Johannes Behrens

Show Biography

Graduate engineer, architect, board member since the founding of hochform. and director operations Germany, branch manager Frankfurt, project manager i.a. of Eurotower Frankfurt and Grandtower Frankfurt.

Before his time with hochform., he worked for the offices of Massimilano Fuksas (Rome/Vienna) and coop-himmelblau (Vienna/Frankfurt). Here he was able to gain significant experience, especially related to high-rise buildings. Some of his projects of this period are i.a. the Vienna-Twin-Tower (1997–2001­­), the new-built ECB in Frankfurt (2005–2015), as well as the Academy of Fine Arts (2003–2004) and the BMW Welt (2004–2005) in Munich.

Born in 1969 in Düsseldorf, he studied architecture and mechanical engineering at the RWTH Aachen and the University of Washington (Seattle), awarded with the “Springorum-Denkmünze”.

Markus Klausecker

Show Biography

Markus Klausecker, founding member of hochform. Architekten, together with Thomas Schwed and Wolfgang Ruthensteiner, completed his degree in architecture at the TU Graz, and took the exam for civil engineering (Ziviltechnikerprüfung) in Vienna.

In the team of hochform. he is responsible for the technical und formally high-end implementation of projects – currently, i.a. the conversion of the listed former k.u.k. Postzentrale in the city center of Vienna, the extension and conversion of Lehndorfer Hof in Vienna-Floridsdorf, as well as a hotel project in Cologne.

In the years of 2001 to 2014, Markus Klausecker supervised the overall project management of complex buildings in new-built and refurbishment for the Vienna branch of Architektur Consult (Domenig-Eisenköck-Peyker). One special focus of his work lies in historic preservation in cooperation with various usage requirement, as well as residential and office buildings, theatres and business centers.

This way, he was a significant part of the planning and execution of the T-Center Vienna, as well as the conversion and extension of the shopping mall Fischapark in Wiener Neustadt.

Further on, he was responsible for several cooperations with renowned architectural offices, i.a. as project architect of BMW Welt Munich with COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. He acquired special expertise with the realization of theatre projects. After the planning and execution of the extension and conversion of the listed establishment Ronacher in Vienna, together with Domenig Wallner, under his lead the Musiktheater Linz was successfully realized after the designs of architect Terry Pawson.

Wolfgang Ruthensteiner

Show Biography

Wolfgang Ruthensteiner founded hochform. Architekten in 2015, together with Thomas Schwed and Markus Klausecker. He is project manager of the lead design team of the currently most prominent hochform. project “Heumarkt Neu, Hotel InterContinental, WEV”. As CFO and IT director of hochform., he looks after finances, contracts, project-controlling and internal organization.

Before that, since 2003 he was an employee at Architektur Consult (Domenig, Eisenköck, Peyker), mostly active in big project cooperations, until 2012 at the atelier of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. After cooperation at “BMW Welt, München”, from 2005 he was functioning as logistics manager of the four-member planning team for the “New European Central Bank, Frankfurt” and “Fischapark, Wiener Neustadt”, and was responsible for project development and user coordination for the project “University of Applied Arts, Vienna” by Wolfgang Tschapeller.

Thomas Schwed

Show Biography

Thomas Schwed, born 1971 in Herzogenburg, Austria, executive and founding partner (2015) of hochform. Architekten based in Vienna and Frankfurt.

Since 2014, lecturer at Academy of Finde Arts Vienna, Institute for Art and Architecture. Since 2003, member of the chamber of architects and consulting engineers Vienna, where he is also operating as a speaker at zt: akademie. From 2018, member of the chamber of architects and urban planners Hessen.

From 2008 to 2015, partner at Architektur Consult ZT GmbH, branch manager in Vienna, previously graduation at TU Vienna, employee i.a. at the architectural office of Hans Hollein (project manager of NÖ Landesmuseum), later at the office Domenig/Eisenköck (project manager of T-Center Vienna). From 2004 to 2013, cooperation with the planning team of CHBL for the new construction of ECB in Frankfurt, from 2008 responsible project manager, in cooperation with Frank Stepper (CHBL). Since 2008, temporary cooperation with architect Wolfgang Tschapeller, i.a. for the project extension of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Center of Science & Promotion Belgrad, or the extension of Palais Schwarzenberg Vienna.

hochform. Team

Damian Witt

Show Biography

Damian Witt joined the company as partner in 2019 and is responsible as executive partner for the Frankfurt branch.

From 2011 to 2018 he worked for the internationally acting architecture office of Coop Himmelb(l)au as Head of Project and Contract Management.

In addition, he was managed the Frankfurt branch of Dependance. As project manager he accounted for the new-built of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, the Convention Center in Baku and the “Paneum – Wunderkammer des Brotes” in Asten.

He supervised all running projects for Coop Himmelb(l)au as Contract Manager. Previously, after yeral-long cooperations with Prof. Christoph Mäckler Architekten, he carried out various builder functions for the “Oberfinanzdirektion” in the course of the technical supervision leading level of the division “Bundesbau” (Federal Construction).