WIEN MUSEUM NEU ON KARLSPLAZ
DESIGN OF A PUBLIC PLACE - A SPACE FOR EVERYONE
Location: Vienna, Austria
THE CONCEPT
In addition to the needs of the place, the concept of the project is to use an extended area in order to host exhibitions of artistic works, showing the desire to create a new public place: the City Museum, which serves not only as a cultural center but also as an attraction in the context of socialization and aggregation of the square. Our goal is to design a space for everyone: for this reason the extension of the building on Karlplatz, obtained by alternating solids and voids, shapes and models, would make it a point of reference of primary importance. The amphitheater, where benches are installed and where it is therefore possible to enjoy a break at the end of the visit to the museum or a moment of relaxation, is a filter area that slowly dissolves the building towards the outside and in the same way allows to the context of becoming an integral part of the museum. The choice of form, a quarter of an ellipse, arises from the need to create a relationship between the new design contribution and the existing design, characterized by strongly sinuous elements. However, this choice does not appear to have been made in the second part of the project, dedicated to the added volume, as an attempt is made to provide related destinations with a wider range of spaces characterized by more functional shapes. To complete the building, in this case it was decided to add a glass crown that follows the boundary line, extends only on one side and rests on the building on the other, creating a sort of covered passage and taking the place of the existing ones that arrive at Brucknerstraße and Technikerstraße. This extension leads to the last two floors, dedicated to exhibitions, from which it is possible to have a wonderful view of the whole square and in particular of the Karlskirche. The idea of the project is also based on the maintenance and complete conservation of the internal courtyard, an architectural element that belongs to the local culture.
THE PROJECT
The project envisages the insertion of two important elements: the elliptical space, limited to the basement, and the last two extension floors that complete the building; consequently, the new internal distribution system links the functions and volumes introduced. All interventions respect the facades, considered historical and architectural heritage. The new functional scheme preserves the main entrance to the museum, which can be reached from the atrium. From there you can directly access the central area of Vienna; nearby there is also a bar where you can read and from which you can admire the model of the city. On the ground floor, away from the entrance area, there are further spaces for reading and studying and an events area for artistic performances. In the vicinity of the main body are the central staircase and the elevator. The first floor is completely dedicated to the management of the museum and is inaccessible to the visitor. On the second floor we find the entire part of the study rooms and an area including the offices, necessary for the preparation of events and exhibitions. On the third and fourth floors, the museum reopens the public function: the two newly built volumes are in fact completely dedicated to exhibition functions. Designed with the heights and lighting necessary to guarantee any type of display, these spaces form the heart of the museum. Like the other floors, they also have an internal corridor flanking the central courtyard of the building, along which visitors can walk enjoying a 360-degree view of the square below. From the exhibition area, transformed thanks to the vertical central connections, there is direct access to the personal items deposit on the ground floor and then complete the experience in the basement, where there is a shop and a bar. You then leave the museum and enter a newly designed space; the latter, conceived as an amphitheater, will become a place of aggregation and socialization. Further on we find the external staircase, necessary to allow the connection to the surrounding square, flanked by green areas. The services located in the basement (coffee area and shop) overlook the new surrounding rooms thanks to the presence of a continuous glass wall, in order to minimize the division between inside and outside.