Visitor Center

Planning Date: 2024
Usable Area: 4000m2

Architecture: Mina Yaney
Structural Engineering: Bollinger+Grohmann

For the European competition which was initiated by the historic Belvedere Museum in Vienna, the brief  was to develop an underground visitor center. The challenge here was to design within a historical and highly protected building ensemble.

For us the most important question was: How can an underground architecture be developed which appropriately integrates the highly sensitive, Baroque, and heritage-protected context while simultaneously ensuring an economical and efficient organization of functions and visitor flow?

The powerful and dramatic aesthetics of the Baroque, are translated into an „invisible“ spatial experience. The new Visitor Center thus follows the concept: „Baroque as an Experiential Space“

A gradual underpass leads from Prinz-Eugen-Straße to the underground Visitor Center. This forms a large-scale architectural continuum along the west-east axis, integrating itself into the Baroque overall complex.

The Visitor Center consists of an elongated tract measuring approximately 130 x 30 meters. This allows for a column-free, continuous corridor of 130 x 9 meters, serving as a connecting element between various functions.

Key Features of the Design:

1. Spatialization of Baroque Axiality:
   The large scale and symmetrical structure of the Belvedere and the public square are extended underneath the ground and architecturally reinterpreted.
   
   

2. Efficient Organization of Visitor Flows:
   A linear sequencing of functions along the new urban corridor ensures an economical and effective onboarding system. This enables a reduction of business, restaurant, and museum signage to a minimum, as required by the BDA.
   
   

3. Multifunctional Urban Corridor:
   The approximately 1500 m² „red carpet“ serves not only as a foyer but also as a multimedia gathering, interaction, and event space. This allows for flexible and versatile usage options.
   
   

4. Reenactment of the „Baroque“ as an Experiential Space:
   The unique architectural continuum forms the foundation for a modern interpretation of the Baroque spatial experience, creating a cohesive yet diverse perceptual layer.
   
   

The new Visitor Center combines historical sensitivity with contemporary efficiency. By integrating Baroque principles into an underground spatial structure, an innovative, sustainable, and functionally optimized architecture emerges—one that respects the spirit of the place while opening up new possibilities for spatial utilization.