Querkraft Architects - VIT Wintergärten Showroom in Asperhofen, Austria

Friday, 13 February 2009 02:06

Built next to the highway, the building hosts a showroom dedicated to industrial products. The site happens to be on a steep slope. The architects creatively exploited this attribute that helped them to provide a greater visibility of the project to the people driving by.

Rather than altering the site with terraces, Querkraft opted for a more subdued treatment of the landscape, preserving the natural topology.

The main part of the building, the showroom, seem to float on top of the sloping site, projecting itself towards the highway in the form of a pipe; a clear tribute to the industrial products displayed inside it. The pipe opens itself while facing the highway, drawing the attention of the drivers to the products on display.

Two annexed pipes, containing the main entrance as well as the offices, flank this main volume. “The intersection of simple and clear construction modules creates an unmistakeable object.”

As stated by the architects, they designed this project as an « eye catcher... An expressive construction attracts attention as premises for a commercial firm. The heavily used main road becomes a “spectators gallery”. The underlying ground is only slightly touched by the building, which hovers at the edge of the road.»