Marie-Theres
Deutsch

Marie-Theres Deutsch was born in 1955 in Trier at the central western tip of Germany, into a family of five women and a father who was an architect. At the age of six, she knew: “I’m going to be an architect. Period.” And because in German the word “architect” was masculine, she of course used the descriptor for her own profession. After studying at a university of applied sciences, she progressed to the Städelschule in order to learn architecture from a very different perspective. Fast forward a little, and Deutsch had already designed the original Portikus, the Städelschule’s first exhibition space. This was followed by projects throughout the city and beyond, such as the Städelschule guest apartment, the revitalization of the Main riverside and of the building where she lived and worked. About 80 percent of her work involves modernizing existing structures. This requires a lot of craft skills, she says, and the designs are often defined by the costs. She attempts wherever possible to use existing resources. “A project in Westend converted an old coal cellar into a marvelous bistro. It required quite a lot of effort, but the location justifies that. Fundamentally, in our cities we should preserve what is economically viable and can still be used.”