After successful completion of the course, students are able to work on a design task for which the concept of space and the understanding of spatial relationships form the starting point of the problem. They learn to deal critically with basic questions of museum space, in particular by addressing a specific context and the questions derived from it about dealing with location, existing buildings and cultural and urban planning history.
Viennese spaces
Museum of the city at Heumarkt
The Heumarkt area is located in Vienna's 3rd district and includes the Hotel InterContinental Wien, the Vienna Ice Skating Club, the Konzerthaus and the Akademietheater. The area is bordered by four streets: Johannesgasse, Am Heumarkt, Lothringerstraße and Lisztstraße. The development of this urban fragment reveals many layers and histories, on the basis of individual buildings and as an overall complex, as a product of processes, as social, political and economic procedures – as a collective artefact.
The development of the area begins with the construction of the Ringstrasse from 1859 and gains form and contour in the late 19th century through the regulation of the river Wienfluss, which took place at the same time as the construction of the city railway. Buildings from this period include the previous structure for the Vienna Ice Skating Club by Ludwig Baumann, the Wienfluss-Portal by Ohmann and Hackhofer, and later the Concert House and Academy Theatre by Fellner and Hellmer with Baumann. These buildings followed precisely defined sets of rules that created a spatial and structural continuity in the urban space, although they are very different in their respective architectural expressions: they continued to write existing spatial structures in large-scale forms and in finer differentiations of their volumetry.
After the Second World War, the urban conditions at the Heumarkt changed again: with the help of the Marshall Plan, the American Hotel InterContinental was built. Self-confidently, the large architectural form breaks with historical conditions, forms a formal contrast to its surroundings and presents itself as a sign of the US claim to leadership in post-war Europe. About one third of the Vienna Ice Skating Club was ceded for the construction. In return, the Vienna Ice Skating Club received financial resources and modernised buildings. The resulting building ensemble of hotel and skating club follows international modernism and from a historical point of view is today an important document of contemporary history.
Since the sale of the area to a private investor in 2012, discussions have been going on about a controversial plan for the redevelopment of the area, which includes the addition of a tower as well as the demolition and new construction of the hotel and the adjacent ice skating rink. Especially the construction of a higher tower on this site triggered an intense cultural-political discussion. Of significance is the so-called "Canaletto View", which goes back to a painting by Bernardo Bellotto, called Canaletto.
The painting from 1761 shows visual axes and urban spatial relationships: an ideal image with political symbolic power that has relevance to the present day and serves as a reference in planning issues. To what extent is this depiction of the city an expression of a past political and social order that no longer corresponds to today's reality? What relevance does it have today in the field of tension between processes of change in the city and the need for conservation in the sense of world cultural heritage? Is the cityscape specifically transformed into an exhibit via this image/view?
The Heumarkt area as a building site requires an intensive examination of the site.
Where and in what form can further construction take place on the site? What architecture should this site receive today in relation to the existing buildings? How does history influence the further development of the site? How can urban structures be rethought or redefined?
The Stadtmuseum am Heumarkt is a place for exploring the theme of the city and its transformation processes in the 21st century in the field of tension between urban planning, architecture, urban space and the cityscape. Exhibitions, lectures and a media collection direct the focus on the city, making it an object of reflection, exploration and representation, while at the same time establishing a dialogue with the public.
Intro: https://tube1.it.tuwien.ac.at/w/83ZfU8i8qwQh1jXFYe9BY8
Theoretical basics, the analysis of typological references and volume studies form the introduction to the design work. In the course of the term, only spatial hand sketches are to complement the design work on the physical working models, with the help of which architectural questions are investigated. Only at the end of the term will the projects be processed through digital drawings, similar to an overall evaluation of the design. Regular assignments are intended to advance the development of the projects during the term and thus place an increased focus on the design process, underpinned by theoretical discussions of various relevant topics. The results of the groups of two are critically scrutinised and discussed at regular intervals by the students among themselves and with external guests.
Introduction: Thursday, 06.10.22 - 13:00 / Raumlabor
Weekly meetings will take place on Thursdays 9:00 am till 4:00 pm
Applications preferably with Portfolio
Please note that dates are subject to change!
