OLIVER SCHÜRER
Oliver Schürer is curator, editor and author as well as Senior Scientist and Deputy Director at the Vienna University of Technology, Department of Architecture Theory. Inspired by his first occupation of Master Cabinet Maker, he studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology. He concluded his studies with an essay about the concepts of space and time in Gilles Deleuze's work. He obtained his doctorate with his thesis, ‘Automation und Einfühlung’ (Automation and Empathy) - under Professor Kari Jormakka. Parallel to this, he studied philosophy with emphasis on the theory of technology. His dissertation, as part of a cognitive science research project in the Department of Computer Technology conducted at the Vienna University of Technology, is a study on the evolution of building automation from the first functionalist concepts to contemporary research on artificial consciousness.
From 1999 to 2000, he was employed as university assistant at the Institute für Hochbau (Institute of Building Construction), Graz University of Technology. In 2001, he was an assistant at the Department of Building Typology and Design at the Vienna University of Technology. From 2002 to 2008, he worked as university assistant at the Institute for Architectural Sciences, Department of Architecture Theory, Vienna University of Technology. At that Institute, he became Senior Scientist in 2009 and Deputy Director in 2013.
Research
Economics: From 2002 to 2014, he established the "Profession of Architecture“ as a research component via the domain, "Architecture as an economic and cultural field". In various projects, he examined the relationships the different meanings of architecture: as design discipline, art form, scene, branch of economics, lifestyle and - last but not least - a means to earn a living. In 2004, the study, ‘Architektur:Consulting’ by Experts in Networks, Phase 0 and Processes, was published. From 2003 to 2014, he has been engaged in a detailed long-term study unique in Europe, concerning the living and working conditions in Austrian architecture. The quantitative part of the study, ‘Berufsfeld Architektur 1.0; Bestandsaufnahme und Zeitdiagnose’ (Occupational Field Architecture 1.0; Inventory and Diagnosis of Time), was published in 2008. The qualitative part of the study, ‘Berufsfeld Architektur 2.0; Lebenswelt, Wissen und Vernetzung’ (Occupational Field Architecture 2.0; Lifeworld, Knowledge and Networking) was published in 2014.
History: Architecture's contemporary history is an important field of research to estimate forthcoming developments and to understand their constraints, where he focuses on the genesis of Central European architecture of the post-war modern era. At present, a group of doctoral candidates is working under his direction on the research subject, the Effect of the Salzburg Summer Academy on Austrian Architecture, and in general the transformation of working conditions from the studio to the lab, and the position of the experiment in methods of the time-specific avant-garde.
Urban studies: Since 2003, he has been researching the socio-cultural constraints and effects of the digitalization of infrastructures of life in urban and rural environments. In the course of the research project, ‘Public Space 2.0’, he organized a symposium with workshop at MIT in Cambridge, followed by its publication in book form. From 2002 to 2011, his focus in the theoretical field was media architecture and media urbanism, territories, production of action strategies. The theoretical aspects were implemented in projects for the commercial development and experimental installation of large-format media screens and the integration of alternative social media. From 2012 to 2016 he was dedicated to the development of theoretical approaches to media, urbanism, territories, production of action strategies, Big Data und Smart Cities.
Theory: Since 1999, the nature of his research projects ranges from experimental installations to theory production to quantitative und qualitative empirical studies. As visiting researcher at the Department for CAAD, Zürich University of Technology 2006-2009, he was co-founder of the research project on the Technical Theory of Architecture. As a result of his research on media, techniques and technologies of architecture, the publication, ‘Automatismen und Architektur; Medien, Obsessionen, Technologien’ (Automatisms and architecture, media, obsessions, technologies) was published by Springer Verlag. He was invited as curator of technology in architecture and urban studies at Wolkenkuckuksheim, the Journal of Architecture Theory. Since 2015, he has been researching humanoid robots, thus contributing to the establishment of the socio-cultural effects of this developing technology in architecture and in the human environment.
Conferences, Exhibitions, Public and media relations
Since 1999, Oliver Schürer, as part of his research projects, has been curating conferences and symposia and has been active as producer a number of smaller and bigger events. He has organized press events and is the scientific press relations spokesman of the KOROS Robot Laboratory of the Vienna University of Technology. In connection with all these activities, he has been engaged in fundraising, production, publicity and press relations.
Between 2003 and 2007 he has curated two series of events at the Architecture Centre in Vienna. He has curated several exhibitions (selection): In 2007, he was co-curator of Media Architecture Conference at the Central Saint Martins Innovation University of the Arts in London. He was curator of the Media Facades Conference in the German Architecture Centre (DAZ) in Berlin in 2008 and co-curator of the Media Facades Festival Berlin (exhibition, conference, commissioned artworks, city walks). In 2010, as the curator, he headed the Media Architecture Conference and was also co-curator of the Media Architecture Biennale in Vienna's Künstlerhaus (exhibition, conference, commissioned artworks).
Oliver Schürer's current research subject together with his transdisciplinary research group H.A.U.S. is "Humanoid Robots in Architecture and Urban Spaces" h-a-u-s.org
short CV 12/2019
List of publications (in german from the TU Vienna database) 2014-18
areas of research
THEORIE
Architektur
European Avantgarde in Postwar Modernism Sommerakademie Salzburg (2015 - laufend)
Urbanistik: Public space 2.0
web publication - publicspace20.at (2010 - 12)
Berufsfeld Architektur
Langzeitstudie der Lebens- und Arbeitsbedingungen in der Architektur tätiger Menschen (2004 - 15)
MEDIEN & TECHNOLOGIE
Humanoids Robots in Architecture (2012 - laufend)
Theorie der Technik in Architektur und Städtebau (Gastkurator Wolkenkuckucksheim Heft 33)
Automatismen und Architektur (2002 - 12)
DISKURS
Architektur
ArchitekturDenken - DenkArchitekturen Vortragsreihe (2015 - 16)
Berufsfeld Architektur Langzeitstudie der Lebens- und Arbeitsbedingungen in der Architektur tätiger Menschen (2004 - 15)
archdiploma2009 Ausstellung der besten Diplomarbeiten der Fakultät für Architektur
AzW Events (2003 - 07)
Medien & Technologie
Future Energy - Dauerausstellung "Sonnenwelt" Science goes Public project (2011 - 12)
Medien Architektur Konferenzen (2003 - 11)
EXPERIMENT
Medien & Technologie
Humanoid Robots KOROS Kollaborierende Robotersysteme (2012 - laufend)
Medien Architektur Angewandte und Experimentelle Forschung (2006 - 10)
INTERNATIONALE KOOPERATIONEN
Prof. Mark Jarzombek, MIT Boston
Prof. Pietro Zennaro, IUVA Venedig
University specials
Lehre und interessante Arbeiten von Studierenden aus den letzten Semestern
Best diploma works Faculty of Architecture archdiploma2009
Eine der ältesten Architektur-Homepages (1993): Analyse Le Corbusier's Carpenter Center
