Silja Tillner AT

http://www.tw-arch.at
Margaretenplatz 7 / 2 / 1 | 1050 Wien

Silja Tillner is an architect and urban planner who works with enthusiasm in both occupational fields. Sensitive interventions in the historical context, the revival of listed buildings through innovative usage concepts, and energy-efficient refurbishment are a focus of her work. Urban development plans and the revitalization of existing districts with an ecological focus have been a fixed part of her work since she was involved in the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles, with the spectrum ranging from renovation and conversion to innovative, extraordinary architecture. Silja Tillner has always been interested in the interaction between city planning and architecture, the relationship between buildings and their surroundings, the context of architecture in connection with public space and its effect on people. Sustainability in the sense of ecological urban planning and architecture has been an all-determining leitmotif for her since the beginning of her professional life. The topic of resource conservation determines the urban context, landscape design, infrastructure, mobility, the energy concept, the future-proof, resilient and flexible architectural design, as well as the reduced and intelligent choice of materials.
Membership in Specialist Committees and Teaching Activities: Silja Tillner has been a member of important specialist committees for years, not only campaigning for high planning quality but also for compliance with ecological standards. From 2002 to 2010 she was a member of the Board of Trustees of the IBA Urban Redevelopment, Saxony-Anhalt, and from 2008 to 2011 a member of the Advisory Board for Urban Planning and Urban Design in Vienna. From 2013 to 2017 she served on the “Aspern Advisory Board” of Seestadt Aspern. In 2015 she was appointed to the Land Advisory Council of the City of Vienna and in 2018 to the Design Advisory Board of Leonding near Linz. She has been a member of the Association of Friends of the Bauhaus Dessau since 2010 and of ISOCARP (International Society of Regional and City Planners) since 2012. Silja Tillner has long been involved in the Chamber of Architects and has been a member of the Women's chapter in the Federal Committee of Civil Engineers since 2014. She has been teaching and researching at home and abroad since 1992, regularly holds courses at national and international universities, and is often invited to give lectures at conferences. From 2018 – 2020 she was a visiting professor at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies of Polimi, Politecnico di Milano. Since 2023 she has been a member of the Deutscher Werkbund. Since 2024 her refurbished Rietveld House has become a member of Iconic Houses of the World.

Officeand Partnership:
After working for six years in the urban development and architecture department in Los Angeles, CA, she founded an architecture office in Vienna in 1995, which made a name for itself with the multi-award-winning project URBION, (URBan Revi-talizatION) for the Gürtel Boulevard in Vienna.
Since 2007, in partnership with architect Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Willinger, she has co-led Architekten Tillner & Willinger, an office that focuses on urban development projects, refurbishment and conversions, subsidized and privately financed residential housing, office and mixed-use buildings. Most projects are the result of won competitions. The office is known for sustainable design with respect for the environment and ecological issues, as well as a wholistic design approach in the lifecycle of a project. Prizes include the Bauhaus Prize, the “ar+d” (architec-ture+design) award, the LEAF Award (Leading European Architects Forum), and the gold medal at the Miami Beach Biennial.