BEHF Ebner Hasenauer Ferenczy: Telegraf 7 - best architects 18

BEHF Ebner Hasenauer Ferenczy

Telegraf 7

best architects 18

interior work

Place

Vienna / Austria

Studio

www.behf.at

Photos

Hertha Hurnaus

Description

After spending the last decades in a deep sleep, a telegraph office under a preservation order which was built in the 19th century was converted into a contemporary office building. Two halls with particularly high ceilings on the main floor represent the heart of this architectural project. The task was to connect both halls and to create a new space for the headquarters of the real estate agency JP Immobilien. The centre of the architectural concept are two minimalistic glass boxes that serve as work space and seem to be detached from the existing historical inventory, looking like large pieces of furniture: A room-in-room construction, which was placed into the opulent telegraph halls featuring stuccos restored true to original, and colourful wall paintings. The historical fabric remains unaffected and finally becomes visible after years of being hidden from the public. Therefore, the room itself is a great highlight. In the glass boxes, there are office spaces and conference rooms. On their upper surface, you find a neutral, multi-purpose event area which can be used as an open-plan office, for instance. The minimalistic and elegant design reappears in different other areas of the building: For example, the entire surface of the entrance portals leading to the lift and to the offices are made of brass, while intarsias were installed on a terrazzo as floor designation.