Via Donau administration, Aschach a.d. Donau (AT)
New building,
Timber construction
Client: via donau - Österreichische Wasserstraßen GmbH
Location: A-4082 Aschach an der Donau, Schopperplatz
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Design: Helmut Dietrich, Much Untertrfaller
Competition: 2016, 1. prize
Construction time: 2017 – 2018
Area: 564 m²
Programme: Offices, foyer and multifunctional meeting room (16 workstations)
Photos: Bruno Klomfar
Team
Catharina Maul (Project management), Florian Xander
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics concrete: Gerhard Gschwandtl ZT, Vienna
Statics timber: KPZT – DI Kurt Pock structural engineering, Klagenfurt
Building services, electrics: RoomBuus, Linz
Building physics: IBO Austrian Institute for Building and Ecology, Vienna
Landscape: Kieran Fraser, Vienna
Sustainable timber construction by the river
The elongated, warehouse-like, single-storey timber construction of the Upper Danube Valley Service Centre and the Shipping Supervision Office blends unagitatedly and naturally into the existing ensemble on the banks of the Danube. Nevertheless, it is able to redefine the location and give it an unmistakable identity.
Floating on the high-water platform, its subtle elegance radiates far into the river space and appropriately enhances the interplay of longitudinally orientated timber volumes and transversely positioned, solid rural buildings.
The interplay of more or less paved areas results in a natural, simple open space design that tells a story full of variety. Diversity of use and maximum freedom of movement for people and nature are a key feature of this riverside landscape characterised by movement and change. The new administration building thus sets contemporary standards with an exemplary ecological footprint.
Readable functions
Slightly angled and raised, the gable emphasises the central entrance, which is accessible via ramps. The foyer and the multifunctional meeting room with a terrace in front are clearly recognisable from the outside. The deep vertical wooden slats facing the Danube emphasise the physicality of the building and also provide shade to prevent overheating in summer. As a result, the large glass surfaces can remain free and allow an unobstructed view of the water.
Diversity of use and
lowest energy standard
The workstations for the service centre's 16 employees can be flexibly partitioned and offer a wide range of possible uses. The warm wooden surfaces and light-flooded rooms create a pleasant working environment. The highly insulated, resource-saving timber frame construction and low-tech service components enable extremely low energy standards despite the relatively large outer shell.
