Hofer was born in Bozsok, Hungary on 8 May 1931.  He studied at the Budapest Technical University when he gained his bachelorS and masters degrees.  His career and his style were affected by the politics and trends of the age, to the point where many of Hofer's buildings  are a stark reminder of social realism and authoritarianism.

The architect worked up until his death and was writing a letter to a high school in Győr the day before he passed away. He had been immersed in the planning of 50 buildings for Hűvösvölgyi út and had spent the previous summer on site inspecting the work.

Hofer was proudest of the communal structures he created.  These include the István Széchenyi High School in Győr, the main building of the Capitol's Water Company, the Avas TV tower, among many.  He was also involved in the design and construction of the Elephant & Castle complex in south London when he worked in London for the Hungarian architect Ernő Goldfinger.

Besides working as an architect, he also enjoyed teaching and taught in London, Vienna and Graz.

He won the prestigious Hungarian Mikós Ybl Prize in 1964, and was awarded the Széchenyi Prize in 1998 for his lifetime achievement in architecture.

Győr, Transport college (1974)

While his designs are considered to be important in recent architectural history, they might be remembered more for their ability to transform rather than their original design.  One of Hofer's buildings used to sit on the corner of Roosevelt Square, sandwiched between the National Academy of Sciences and the Gresham Palace.  Considered to be an exceptional example of "Hungarian brutalism," the aggressive prison-like building was resdesigned and redeveloped.  The same has happened in Elephant & Castle, where the original unpleasant building has been developed as apartments and offices.

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