Hall Schenkenstraße, Vienna (AT)
Refurbishment,
Building in existing structures
Client: GÖD - Gewerkschaft öffentlicher Dienst
Location: A-1010 Vienna, Schenkenstrasse 4 / Herrengasse
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Construction: 2019 – 2021Area: 800 m²
Programme: Event hall for 200 people, small hall with 60 seats
Photos: EMILBLAU_Martin Geyer
Team
Christina Kimmerle, Harald Eder, Luisa Dennig
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics, building physics: RWT Plus ZT, Vienna / building services: Zentraplan, Wiener Neustadt / electrics: Eipeldauer + Partner, Traiskirchen / lighting design: podpod design, Vienna / fire protection: Hoyer Brandschutz, Vienna / stage technology: Checkpointmedia, Vienna and Mediasystem, Gleisdorf
The event hall of the GÖD - Public Service Union in an unadorned 1970s building in the centre of Vienna no longer met today's requirements. The introverted orientation towards the inner courtyard and the unattractive side entrance were not very inviting, and the technology was outdated.
We turned the internal organisation around 180° and upgraded the hall with its own prestigious entrance from the forecourt. The previously retracted façade became a glazed entrance with a wide projecting canopy that marks the new entrance and invites people to enter. The bronze-coloured anodised aluminium cladding harmonises with the existing windows and yet has a very independent and contemporary look.
The newly designed forecourt leads into the spacious, bright foyer with cloakroom and snack bar. The large hall in the centre is located under the inner courtyard of the four-sided wing of the building and is evenly supplied with daylight via 24 round skylights. This "perforated ceiling" with striking reinforced concrete ribs lends the room a pleasant openness and lightness.
Next to it, in place of the old foyer, is a new small hall, which replaces the former meeting room without windows or daylight. The cloakroom, sanitary facilities and building services remain in their original location, but benefit from the improved internal organisation and circulation. The rooms were demolished down to their basic supporting structure at the start of the remodelling work.
Wall panelling made of oak-veneered acoustic panels with micro-perforations creates an inviting atmosphere. The surrounding functional and circulation areas are kept in a neutral white colour. White cement and very light-coloured cast terrazzo exude a subtle noblesse, but are also very robust and easy to clean. The oak wood of the halls is repeated in the built-in furniture of the snack bar and the cloakroom, linking the different room characters.
Technically, the rooms were brought up to date as far as the existing equipment allowed, especially the audiovisual equipment. This means that the hall can be used for a wide range of events, such as lectures, seminars, training courses, committee meetings, panel discussions, exhibitions, etc.
