We mourn for Arno Lederer

On January 21, 2023, our founding partner Arno Lederer died in Stuttgart at the age of 75 after a short, serious illness.
Since 1979, Arno Lederer, as a freelance architect, has shaped the architectural landscape with his numerous and well-respected buildings - first together with his office partner Burkhard M. Sambeth, later with Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir and Marc Oei. Since then, the architectural office LRO has grown steadily and has realized an impressive series of high-quality, popular and multi-award-winning buildings.
The focus is always on spaces in which people rediscover their physical and psychological needs - spaces that impress with physical and tactile qualities - spaces that define places as ambassadors of a cultural heritage. With the constant impetus to appreciate the qualities of the building stock, but also to question them against the background of current requirements, Arno Lederer pursued a humanistic approach and defended the generalist nature of the architect in the face of increasing specialization.
With his clear attitude and unbridled creativity, he shaped entire generations of employees and students. With commitment, speeches and contributions to the discourse, he took part in the public discussions in relation to urban planning and societal issues and was able to draw attention to the essentials.
With him, the architectural office LRO loses a strong personality, a sovereign, but also empathetic and humorous leading figure and a constant fighter for urban insertions that have a beneficial effect on the environment, and also a fighter for wit, joy and quite simply beauty in the designed environment.
We miss him very much.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family.
The office of LRO GmbH & Co. KG in Stuttgart with its managing partners Marc Oei, Katja Pütter, Klaus Hildenbrand and Heiko Müller

Generation change at LRO Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei

In 1979, Arno Lederer founded his own architecture office. Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir joined in 1982 and became office partner in 1985. Marc Oei began working for the office in 1988 and became a partner in 1992. Since, the architecture office has grown steadily and has realized an impressive series of high-quality, popular and well-received buildings.
Around 50 employees are now working on the diverse projects. The intensive work in small teams, which stay together for the entire duration of a construction project, guarantees a high level of identification with the projects and expert support.
Regular participation in competitions stimulates discussion of current issues.
The focus is always on spaces in which people rediscover their physical and psychological needs - spaces that impress with physical and tactile qualities - spaces that define places as ambassadors of a cultural heritage.
We learn from the long history of building, question the qualities of the existing building and convert it into contemporary forms. Familiar looks new.

Succession planning
A fundamental change was introduced in 2016: Arno Lederer and Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir gradually transferred their shares in the office to their partner Marc Oei and other employees and have gradually left the management board in recent years.
On January 1st, 2021, three long-standing employees and managing directors, Katja Pütter, Klaus Hildenbrand and Heiko Müller, joined the company.
The company was renamed LRO GmbH & Co. KG to avoid confusion with the office "Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Architekten PartGmbB", which Sölvi Lederer, the son of Arno and Jórunn, founded with the support of his parents in Berlin.
Both offices are economically independent of each other, but work together regularly.

Current status
On January 1st, 2023, the last step of the generation change was completed. Arno Lederer and Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir sold their last shares in LRO.
The office will be continued by the partners Marc Oei, Katja Pütter, Klaus Hildenbrand and Heiko Müller in the spirit of the founders with that great passion for good architecture that has characterized the LRO office for 43 years and that Arno Lederer and Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir have passed on to subsequent generations.

Marc Oei

1962 Born in Stuttgart 1984-1988 Studied architecture, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 1988 Diploma, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 1988-1992 Position with Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Since 1992 Principal of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei 1995-1999 Teaching position, University of Karlsruhe, under Prof. Arno Lederer 1999-2002 Teaching position, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 2001 Teaching position, University of Stuttgart, under Prof. Peter Cheret 2008 Teaching position, University of Karlsruhe, under Prof. Matthias Pfeifer Since 2012 Managing partner LRO Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei
Since 2021 Director of LRO

Katja Pütter

1973 Born in Marl 1994-1997 Studied architecture, Bochum University of Applied Sciences 1997 Diploma, Bochum University of Applied Sciences 1997-1998 Position with Prof. Hermann Kleine-Allekotte, Bottrop-Kirchhellen 1998-2011 Position with Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei Since 2012 Director of LRO Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei
Since 2021 Director of LRO

Klaus Hildenbrand

1977 Born in Waiblingen 1997-2003 Studied architecture, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 2003 Diploma, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 2003-2004 Position with Prof. Thomas Ott, Weinstadt-Strümpfelbach 2004-2015 Position with Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei 2009-2015 Teaching position, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 2015-2020 Team Leader of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei Since 2020 Director of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei
Since 2021 Director of LRO

Heiko Müller

1984 Born in Schwäbisch Hall 2004-2011 Studied architecture, University of Stuttgart 2010 Teaching Position, University of Stuttgart, under Prof. Arno Lederer 2011 Diploma, University of Stuttgart 2011-2020 Position with Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei 2013-2015 Teaching position, University of Stuttgart, under Prof. Peter Cheret 2015-2019 Academic staff member, University of Stuttgart under Prof. Peter Cheret Since 2020 Director of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei
Since 2021 Director of LRO

Arno Lederer (1947-2023)
1947 Born in Stuttgart 1968–1976 Studied architecture, University of Stuttgart and Vienna University of Technology 1976 Diploma, University of Stuttgart 1977 Position with Ernst Gisel, Zurich 1978 Position with Berger Hauser Oed, Tübingen 1979 Foundation of Lederer and Sambeth 1982 Principal of the office Lederer 1985 Office partnership with Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir (Lederer Ragnarsdóttir) 1985–1990 Professor for Construction and Design, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences 1990–1997 Professor for Building Construction and Design I, University of Karlsruhe Since 1992 Office partnership with Marc Oei (Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei GbR) 1997–2005 Professor for Building Theory and Design, University of Karlsruhe 2005–2014 Professor for Public Building and Design, University of Stuttgart 2012 Managing Partner LRO Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei GmbH & Co. KG 2021-2022 Partner in the LRO GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart 2021-2023 Shareholder of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Architekten PartGmbB, Berlin

Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir
1957 Born in Iceland 1976-1982 Studied architecture, University of Stuttgart 1982 Diploma, University of Stuttgart 1982-1985 Position with Büro Lederer 1985 Principal of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir 1992 Office partnership with Marc Oei (Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei GbR) 2010-2012 Professor for Architecture at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art 2012-2016 Managing Partner Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei GmbH & Co. KG 2017-2021 Partner Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei GmbH & Co. KG Since 2021 Partner of Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Architekten PartGmbB, Berlin