Office Building Rathausstraße 1

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

OFFICE BUILDING RATHAUSSTRASSE 1

Ostertag, Schuberth und Schuberth, Stadler Prenn

LOCATION
Vienna, Austria

AREA
12000 m²

PHOTOGRAPHS
Christoph Panzer

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Gmeiner I Haferl

INTERIOR DESIGN
Atelier Heiss ZT GmbH

MANUFACTURERS
Apavisa, Fritz Hansen, Hansgrohe, Atlas Schindler, IGP Powder Coatings, Laufen, Peneder, VitrA, Weitzer Parkett, Wever & Ducre, Wittmann, XAL, Zumtobel, Admonter Parkett, FLOS, Kvadrat, Mirrorinox, NBK Terractotta, Schuco

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Lindle + Bukor atelier für landschaft

CATEGORY
Office Buildings

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Strabag

FACADE PLANNER
MDE Metal Design Engineering GmbH, AFC Aluminium Fassaden Consulting GmbH

YEAR
2020

CONCEPT

The design won an open international architecture competition in 2013. The concept envisages the integration of an urban office building into a historical environment while taking a distinctive and contemporary approach.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

Although manifesting as a freestanding monolithic building, a perceptual grid interacts with its context.

The development out of the analytical parameter-trio: depth, material, and detailing is most prominently reflected in the outer façade cladding.

The Arcade, mezzanine, main and attic floors translate gradations of the Wilhelminian style houses – not last in its immediate surroundings.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

Large storey heights, attractive rooms and a sophisticated façade depart from the premise of creating a long-lasting building, which could also accommodate adaptations.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

On the inside, a generous central foyer expands towards the inner courtyard lying above by a glass roof.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

The office wings are structured by a flexible layout that can be used as an open plan or for cell offices and the surrounding and the climatically favourable double facade improves the individual comfort by openable windows.

BUILDING STRUCTURE:

The outlines of the volume are shaped by the building alignments of the surrounding town hall district.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

Also classic ‘wilhelminian’ spaces strategies have been integrated. At the ground floor an arcade opens up to a narrow pedestrian path while maintaining the alignment of buildings and the two corners of the building, which are facing the main street, are chamfered.

To support the experience of the mono-centrality of Vienna’s urban structure – which is considered as (a) characteristic of the World Heritage property ‘Historic Centre of Vienna’– the northern side of the building is shifted inwards from the historic building alignment line by four meters in order to maintain the sight at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral as the symbolic and visual centre of Vienna.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

THE FACADE:

The structural grid of the facade adapts its ‘wilhelminian’ neighbors in scale and structure. Horizontal bands, delicate incisions, and double-layered glass take the place of historical cornices.

Also, two floors are summarised as one unit. As such, the ground floor and mezzanine establishes the base level.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

An essential design feature of the floors above is the sophisticated double facade system.

It consists of a baffle plate facing the street and sash windows on the inside. Space in-between the panes is ventilated through incisions in the pillars and beams.

Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
© Christoph Panzer

This extended double-layered window system serves yet as another subtle contemporary translation of historic classical details, it is (a) reminiscent of the typical Viennese windows called “Kastenfenster”, box windows.

RE-USE:

Last but not least 90 percent of the former building has been kept in the recycle loop as reused raw material.


Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Height Comparison
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Technical Structure
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Plan - Attic floor
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Location


Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Rendering
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Collage


Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Facade Section And View
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Facade Detail


Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Black Plan 01
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Black Plan 02
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Plan - Ground Floor
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Plan - Standard Floor


Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Longitudinal Section
Office Building Rathausstraße 1
Cross Section