: Angela Lamprecht
This is where the present volume begins. For many years, there has been a demand for a new book on architecture in Vorarlberg. Earlier publications up to the mid-2000s provided a solid foundation. But how have building culture and the architectural landscape in Vorarlberg developed since then? Which themes concern clients and architects today? How is timber construction progressing? Can earthen construction expand its field of application? What role do existing buildings and their transformation play? Covering some 25 years of architecture in Vorarlberg is a considerable task. The challenge was to identify projects that are convincing in their typology and construction methods, reflecting the priorities and specialisations of the many actors involved, as well as their international reception. The selection presented here – almost 50 projects in total – could easily have been larger. Ultimately, it was their regional and transregional significance for current discourse that determined the selection: their ecological focus, cultural ambition, contribution to technological and procedural innovation, and engagement with social issues.
Landesmuseum Vorarlberg, cukrowicz nachbaur architekten, photo: Adolf Bereuter
This book presents a curated selection of projects, focusing on sites and landscapes, technologies, and building methods. What characterizes Vorarlberg is the diversity of its architecture – from timber and earth to concrete – and the role of municipalities as active public clients committed to quality. Thanks to their initiative, trailblazing schools, kindergartens, and civic and cultural centres have been realized – architecture that strengthens communities and enriches everyday life. Equally remarkable are the many outstanding projects by private clients, who trust the expertise of Vorarlberg’s architects and make bold decisions that set benchmarks in technology, design, and function. The multilayered portrait of regional building culture presented here makes no claim to completeness. Many projects not included can be found in the publicly accessible database of the Vorarlberger Architektur Institut (vai).
Werkraum Bregenzer Wald, Altelier Peter Zumthor, photo: Gals Marte
Looking behind the scenes of Vorarlberg’s architecture reveals how deeply building culture is anchored in society and everyday life – from design advisory boards to craftspeople, master builders, and architectural practices. At the same time, this close look also brings pressing issues into focus: urban sprawl, the persistent emphasis on single-family houses, and the participation of women in architecture and the building trades. The care for and appreciation of the existing built fabric also still have room to grow – leaving significant potential for the future. The essays and interviews in this book take up these issues. They follow developments and currents, present protagonists with their experiences and perspectives, and complement the project section, rounding out the portrait of building culture in Vorarlberg.
Schanderlochbrücke, Marte Marte, photo: Marc Lins
We extend our thanks to all colleagues whose work this book builds upon. The project texts are editorial adaptations based on the vai archive. We also thank the architects whose support made this volume possible – a contribution that cannot be taken for granted. Our gratitude also goes to the photographers of the many impressive projects, whose keen eye made this documentation possible. Finally, we thank the editorial and CAD team in Vienna and Munich, who supported us throughout the process with expertise, and Matthias Friederich and Sabrina Baumann of strobo B M, whose assured design accompanied the book from beginning to end.
Sandra Hofmeister and Verena Jakoubek-Konrad,
November 2025
Architecture in Vorarlberg. Portrait of a Regional Building Culture, edited by Verena Jakoubek-Konrad & Sandra Hofmeister, Hardcover, 20 × 27 cm, 332 pages, Design: strobo BM, Edition Detail, Munich 2026, ISBN 978-3-95553-674-9
