More than a House

What is modern? Josef Frank posed this question at the Vienna Werkbund Conference in 1930. A few months later, it found an architectural answer in Villa Beer, Josef Frank's most significant work in collaboration with Oskar Wlach and an icon of Austrian modernism.

The design takes up Adolf Loos's spatial plan, but interprets it more freely and comfortably. Rooms of varying heights combine to form a multi-layered spatial landscape characterized by movement and visual connections. Frank describes the central idea for this in his essay “The House as Path and Place”—living as a sequence of paths and places, of movement and lingering. At the center of the house is the staircase, which provides orientation and sets the stage for everyday life.

The architecture follows an internal logic that is also evident in the façade. Asymmetrical and rich in proportions, it reflects the complex spatial structure of the interior. Interior and exterior spaces flow seamlessly into one another, with the architecture and furnishings forming a harmonious whole.

The house was listed as a historic monument in 1987. Preserved fixtures and the floors were carefully restored by the Villa Beer Foundation, and lost elements were partially replaced. Additional furnishings were deliberately omitted so that the architectural effect remains clearly perceptible. 

The Villa Beer Foundation has a collection of objects by Josef Frank from the estate of Johannes Spalt, which is kept in an air-conditioned archive room.

Further articles:
The architects Josef Frank and Oskar Wlach
Blog on the restoration of Villa Beer