NEW GENERAL SECRETARIES

Photos © Manuela Schauer

We have News!

Our Team grew and these are the people behind Europan Austria now.

We are pleased to introduce the new General Secretaries of Europan Austria: welcome Christina Lenart and Ernst Gruber!

The two Vienna-based architects with international backgrounds are taking over the management with immediate effect. Both have long been familiar with Europan and its many facets and are now looking forward to being part of shaping the future of this European architectural culture initiative.

Hannah Nusser remains part of the Secretariat, overseeing organisational matters, while Clara Maria Fickl continues to lead social media and communications.
Building on the longstanding experience of Bernd Vlay and the strong foundation established by Christina’s and Ernst’s predecessor Iris Kaltenegger, the team is now preparing intensively for the upcoming competition cycle E19 (Re:sourcing).
We look forward to professional exchange and collaboration within the European network.

For inquiries and collaborations, the Secretariat can be reached at office@europan.at.

 

Some more information about our new General Secretaries:

Christina Lenart studied architecture in Vienna and Stockholm, as well as Advanced Architectural Studies in London.
She works as a housing expert at the department for research and policy at the Viennese social organisation neunerhaus and regularly teaches at TU Vienna.
From 2013 to 2021, she was doing research and was teaching at the Research Unit of Housing and Design at TU Vienna. She spent many years in architectural practice, working on projects in various phases – from competitions to construction planning, both in offices and independently, and served on the editorial team of ARCH+, the Berlin-based journal for architecture and urbanism. As a member of the guest editorial team for ARCH+ 244: Vienna - The End of Housing (as Typology), she was awarded the 2022 Bruno Kreisky Prize for Socially and Ecologically Responsible Housing.
Her work connects social, spatial, and political dimensions of housing. In architecture, urban, and landscape planning, she is particularly interested in strategic approaches that create space for multiple actors, perspectives, and interests to shape shared visions.

Ernst Gruber studied architecture in England, Germany, and Austria, and holds additional training in graphic and communication design. Alongside his architectural work and competition collaborations with Christina, he has developed a strong focus on process-oriented, participatory, and dialogue-based approaches. Since 2019, he has been part of the management team at wohnbund:consult, an interdisciplinary research-oriented office dedicated to innovation in housing, renovation, and urban development. His office is also a founding member of Renowave, Austria's innovation lab for climate-neutral building and neighbourhood renovation.
Ernst previously served on the editorial team of ARCH+, the Berlin-based journal for architecture and urbanism. He taught for ten years at TU Vienna, primarily at the Institute of Urban Design, and from 2009 to 2019 he was a board member of the Initiative Gemeinsam Bauen & Wohnen (Initiative Collaborative Building & Living), Austria's national association for community-led housing. His publications and lectures reflect his long-standing engagement with these topics.

 

Christina and Ernst have followed Europan's competition results since their student years, drawing inspiration from them and participating together in several Europan competitions.