Querkraft – The New Foyer of the Technisches Museum Wien

An exterior view of the Technische Museum Wien in Vienna with the new entrance foyer building in the foreground; photo © Herta Hurnaus courtesy of Querkraft Architects

The new entrance foyer of the Technisches Museum Wien by Querkraft Architekten

Introduction by Federica Lusiardi, Inexhibit
If we think that visiting a museum should be an “out of the ordinary” experience, a museum entrance foyer, along with being a space providing a specific set of services to the public, should also be capable of effectively introducing such a captivating experience. To conceive a museum foyer hence requires giving a solution to various constraints, technical and functional of course, but also perceptive and emotional.

The re-design of the entrance foyer of the Technical Museum in Vienna by Querkraft Architekten presented here is an example of a smart approach to the theme since a single, repeated element fulfills most of the requirements of an up-to-date public space.
Given the need to improve the physical and emotional qualities of the long-outdated entrance of the Technical Museum in Vienna, Querkraft created their version of the “dendriform column”. The non-structural, tree-shaped envelopes introduced by the Austrian practice, along with acting as shading aids, also provide seating for the public, acoustic absorption, and lighting. Not less important, they also radically contribute to the playful and fascinating atmosphere of the TMW new entrance hall.

TMW Technical Museum Vienna – new foyer and shop
Design and planning: Querkraft (Jakob Dunkl, Gerd Erhartt, Peter Sapp)
Project architect:  Dominique Dinies
Project team: Carmen Hottinger, Lola Rieger, Robert Haranza, Lisi Wieser, Christoph Fraundorfer, Aleca Bunescu, Corinna Bach
Executive architect: Querkraft zt gmbh, Wien.

Ab interior view of the new foyer; photo © Peter Sedlacek, courtesy of Querkraft Architekten 

The TMW Technical Museum Vienna – text by Querkraft Architekten
During the summer of 2010, the Technical Museum Vienna together with Querkraft Architekten designed a new entrance foyer and museum shop.
A modern museum service requires a correspondingly modern level of service – for this purpose space is a must. Older museum buildings are challenged to expand and modernize whilst remaining attached to their existing historical structures. In the 1990s the technical museum faced precisely this difficulty as it tried to gain more space for a larger entrance foyer, a new museum shop and café as well as sufficient amenities, cloakroom space, and ticketing capacity. The architectural solution that was chosen in the 1990s was a steel-glass box placed in front of the existing historical structure. This solution proved problematic on a few levels shortly after its opening in 1999. The foyer was dominated by large temperature fluctuations, poor acoustics, and ventilation, as well as less-than-optimal visitor circulation. A competition followed in which Querkraft Architekten managed to convince the 6-person jury with their design.

Photo © Peter Sedlacek, courtesy of Querkraft Architekten 

The basic principles of the new design
The basic principle of design is the creation of a clear master plan and visitor circulation with an accompanying welcoming emotional atmosphere, as well as improving the building physics. In the middle of the design, the solution is multifunctional pieces of furniture made of glass-fiber reinforced plastic and fabric. These ‘trees’ provide seating, shade, and acoustic absorption and at night they serve as illuminating bodies that fill the room with white or blue glowing light. The objects, which resemble trees and can be perceived as an innuendo to the relationship between technology and nature, formally envelope the steel columns and allow a view through the glass ceiling and onto the historical façade.
The shop, which has to do with little floor space, receives new, flexible moveable furnishings for the presentation of products – aligned with the overall design principle.
The realized design from Querkraft Architekten reveals a definite architectural statement, which communicates with the existing structure and at the same time fulfills the functional requirements of a modern museum entrance.

Photo © Herta Hurnaus, courtesy of Querkraft Architekten 

The Museum of Technology in Vienna
Founded in 1909 by Emperor Franz Joseph and housed in an imposing neoclassical building, the Technisches Museum Wien is one of the oldest institutions of its kind dedicated to technology.
The permanent exhibition, divided into 6 sections, depicts topics ranging from transport to telecommunications, from everyday objects to energy-production technologies.

TMW – Technisches Museum Wien
Mariahilfer Straße 212, Vienna
+43-1-89998-0
museumsbox@tmw.at
https://www.technischesmuseum.at/en
Open daily, except January 1, May 1, and December 25 and 31