Author Description

Querkraft?s intention was to create a durable building with multiple uses. In fact, it is already a hybrid building. The former shops have returned to the ground floor zone facing Mariahilfer Straße. A hostel with 345 beds in twin bed-rooms and dormitories has been accommodated on the fifth and sixth floors. The top is crowned by a 2000-square metre roof terrace, which in agreement with the City of Vienna is open to the public even outside opening hours with no obligation to order food or drinks. This mixed use concept, with possibly totally different ones in future, is facilitated by a ten-by-ten-metre column grid and services shafts placed exclusively along the exterior walls. 0As a result, there are no constraints regarding the use of the floor areas measuring 50 by 60 metres. 0The theme of a versatile shelving unit is quite obviously also the characteris-tic feature of the outer appearance. The building has been enveloped with a structural framework made of white steel members, which reorganises the transition between the public realm and the building interior, creating both a sense of distance and space. On the one hand, the framework protects the facade from direct sunlight and provides space for the interior to extend into loggias and balconies; on the other hand, it accommodates ser-vicing elements, such as lifts, escape staircases, sanitary rooms and technical installations, as well as the most significant design feature: trees planted in massive pots. The city demanded the development of an arcade along Maria-hilfer Straße to improve the formerly very cramped situation at the tram stops. The result achieved through the shelving system is, in fact, much better. The setback of the enclosed space has not only resulted in a greater distance to the neighbours but also more pub-lic space. In contrast to an arcade, it is not even fully covered due to the open character of the framework structure.