2003, St.Magdalen
Technology Park Villach St.Magdalen
2000 Competition/ 1st Prize
masterplan + case studies/ sample designs, 27 ha
1999-2003
Partners
Con
Team
'Arge UrLaub' (Rajakovics /
transparadiso, Dengler, Kletzl,
Knaller-Vlay / Proksch / Land in Sicht)
Paul Vabitsch, Volker Ruoff, Gerhard
Müller, Lotte Schreiber
The site for the new technology park is located on the border of Villach in Carynthia (Southern Austria) next to the river Drau. The development plan and urban design are based on the following aspects: The landscape and nature of the flood plain forest along the river Drau are used strategically for creating a specific quality beyond the usually simple architecture of companies in a technology park. The project works with the original image of a dense wood along the river Drau, from which "islands" for the buildings of the technology park are cut out so that the representation of the individual buildings steps back in favor of nature. The companies are represented by a logo-area above the roof overlooking the wood–which can be seen widely from the adjacent stilted highway. The goal of the project is to achieve a poetic image of a unique "corporate identity" of the technology park as a whole.
The backbone of the urban design is a "strip" which offers the main access to the islands, creating an urban boulevard open for a multiplicity of programs. A development plan designates site and number of "islands" hosting the companies in different types of islands according to size and content. The maximum height of 22 meters corresponds with the treetops of the full-grown wood. On the strip, the individual entry points to the islands are marked by "satellites" as signifiers of specifically developed urban programs like "friends for 24 hours", "body-biotope", "care", "blow up".....
An artificial, naked hill punches through the treetops representing an attractive view-point. An artificial bay next to the boarding house (which might be integrated into the hill) would houseboats for various leisure activities. "Strip" and "hill" and special leisure facilities rupture the mono-functional character of a technology park creating new ways of representation and networking of innovative companies.
Project
Client campus technology park Villach, 27 ha
Progress competition first level: 09/99
Competition second level: 11/99 1st prize
Design concept and master plan 05/2000
Opening 2003 (concept not realized)