Eisenhofer was born in the Austrian town of
Spittal an der Drau on 14 November 1926, and studied
architecture at the
Kunstakademie in
Vienna after the Second World War. Eisenhofer emigrated to
New Zealand in 1953 in a group of almost 200 skilled Austrian tradesmen contracted to build 500 pre-cut Austrian
state houses in
Tītahi Bay (
Porirua). After the completion of the project, Eisenhofer gained New Zealand residency and began working at the
Department of Housing in
Wellington. In the late 1950s he went into partnership with fellow Austrian architect Erwin Winkler, setting up practice at 108
Cuba Street, Wellington. Their style adhered to the principles of the modern movement, heavily influenced by architects such as
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and
Charles Eames. Eisenhofer married Helen Rickard in 1955, and the couple had three children. Eisenhofer became a naturalised New Zealander in 1960. who practised "uncompromised high-style modernism". He is noted for his stylish, modern design in 1964 of Suzy's Coffee Lounge in Willis Street, Wellington, which is the subject of the 1967 oil-on-hardboard painting, ''At Suzy's Coffee Lounge'', by
Rita Angus. For much of his career, Eisenhofer's work has focused on
solar gain and a relationship to the surrounding landscape. His own home was dome-shaped, built four metres underground and made from
ferro-cement. The large north-facing glass wall regulates the temperature by slowly heating the ground floor through summer. This heat is then gradually released during winter. Inside, the home has a swimming-pool and a tropical garden. In the
2010 New Year Honours, Eisenhofer was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to architecture. Eisenhofer died at his home at
Peka Peka on 27 July 2023, at the age of 96. His wife, Helen Eisenhofer, died in October 2024. ==References==