Marion Gruber AT
https://www.plov.at/
B.R.I.O. | Landgutgasse 38/1/1C | 1100 Wien
Arch. DI MARION GRUBER was born in 1977 in Linz [A] and studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology, where she also worked as a student assistant at the Institute of Building Theory. In 2007, she received the "Kunsthallenpreis" at Archdiploma for her diploma project. During and after her studies, she worked in various architectural offices, including Mecanoo Architects [NL].
In 2012, together with her partner Christoph Leitner, she founded the architectural office PLOV Architekten ZT GmbH in Vienna. From 2012 to 2016, she served as a spokesperson for IG Architektur Vienna, where she co-initiated the mentoring programme supporting young architects on their path to self-employment. From 2018 to 2026, she was actively involved in the Chamber of Civil Engineers and Architects, serving as Vice Chair of the Competition Committee. From 2019 onwards, she was an active member of the Section of Architects.
After seven successful years in their office at the “Stadtelefant” building in Vienna’s Sonnwendviertel district — a collaboratively developed, financed, and realized project initiated together with professional colleagues (Franz&Sue, solid architecture, Hoyer Brandschutz GmbH and ANull Bausoftware GmbH) as a developer company (Errichter-GmbH), and awarded the prestigious Bauherrenpreis by the ZV — PLOV Architekten moved in 2026 into their newly designed office space at B.R.I.O. in the “Neues Landgut” urban quarter near Vienna Central Station.
Since the beginning of 2023, Marion Gruber has been teaching in the Master’s programme “Sustainable Real Estate Management” at FH Kärnten, educating project developers in order to provide them with an understanding of architecture and the professional practice of architects. She has served and continues to serve on numerous competition juries and is committed to promoting building culture and architectural competitions. In 2025, she once again became active as a mentor for young colleagues within the mentoring programme of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Since 2012, the architectural office PLOV has been intensively engaged with the refurbishment and adaptive reuse of existing buildings, with a particular focus on the climate-conscious renovation, extension, and modernization of Gründerzeit buildings as well as schools from the 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s. PLOV is committed to sustainable timber construction, including in residential architecture, and in 2026 completed Austria’s first non-profit housing project built in a timber-hybrid construction system, which was handed over to its residents. The project, B.R.I.O., stands for a resident-friendly, recyclable, inclusive, and open-hearted approach to housing development.
