Berger+Parkkinen

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Office- Building on the "Franz- Josefs- Kai" in Vienna 1st district

Being located in the historic center of Vienna, position and heights of the two street-facades are fixed in the building codes for the area.On the back the site is enclosed by 2 huge fire walls of neighboring buildings. Leaving out of account a cramped inner courtyard, only the street side facades offer the quality of daylight and an open view over the town and the waterside.
The volume of the building develops in 2 independent layers. One referring to the logic of the town block - the other to the inner logic of the building.

The Morphology of Light
In need for exposure to sunlight the skin of the body is enlarged by deep folds.
By these means, following the example of nature, the surface is increased by 42%.
Daylight penetrates deep into the building volume, leaving a dark spot only for services, elevators and the stairs.

This body is concealed by a second skin.
A single-glazing-facade following exactly the confines of the town-block is building up a buffer zone between workspace and town, serving as climate-buffer a sound protection to the 4-lane drive and allowing natural ventilation all through the year.

The ground-plan forms the shape of a 3-finger hand.
The quay of the „Donaukanal“ and the historic „Rudolfsplatz“ can be viewed from almost any point in the building.
Every floor offers a continuous, open space with high flexibility for various work-concepts.
A set of only nine columns is supporting the 8 office floors.
The plan is open to future developments regarding the use.

The Building as a Remedy
The surrounding buildings are hermetic and without public use in the ground-floor. In the evening hours and during weekends the whole area suffers of a lack of social self-control.
To improve the quality of the quarter, the ground floor is conceived as a semi-public space.
The entrance hall and the commercial areas are melting to a threshold between town and house.
As a meeting point this zone adds an attractive social component to the office-building and radiates its vitality beyond the confines of the building. The transparent and open character of the house is understood as an impulse to improve the urban quality of the quarter.

Client: Zürich Kosmos Versicherungen AG

Built Volume: 32.992 m_

Total Floor Area: 9.018 m_

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