micro architecture and macro design
Peter Fattinger, Assistant Professor of Architecture at the Housing Institute of Vienna’s University of Technology, is known for his unusual ideas, which he materialises in collaboration with his students. In Bene's Atrium, where the "architektur in progress" lecture series are held from time to time, Peter Fattinger recently addressed his topic "micro architecture und macro design".His most recent project proved unusual too: an installation in the pedestrian zone of the city of Graz, where 35 students of architecture attached a scaffold to the façade of a historical building. The scaffold embedded elements of a house which the group actually lived in for three weeks - complete with a fully functioning shower and toilet at an altitude of 10 m as well as a kitchen. Peter Fattinger is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Housing of Vienna's University of Technology, and has made a name for himself with his practical design courses. These courses focus primarily on hands-on realisation of design concepts. Fattinger is known for realistic projects like [keks®] at Vienna's Karlsplatz, a contemporary rum-punch stand with a DJ's booth, or the special transit containers [tmp] at Vienna's Schwechat airport. His courses encourage his students' ability to work in a team and their stamina. Use and function are always key, while mechanical skills and craftsmanship are tested along the way. One of his students called Fattinger "King of do-it-yourself".
In the new semester of his design seminar Peter Fattinger will lead a group of students to Johannesburg, South Africa. The task is to fill the urgent need for public premises and small self-made houses under the "orange_farm_township" project. The project uses exclusively local building materials, enhanced by innovative details. The specific assignment is to develop a multi-purpose extension to a township school donated by the City of Vienna, work/community premises for a local NGO for the disabled as well as an optimised shack prototype.
Michael Krikula and Manuela Hötzl have interviewed Peter Fattinger:
Your teaching approach is almost "anti-academic" – i.e. your programmes at the Technical University not only encourage your students to apply their practical skills, but also nearly all of your projects are born from a certain "social or societal" need and have been implemented with that in mind. Our question simply is: Why all this labour?
1. Because it is fun and highly rewarding to actually do things and materialise ideas in a large team.
2. Because the students can go through all phases of a project from design to construction and practical application and thus have a great opportunity to test their own decisions.
3. Because the end product serves a purpose rather than being a blueprint rolled up to collect dust.
4. Because, taking the modification of the special transit container at Schwechat airport (tmp homebase, 2001) as an example, the space provided to asylum seekers, which is so very limited anyway, was improved significantly and our work thus makes twice as much sense.
How do you pick your subjects and which kind of feedback do you receive from the users of the projects? Which are your own specific use requirements? Or are you mainly interested in confronting your students with a specific reality?
The feedback we receive is always overwhelming and usually highly positive. And this very opportunity of receiving feedback is indeed my main motivation to leave the cosy terrain of the University to step out into the public space. And the direct users – often the participating students, but also the asylum seekers in the special transit containers – have invariably been very pleased with the outcome. A number of minor details would probably be dealt with differently in a second go, which is exactly the learning effect we want to achieve. The main requirement is indeed functionality coupled with a pleasant appearance.
Your forthcoming project in South Africa is particularly ambitious – also in terms of cultural and geographical distance. To what extent have you studied the local situation? Do you have partners at South African universities?
Together with Christof Chorherr as well as Sabine Gretner and Franziska Orso, the two assistant project managers, we spent two weeks there in August, met all the people who are involved in the project and visited the relevant institutions. In addition, we conducted investigations on local building materials and infrastructure. While the Masibambane College project, which is donated by the City of Vienna, was already based on a firm approval, the project for the disabled organisation cropped up on site.
Peter Fattinger
1972 born in Linz
1991-1999 studied architecture at Vienna University of Technology
since 2000 project-related collaboration with Atelier J. van Lieshout / NL
since 2000 several projects in public space amalgamating architecture, design and art
2000-2003 teaching at the Institute of Housing and Design / University of Technology, Vienna
2002 Workshop at Berlin University of Arts with J. v. Lieshout
2003 Workshop at Linz University of Art / Experimental Class with J. v. Lieshout
since 2003 Assistant Professor at Institute of Housing and Design, University of Technology, Vienna
