Playing with Waves on the Port
Hafenportal Linz, office building
The 1st-prize-winning design for a Hafenportal – a gateway to the port – in the form of a sustainable office building establishes links with both Linz’s port area and the city center. As a homage to the nearby Danube, we elegantly integrated the river’s gentle waves into the facade in the form of a subtle motif.
Integrated expertise for intelligent solutions
The Port of Linz is one of the largest ports on the Upper Danube and an international economic hub. The LINZ AG group of companies manages the entire trading port complex and decided to construct a flexible office building with retail space as a means of fully exploiting the economic potential of the site. We designed – on the basis of an existing masterplan and in consortium with ATP sustain and Hinterwirth Architekten – the large-scale sustainable Hafenportal, which slips efficiently into its surroundings, while also enjoying a formal relationship with the city center.
In close collaboration with ATP sustain, we developed a holistic concept that sets the building apart both economically and ecologically. By optimising orientation, building form and envelope, solar shading, and rooftop greenery, we implemented passive measures to reduce energy demand. At the same time, we proposed innovative solutions in technical building services as active measures, leveraging synergies in an intelligent way. Given that buildings of this type require cooling, heating, and high ventilation rates throughout the year, we capitalised on this situation by complementing the highly efficient circuit system with an energy swing:
This ensures that heating and cooling are provided simultaneously and as needed, with partial support from a heat pump. The proximity to the Danube enables ‘free cooling’ to condition indoor spaces, while the potential for night ventilation is maximised via mechanical ventilation to cool the building overnight.
Katharina Thullner
Energy and Sustainability Expert
ATP sustain
Loadbearing facade with the moving waves of the Danube
In order to meet the client’s wishes for flexible office use, we developed a loadbearing facade. This is particularly notable for its vertical white strips, whose varying widths generate denser and less dense areas of facade and, hence, an effect that recalls the rhythm of the waves on the river.
The Danube itself inspired our facade design. And, at the same time, the almost columnless structure offers the opportunity to provide cellular, combi, and also open-plan offices in office units with a wide range of sizes.
Dario Travaš
ATP Partner and Head Designer in Wien
Cutting out, dividing, and exploiting “to the full”
From the starting point of the solid volume of the existing masterplan, we were driven by the guiding principle of “Designing from the Solid.” In order to ensure that the offices, in particular, benefit from well-lit zones and attractive views, we created two cutouts with large areas of glazing in the seven-story volume: While these offer views of the green landscape along the Danube from one side of the building, they provide a panoramic view of the city center from the other. The concept also includes a division at ground floor level that ensures that buses and trams can continue to circulate freely.
