Modern Architecture in memory of Wolfgang Amadeus MozartDesign Presentation

Through this private evaluation process, to which 18 national and international big architectural names were invited, one of the youngest property developers in Austria, who is also one of the largest, made the first definite indications of an intent to realise his unusually high expectations with regard to urban development and quality of accommodation.

The intention was to take two hectares of real estate, the one time Stern brewery, retain two existing buildings with careful restoration and adaptation, and create a lively urban residential area with an attractive mixture of differing types of accommodation. The image of the development was just as important as the urban aspects, for example the formulation of the public areas or the relationship with the imposing rock face of the Rainberg hill that dominates this site close to the city centre.

This competition project responds to the demand for an unmistakeable and strong impression by means of five ‘floating’ residential levels, grouped into a ‘shelving unit’ placed in front of the Rainberg rock face without a structural connection. The symbolic reference to music in the form of ‘staves’ (we are in Mozart’s city) also serves as a stage. A deck is allocated to each of these luxury homes, and this could be used for home performances or indeed performances of whatever kind.

Student and studio apartments will be located on Rainbergstrasse street, along with a centre for architecture having a through-connecting exhibition area at street level and terrace decks on several levels. The latter could offer a public arena for the “Rainberg stage”. They should anyway be seen as a spatial extension of the elongated area between the buildings next to the road and the adapted existing buildings, marking out access to the premium apartments. In this urban setting, the open area will be given a highly artificial staging, with fountains under colour spotlights and wooden forms sculpted into Baroque animal figures - in line with the motto “All of Salzburg is a stage”.

(Text: DI Karin Tschavgova)