COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, founded by Wolf D. PRIX, Helmut SWICZINSKY and Michael HOLZER in Vienna, Austria in 1968, is active in architecture, urban planning, design, and art. Headquartered in Vienna, there is a second office in Los Angeles as well as several project offices in Frankfurt am Main/Germany, Paris/France, Akron/USA, Mexico City/Mexico and Hong Kong/China. Since 2006 the studio has been run through Wolf D. PRIX, Wolfdieter DREIBHOLZ, Harald KRIEGER, Karolin SCHMIDBAUR and Project Partners.
Wolf D. PRIX, Design Principal and CEO, was born in Vienna in 1942. He studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology, the Architectural Association of London, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles. Named Professor for Architecture at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria in 1993, he has been Head of the Institute for Architecture since 2003, the Head of Studio Prix and serves as Vice-Rector of the university.
Currently under construction throughout the world are the Mus_e des Confluences in Lyon, France (2001-13), Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea (2005-11), the European Central Bank in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (2003-14), the Dalian International Conference Center, China (2008-10) and Apartment Building 'Liesing Brewery' in Vienna, Austria (2002/06-10). Additional projects in planning are Cloud Roof in Riva del Garda, Italy (2006-12), House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark (2002/07-12), Cultural Center Zarautz, Spain (2007-12), Museum of Contemporary Art & Exhibition Planning in Shenzhen, China (2007-12) and Opera Pavilion Munich, Germany (2008-10). In 2009, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU won the commission for the Art Museum Strongoli in Calabria, Italy.
Recent exhibitions include: "COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. Beyond the Blue" (MAK in Vienna in 2007 / Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, USA in 2009), the 11th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale (Italy, 2008). Over the course of the past three decades, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU has received numerous international awards. These include: the American Architecture Award (2005), 2007 International Architecture Award, and the RIBA International Award and the RIBA European Award (2007).