• © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

    © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

  • © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

    © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

  • © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

    © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

  • © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

    © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

  • © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

    © Wolfgang Thaler | Berger+Parkkinen

of

Corporate Offices (Under 10,000 sqm)

Former bank transformed into an editorial office in Vienna by Berger+Parkkinen

The architects of Berger+Parkkinen Associated Architects designed a versatile editorial office and TV studio for the Austrian media project Addendum in Vienna's seventh district

by Andrew McCorkell 08 July 2020

The concrete building at Siebensterngasse 21, a former bank from the late 70s, is flanked on both sides by historic buildings.

The ground floor opens up to a picturesque garden which is visible from the street.

By stringing together differentiated zones, Berger+Parkkinen Associated Architects were able to create a varied and spacious office landscape.

The entrance area serves as a reception but can also be used for informal meetings and smaller events.

The necessary infrastructure of a kitchenette is hidden behind a bright orange wall covering, opposite a large, blue velvet sofa.

As a contemporary interpretation of the open-plan typology, there are numerous possibilities for retreat and communication, in addition to the adjoining large workroom, including telephone boxes, small meeting rooms and a tea kitchen with a staff lounge.

The long worktables are reminiscent of old library tables, the tabletops in brushed, lightened oak are structured with the typical inlays of dark linoleum.

There are no assigned desks, the employees can freely choose their workspace.

Transforming the space

The vault not only formed the backbone of the bank but, with its metre-thick concrete walls, it is an unalterable element, which was successfully integrated into the open office plan.

By carving out the formerly clad exposed concrete, the massive size became more tangible.

The manual processing of the concrete in the 1970s, with rough tamped concrete surfaces on the side walls up to the high-strength concrete of the vault, became visible through the exposure.

The complex daylight situation in the existing building presented a particular challenge in the design of the office rooms.

Because of the windowless sidewalls, lighting was introduced from above, through the use of skylights. The lighting is staged via light pyramids.

The bright inside of the pyramids visually enhances the daylight by reflecting it.

This creates a virtual light horizon, above which all installations and constructions recede into shadow.

The large room can be structured with acoustically effective curtains via a rail system.

In this way, one half of the room can be quickly transformed into a lecture room for 60 people or around, intimate meeting room for a project team.

An extension of the office into the garden

Large-scale glazing makes the transition from the workroom to the garden appear fluid.

Depending on the time of year, employees benefit from the atmospheric view or can even use the courtyard garden as an open-air office.

The lush flora makes the courtyard space a small universe that naturally merges with the surrounding courtyards to form green scenery.

The garden invites the team and visitors alike to meet and linger on various wooden terraces, which extend the interior to the outside and provide an opportunity for everyone to eat or work together.


Want to submit your project to World Architecture News?

Contact The Team