Helena Weber studied music, focusing on concert violin studies, before turning to architecture. “There are many parallels,” she says. “For instance, the weighting and taking account of basic qualities, which works the same way across all levels of art.” The young award-winning architect who has been running her own firm in Dornbirn since 2008 and who sits on the board of the Vorarlberger Architektur Institut (vai) also thinks social aspects are important: what are the priorities for public authorities, what is the approach to residential building, do alternative concepts exist, are young and old people being brought together? “Particularly because both culture and society are always changing, we must try to maintain a balance within these processes,” says Helena Weber, who as far as possible also incorporates the setting and nature into her designs.