Key Facts

Vienna
founded 1993
4 partners
40+ team members
100+ built projects in EU, China, USA, South America & Middle East

Specialized in

Culture, Educational, Exhibition, Greenhouse, Healthcare & Education, High-Rise, Hotel & SPA, Housing, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Mixed-Use, Office, Refurbishment, Residential, Retail & Urban Design

Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA) is an international architecture office based in Vienna, Austria.

Our vision: adding value to places through an architecture that intensifies given qualities by creating new choreographies of space.

DMAA addresses the social and ecological issues of today, rejecting routine responses in favour of a passionate and relentless focus on the new and the unconventional.

This is exemplified by such flagship projects as the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and the Festspielhaus Erl, as well as unconventional residential buildings including House Ray 1, City Lofts and the award-winning High-Rise Wienerberg.


Over the course of the past 30 years, the studio has realised ground-breaking projects in Asia, including the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang, the Taiyuan Botanical Garden and the zero-energy Expo Greenhouse in Shanghai.

DMAA-designed projects currently under construction include the Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Haus für Film und Medien in Stuttgart and MedCampus in Vienna, as well as several projects in China and in the Middle East for NEOM.

DMAA was founded in 1993 in Vienna by Elke Delugan-Meissl and Roman Delugan They have run the office together with Dietmar Feistel and Martin Josst since 2004. DMAA is made up of an international team of over 40 architects, 3D engineers and other creatives.

Places for People.
Engaging, empowering.

History

Storming into architecture

The history of the office begins with a leap into the deep end: the very first buildings are large-scale projects, realised in a residential area near the UNO City in Vienna. Both structures demonstrate creative boldness: while one design, the Mischek Tower, explores classical verticality and was, at the time, the highest residential building in Austria, the other – Beam Donaucity – embraces a horizontal concept. With its 180-metre-long, elongated structure, it aligns with the banks of the Danube River.

The office achieves a comparable level of creative freedom with a series of residential buildings. DMAA employs a range of approaches to explore the concept of individuality: at Paltramplatz, individual apartments are stacked in a way that creates a rich variety of interior spaces and facades. In another project, Steigenteschgasse, identical floor plans take on unique characteristics through the varying placement of windows, significantly altering the perception of each living space. The office achieves a comparable level of creative freedom with a series of residential buildings. DMAA employs a range of approaches to explore the concept of individuality: at Paltramplatz, individual apartments are stacked in a way that creates a rich variety of interior spaces and facades.

In another project, Steigenteschgasse, identical floor plans take on unique characteristics through the varying placement of windows, significantly altering the perception of each living space. The pinnacle of this exploration is reached with City Lofts Wienerberg, a housing project where 47 multi-level apartments interlock like pieces of a 3D puzzle, each featuring a unique floor plan and spatial character. Another striking statement in the international architectural landscape came in 2003 with the remodelling of the roof level of a 1960s’ office building– House Ray 1.

Beam Donaucity, Austria, 1995

Shaping a position

In the 2000s, the office expands its activities beyond Austria’s borders. DMAA gains international recognition by winning competitions with spectacular designs for cultural landmarks. Its architectural language is shaped by a strong contextual approach, with each building being carefully positioned in relation to its surroundings. This philosophy is exemplified by the Festspielhaus Erl, where it manifests as a tectonically dynamic structure with sculptural qualities. The building appears both as a rock and a resonating body, with the entire concert hall bringing music to life – its wooden walls vibrating like those of a musical instrument.

At the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, reflections on the role of cinema lead to a redefinition of the relationship between the auditoria and the public area. The design envisions the expansive complex as a spacious arena, transforming the cinema into a place of communication that offers an exceptional visitor experience. Another key project from this period is the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.


Located near the production facilities in the heart of an industrial zone, DMAA’s intervention creates an emotionally charged architectural statement. Supported by just three pillars, the massive structure appears to float above the ground, opening up views of its surroundings. The visitor’s entry into the Porsche universe is precisely choreographed: the subtly sloping forecourt naturally accelerates movement toward the foyer. From there, an escalator ascends into the open air before dramatically passing through a funnel-shaped opening into the heart of the expansive exhibition space.

Porsche Museum, Germany, 2008

Eye Filmmuseum, The Netherlands, 2011

New Horizons

In 2015, Elke Delugan-Meissl is appointed Commissioner of Austria’s contribution to the Architecture Biennale in Venice. As the movement of migrants toward Europe reaches its peak, DMAA and Liquid Frontiers initiate a collaborative project exploring the role of architecture in addressing societal challenges. Three teams are invited to develop temporary projects at three locations in Vienna, each designed to enhance the living conditions of migrants. The presentation of these tangible results in the Austrian Pavilion powerfully illustrates the deep connection between physical spaces and social issues.


Related projects:

PLACES FOR PEOPLE

Re-enactment

The thoughtful engagement with existing spaces and their untapped potential as high-quality alternatives to new construction is becoming increasingly central to the office’s work. A prime example is the transformation of the former Kellogg’s production facilities and silos at the Port of Bremen, where minimal architectural interventions reinterpret rather than replace the existing structures. Precise modifications enhance the site’s established atmosphere while preserving its character. 
The ongoing extension and refurbishment of the Staatstheater Karlsruhe elevate the heritage of a well-known building in the form of a modern extension that also generates a coherent ensemble.


The existing building is extended along three development axes, anchoring the theatre more strongly within the urban fabric. Vienna’s largest conversion project, Althan Quartier Francis, located above Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof railway station, creates a new district centre around this key public transport hub, re-establishing its connection with the city.

Recently

In recent years, a close relationship with the Chinese region has developed, reflected in both new types of projects and the extraordinary scale of the emerging structures. These projects are specifically designed for visitor numbers that are unparalleled in Europe (e.g., Taiyuan Botanical Garden, Expo Greenhouse Shanghai). They address key themes such as the significance of public spaces, expanded ecological awareness and our understanding of the interconnectedness of nature.

Network

Structural Engineering

Bollinger+Grohmann
Vasko+Partner
StructureCraft
Wh-p Ingenieure
Spirk + Partner

Energy Design

Transsolar
KlimaEngineering
Cody Energy Design
Weatherpark

Landscape Design

swa group
AgenceTer
Yiju Ding
Valentien + Valentien
rabe landschaften
rajek barosch landscape
YEWO landscape
DnD Landschaftsplanung

Mobility Design

Redas engineering

MEP

CES
Clean Energy Solutions

Signage Design

büro ueble
visuelle kommunikation
grafisches Büro, Vienna
buero bauer

Visualisation

Toni Nachev
EXPRESSIV
zoomVP

Clients
135 Porsche Museum Iwan Baan 005 exterior view 23
Porsche Museum
Germany
  • Cultural
  • Mixed Use
  • Built
143 eye film institute netherlands iwan baan 019 terrace
Eye Filmmuseum
Netherlands
  • Cultural
  • Built
257 Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang Katsuhisa Kida 047 detail facade
Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang
South Korea
  • Exhibition
  • Mixed Use
  • Office
  • Built
182 Festival Hall Erl bg 001
Festival Hall Erl
Austria
  • Cultural
  • Built

next to others:

6B47
Adidas
ARE
ATLANTIC Hotels
BIG
Deschamps-Braly
EYE Filmmuseum
Festspielhaus Erl
GEWOFAG
GARBE Immobilien

Hyundai
Land Baden- Württemberg
Landeshauptstadt München
Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart
Klaus Meier_Überseeinsel Bremen
Miba
Ministry of Landscape China
NEOM
Novartis
Pohl+Partner
Porsche

Rutter Immobilien
Signa
Sozialbau AG
Sparkasse
Stadt Karlsruhe
SÜBA
STC
Walkerhill SPA & RESORT
Zumtobel

Awards
Publications
DMAA NON ENDLESS SPACE cover office
DMAA 360 Magazin English b
DMAA ZOOM English b
Places for People La Biennale di Venezia Austrian Pavilion b
DMAA DESIGN PEAK 08 b
DMAA 360 cover office b
DMAA HG MERZ Porsche Museum Springer Wien New York 1 b
DMAA daab b
DMAA in TENSE repose b
  • NON ENDLESS SPACE, published Birkhäuser – Publishing for Architecture, Basel, 2023, ISBN 978-3-0356-2591-2
  • 360°, published by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Vienna, 2018, Order: communication@dmaa.at
  • ZOOM, published by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Vienna, 2018, Order: communication@dmaa.at
  • PLACES FOR PEOPLE, published by Elke Delugan-Meissl, Commissioner of the Austrian Pavillon, Sabine Dreher and Christian Muhr / Liquid Frontiers, Co-Curators, Vienna, 2016
  • DELUGAN MEISSL ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS 08 DESIGN PEAK, published by Equal Books, Seoul, 2011, ISBN 978-89-962904-7-6, 978-89-962904-0-7(set)
  • VOL. 1, DELUGAN MEISSL ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS, published by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Vienna, 2010, ISBN 978-3-9502979-0-4
  • Porsche Museum Delugan Meissl Associated Architects HG Merz, published by Springer-Verlag, Vienna, 2010, ISBN 978-3-211-99738-3 (German), ISBN 978-3-211-99736-9 (English)
  • Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Realized projects, Current projects, Competitions, published by Daab GmbH, Cologne, 2006, ISBN 978-3-937718-87-3
  • DELUGAN MEISSL ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS inTENSE repose, published by Aedes Verlag, Berlin, 2006, ISBN 3-937093-63-X
  • DELUGAN MEISSL 2, Concepts, Projects, Buildings, published by Birkhäuser – Publishing for Architecture, Basel, 2001, ISBN 103-7643-6557-9 (German, English)