BWM Designers & Architects

The residential complex with eight staircases at Obere Augartenstrasse 12–14 was originally built by architect Karl Schmalhofer – who was also responsible for designing the famous Amalienbad and many other buildings in “Red Vienna” – in the early 1930s. BWM Architekten were commissioned with fully renovating the complex.

The building’s significance in terms of urban planning is due to its semi-public courtyards and unobstructed view of Augarten park. Bay windows and balconies give the building structure, and prominently placed putti are eye-catching elements. BWM Architekten worked closely with the Austrian Federal Monuments Authority and a team of restorers, who took samples of the plaster and metal elements, etc., so that BWM could honour Schmalhofer’s original intention when creating their colour and material concept. In the course of the renovation, a new infrastructure was created in the form of a centrally located laundry room and a barrier-free pram and bicycle storage room, and the waste disposal area was enclosed. All balconies were structurally reinforced in accordance with modern safety standards.