Visitor Center
March 2009
In progress
This project involves the design of a visitor center for local South Styrian producers on the site of an existing warehouse, wholesale shop, and company offices. The constraints of the site boundaries and the need for continued access to the existing structure largely determined the placement of the new building. In an attempt to recycle existing structural components, the new building acts partially as a wrapper, draped over the existing shop and office. The exhibition spaces, cafe, and lobby atrium turn at the corner of the site and face a medieval fort on the other side of the river. Due to the controlled environment of the exhibition spaces, the facade is mostly blind with the exception of large glazed surfaces at the entrance, shop, and cafe. A roof deck can be accessed from the cafe which opens to views of the fort beyond. The facade is clad in long aluminum panels that create a pattern of shifting colors adding speed and directionality to the building mass. The color shift is concentrated at the sharpest corner of the building where visitors drive under the structure to access a parking lot in the back.
Client: Polz Wine
Location: South Styria, Austria
Principal use: Visitor Center
Site area: 4500 m2
Building area: 1300m3
Total floor area: 1700m2
Number of stories: 2F
Structure: Reinforced concrete + steel
Design team: Gregorio S. Lubroth, Chieh-shu Tzou, Sarah Schneider
