ArchAUSTRIA 04|04
To share my impressions of the wonderful journey that my colleagues and I had. Traveling with one architect is fun, but traveling with seven is indescribable. The program is clear and concise, we look at the marked buildings (and those that are not on the list, but catch our eye), without pampering. today I will take you to Fügen, Wales and Linz.
We start the walk with the surprise of the day, FeuerWerk HolzErlebnisWelt, which was not officially on the list. Fügen, a wood processing plant, is much more than that. The architect was Helmut Reitter, and construction began in September 2003 and was completed in March 2005. The main function is combined with the ecological production of biomass, part of which is used to generate heat needed to dry the wood. guess what they do with the heat from the rest of the biomass? Supplying the neighboring town of Fügen with green heat. I say "green" because the entire production line complies with the notorious Kyoto Protocol, an international document adopted in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, which states that signatories must drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The complex has a storage and production base, a museum of wood, a roof garden terrace and a bar with amazing views of the Alps. If you haven't seen the Alps yet, I highly recommend that you include them in your list of must-see destinations. Majestic view!
It cannot escape the eye of how wood is everywhere and stimulates the senses with appearance, wonderful fragrance and touch. It is there as a gray façade cladding, as if just placed in the interior, again warm and fragrant.
The lens captures the exquisite details at every turn.
Past the next building, Welios, Wales, we passed by accident, but came back as quickly as possible. It was dark and the only thing visible was the glowing RGB strips on the façade. The building was designed by archinauten / dworschak + mühlbachler architekten and opened in the spring of 2011. The function is inspired by Exploratorium, something we have been dreaming of here in Bulgaria for all eternity. Namely, to gain educational experience with the participation of all the senses, to play and learn.
Just before we came here, we were excited to discover the JoyStation we designed in Studentski grad, Sofia, where we use RGB light in many different ways. Here the façade is made of white cut sheet metal, something we really approve of and it pleased our eyes during our entire architectural and tourist tour.
We also stopped at the Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz on the south bank of the Danube. Designed by Weber & Hofer and opened in 2003
The building is an art museum, housing exhibition halls, a panoramic restaurant, a library, a place for workshops and a training room for graphic arts.
And finally, the highlight of the evening Ars Electronica Center, Linz, located on the north bank of our beloved Danube. Designed by Treusch architecture and opened on January 2, 2009, strange as it may sound, the current building is a reconstruction of this. It's functioning as a museum of electronic arts, and in its huge exhibition area it has gathered the creative work of the most high-tech laboratories around the world.
From the outside, the building we can only say - crazy! It's like a museum of the future, as its fellow citizens call it. We loose the perception of time and space.
The roof-terrace above the lower body is shaped amphitheatrically. On the square in front the concerts are performed against the background of the high museum body shining in constantly changing bright colors and figures.
Fits perfectly into the night glowing silhouette of the Danube.
For the end of our evening walk you can see a video of the building.
