KaDeWe Vienna Department Store
Proposal inspired by Vienna's architectural heritage
2019
Introduction
Snøhetta’s proposal for the new KaDeWe Vienna Department Store and its neighboring new hotel is built around the context of the site and the DNA of KaDeWe as a place of luxury. The scheme received 2nd prize in an international competition.
The site is located in Vienna’s busy shopping street, Mariahilfer Straße. Vienna’s historic first district and cultural hot-spots, such as the Museum Quarter and the Museum of Art History, lies in the vicinity of the project. References to the city’s rich history of architecture, art and culture have been employed in the creation of the new flagship destination, which is set out to be a place where commerce and culture meet.
Technical details
Signa
Hochform, Bollinger + Grohmann Ingenieure, ARUP, Bartenbach
A timeless crystalline façade inspired by Jugendstil creates an eye-catching reflection of the surroundings, encouraging the passers-by to stop and gaze at the exterior. A small gap separates the façade of the department store from the stone-textured façade of the hotel, and this separation helps to integrate the overall scheme into the urban grain.
Further paying homage to Vienna’s history is a Palmenhaus – a “greenhouse” hosting a restaurant that sits on the roof of the building. Palmenhaus and the public rooftop park provides a breath-taking view on the historic inner city. The design of the park is inspired by Viennese Baroque gardens.
The vertical journey through the interior spaces up to the Palmenhaus is staged as unique experience starting at the stunning façade and leading through the entrance as transition space, a “plaza” – an event space as extension of the public space – and a generous atrium space with an art stage. The central escalators create an emblematic image of the interior of the proposed KaDeWe Vienna.
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