Günther H. Filz
assoz.Prof. Dipl.Ing. Dr.techn. M.Eng.
Studiendekan, Fakultät für Architektur, Universität Innsbruck
Dean of Studies at Faculty of Architecture, University of Innsbruck
Institut für Gestaltung | unit koge. Konstruktion und Gestaltung
Technikerstrasse 21c ° 6020 Innsbruck ° Austria
guenther.filz@uibk.ac.at
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Günther H. Filz is an architect and engineer, Associate Professor at the Institute of Design|unit koge. Structure & Design, and Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Innsbruck.
In 2000 he graduated with distinction under the supervision of Univ. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eda Schaur from the Innsbruck University, Austria. His diploma thesis received an achievement scholarship from the University of Innsbruck and the Award of Excellence 2000 from the Ministry for Education, Science and Culture, Republic of Austria, Vienna.
He worked amongst others for Eisenman Architects in New York City. Partly in cooperation with other architects like SOM – Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Richard Meier or engineers like Buro Happold, he was significantly involved in competition designs and projects like La Ciudad de la Cultura de Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Holocaust Memorial in Berlin; Allianz Arena Munich; Cardinals-Football Stadium Phoenix, Arizona; Ace Gallery, NYC, NY; or East River Project – ConEdison Skyscrapers, NYC, NY.
In 2002 he became Scientific Assistant at the Institute of Structure and Design, Prof. Eda Schaur. After he had completed a PhD program in architecture (Dr.techn.) with distinction under the supervision of Prof. Schaur and Prof. Graefe in 2010, he was promoted Assistant Professor (tenure track) at the Institute of Design|unit koge. Structure & Design. His PhD-thesis entitled “soft.spaces” was awarded an achievement scholarship for PhD-thesis in architecture. With the thesis “Minimal Surface based, responsive Architecture” he finished a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program with distinction at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Bauhaus Dessau, Germany, where he currently is giving lectures. Since 2015, he has also been member of the Bundesingenieurkammer Deutschland.
His research and teaching is oriented trans- and interdisciplinary and centers on the intersection of architecture, structure and geometry. His teaching addresses students of architecture and engineering on Bachelor level, Diploma/Master level and recently on PhD level. It covers design studios, seminars, exercises, lectures and the supervision of thesis projects, usually strongly involved into his research agenda.
Since the retirement of Prof. Eda Schaur in 2012 he has been taking care of administrative matters and especially the scientific agenda of the unit koge. Structure & Design. Therefore he has also been in charge of developing a new main course of lectures in “Structure and Design”.
During the last 12 years his focus has been on the profound changes that selforganizing forms and processes instigate in the way architecture is thought, designed and built.
This has been led by research in selforganizing forms and processes where geometrical and structural qualities are invariably seen as an overall integrated entity which result in intelligent, innovative and sustainable lightweight structures such as membrane structures in terms of Minimal Surfaces, bending active systems, selforganized folding, bundling and branching systems, etc. as well as strategic projects such as the participation in the EU COST action -TU1303 „Novel structural skins“ as coauthor, Austrian Representative, Management Committee Member and Working Group Member or the organization of the yearly international symposia “form – rule | rule – form” that foster interdisciplinary sharing and dissemination of expertise and support new collaborations in the fields of architecture, engineering and design.
In this context Günther H. Filz has been invited as Visiting Professor, lecturer and workshop instructor at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India, at the Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute RPI, Troy, USA, at the Centre of Excellence in Architectural Technology of the University of Tehran, Iran, at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark, at IMS-Institute of Membrane and Shell Technology, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences Bauhaus Dessau, Germany and the Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
Günther H. Filz is co/editor, author and coauthor of scientific papers, articles and books. Besides his studio work, which includes won competitions, his numerous research pavilions and other scientific/artistic achievements have been widely published, exhibited and awarded. He is reviewer for symposia and congresses like the Design Modelling Symposium Berlin 2013, ICSA International Congress in Architecture and Structure 2013, Guimaraes, Portugal, 16th International Conference on Geometry and Graphics (ICGG 2014), Design Modelling Symposium Copenhagen 2015, ICSA International Congress in Architecture and Structure 2016, Guimaraes, Portugal, Structural Membranes 2017, Barcelona/Munich.
Due to his capability of linking basic research, teaching and prototypical realization with partners from the industry, Günther H. Filz has been in great demand as member of the curriculum committee at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Innsbruck, Austria (since 2010-10-02), as member of the tenure track committee at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Innsbruck, Austria (since 2013-03-01), as member of appointment committees, or as expert for reaccreditation of the master program “Membrane Structures” (Master of Engineering M.Eng.) at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Dessau, Germany.
Since 2013 Günther H. Filz has been Vice-Dean and Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
In 2015 he completed his tenure track period and was promoted Associate Professor at the Institute of Design|unit koge. Structure & Design in 2016.