Getting Together in the Glasshouse
IMBA/GMI building at Vienna Biocenter, thermal remodeling of the south facade
A place of retreat, communication, and exchange: As part of the refurbishment, a glazed atrium was awakened from its slumbers and transformed into an attractive meeting zone. In combination with a new cafeteria, this now offers a wide range of possible uses to the researchers from the individual institutes on the campus.
Expanded range of spaces for informal exchange
The research building of the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), which was originally designed by Boris Podrecca, and the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI) have a striking outer glass facade and, behind this, a multistory atrium. This space was unused for years due to the single glazing, which ensured that it was too hot in summer and too cold in winter. We were commissioned to oversee the thermal refurbishment of the complex so that it could be used by the researchers – as originally planned – as a meeting point. In order to ensure the atrium’s central role as a place of exchange and communication, our redesign also included the creation of a new cafeteria.
Intelligent glass technology with dimmable solar protection
ATP’s integrated design process enabled us to develop a concept that guarantees an agreeable ambient climate, all year round, without blocking the view of the adjacent campus buildings. We did this by replacing the existing facade with an elegant, triple-glazed, post & rail structure. The special feature of this facade is the dimmable solar protection glass from the company E-Control, which enables the insolation to be controlled at an individual level. The g-values can be smoothly changed between 34 and 11 percent, which ensures that enough daylight enters the building at all times while the offices behind the atrium still enjoy views of the outside.
Relaxation with daylight and a view, coffee and art
Both the atrium and the new cafeteria, which we also designed, are easily accessible via a number of entrances at first floor level and from the terrace in front of the atrium. And researchers from the neighboring Institute for Molecular Pathology (another ATP project) can also reach the glasshouse via a bridge. The suspended timber slats on the ceiling of the cafeteria are repeated as a motif on the café counter as a way of underlining the comfortable spatial concept. The remodeled atrium has rapidly become a popular communications hub for the researchers of the Vienna Biocenter.
The lounge area, which contains so-called “Stadthalle seating” by Roland Rainer, lamps by Tom Dixon, stools from Arper, sofas from Marelli, and custom-made oak furniture completes the feel-good atmosphere in the space. A particular eye catcher with a message is the artwork by Lukas Troberg on the front of the atrium: The sentence “WHAT IF GOD WAS WRONG” – which is five meters wide and positioned at a height of 12 meters – is the artist’s response to the controversies surrounding the opportunities presented by genetics and changing human ideas about God.
