The Studio
Stone | Sculpture | Restoration | Monument Preservation
Experience
Rossatz Studio is a restoration company that has been grown solidly over the last three decades. Initially trading as a one-man operation, our founder, "Erich Pummer", worked as a freelancer for the Austrian Federal Monuments Office, in the Vienna Arsenal, restoring sculptures and small monuments. Today, our workshop in Rossatz employs over 25 professionals, some of whom have been working with us continuously for over 25 years, with many having been trained by the company for stone sculpting and restoring.
The many challenges of monument preservation require the broadest scope of employee training.
We permanently employ stone sculptors and stone masons, academic restorers, construction engineers, trained specialist restorers (gilders, stucco plasterers) and other specialists (Nd:YAG lasers, IT, digital photography). This helps us to guaranty a consistent level of quality, which in turn ensures a steady flow of commissions. As general contractors, we have also proven our ability to carry out large-scale projects of high complexity - from concept to execution (e.g. Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Vienna; Mohammed Mosque and Maiden Tower in Baku) - in accordance to the expectations, and satisfaction, of our clients.
The preservation work is carried out in accordance to the principles of absolute authenticity and the faithful restoration of historical information, while at the same time respecting the effects of aging on sculptures, monuments and facades (International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, Venice 1964).
It is also very important to our clients that our workshop is able to operate for generations to come, and that our many years of experience are not lost, but continue to flourish.
Erich Pummer, Curriculum Vitae
Experience cannot be studied or purchased – only acquired!
Innovation
The possibilities and methods in conservation have increased significantly and continued to develop over the last 40 years. Many previous methods and materials have disappeared, while new ones have been discovered and invented. Of course, it is not possible to experiment on monuments or artworks, but in order to ensure successful conservation and to conquer corrosion and dilapidation, we must constantly pursue new methods.
Our restoration programme includes innovative, tried and tested methods: Contactless laser cleaning techniques, superheated steam cleansing, low-pressure drying and mist jet techniques, deep-acting strengthening using the patented Vacuum-Conservation-Method, demineralisation methods (jet compression, vacuum flushing), masonry and archway stabilizing injections, reconstructions and additions faithful to materials and style, polychrome facades, stucco conservation and additions, as well as museum-quality stone sculpture work and replicas. We use a wide range of self-developed and tried and tested restoration mortars and other formulas.
Our new developments and refinements in the area of VAC-low-pressure conservation were awarded prizes for innovation by the German Foundation for Monument Protection and the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in 2010.
Thanks to our great wealth of experience, we also perform restoration appraisals of historic facades and objects and develop restoration concepts collaborating with specialist laboratories and the Austrian Federal Monuments Office. At the same time we help manage other monument conservation projects.
Innovation and development as a result
of scientific findings and practical experience!
Quality
Experience and innovation are vital in order to offer quality restorations. The restoration itself can only be performed by reliable specialists.
Our long list of reference projects provides interested clients, monument preservationists or owners of historical buildings an overview of our services.
Monument preservation and restoration demands a great responsibility towards our cultural heritage. Meeting this quality requirement is far more important to us than short-term economic matters.
In Austria, contracts tend to be awarded based on price alone, which is, unfortunately, also the reason for so many failures. The short, two to three years statutory warranty period has only served to strengthen the market for low-cost providers.
We can offer longer warranty periods for restorations performed by our workshop in accordance with our concept and tailored to the specific situation.
This philosophy has generated a large number of contracts for us over the last 40 years, which despite years of weathering and use still serve as excellent references.
Our workshop can point to satisfied customers in Germany, Liechtenstein, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Russia, Azerbaijan and many throughout Austria.
Quality restorations
not only preserve budgets in the long term,
but also valuable original materials.
Ordinary memberships of trade associations
- Österreichischer Restauratorenverband ÖRV (Austrian association of restorers)
- Deutscher Verband der Restauratoren VDR (German association of restorers)
- Guild of Austrian sculptors and stonemasons
- Berufsvereinigung der Bildenden Künstler Österreichs (Association of Austrian fine artists)
Representative Office
Representative Office Baku, Azerbaijan
Specializations
- Restoration and conservation
- Sculptor and masonry work
- General contracting
- Archaeological objects
- Stone monuments
- Stone sculptures
- Facades
- Terracotta
- Majolica
- Stucco
- Plaster