Maschinenring Office Building
The new building in St. Johann im Pongau houses the provincial office of Maschinenring Salzburg. Managing director Rudolf Huber asked for a timber construction with high energy efficiency and concrete core thermal activation. With the participation of the engaged client, the architect could successfully realize all planning details down to the design of the furniture.
The massive wood construction is statically and structurally optimized. The 28 heterarchical one and two-person offices stipulated in the spatial program were all similarly designed as 20-square-meter standard units, which extend out onto balconies through a room-height window front. Sound-absorbing loden canvases and linoleum desk surfaces – intentionally designed as a dark contrast – enhance the pleasant working atmosphere.
The addition and stacking of equal office units across all three storeys result in a harmoniously proportioned building volume structured by balcony zones. At the heart of the floor plan is the functional core. With the concrete core thermal activation it serves the double role of structural reinforcement while collecting energy from the solar thermal installation on the flat roof.
A one-storey annex accompanies the garage ramp along the neighboring lot and spatially frames the entry zone of the main building. The projecting plinth in front of the office creates a forecourt with a fountain and a recessed, roofed entrance area. In this ample foyer the haptic quality of the seemingly monolithic, chiseled concrete core coalesces with the calm and cultivated aura of the silver fir, which gives the timber structure a refined outer surface: the outdoor cladding is rough sawn and untreated, inside is sanded, and for the furniture it is also oiled.
