CITY HALL
INNSBRUCK
AUSTRIA, 1996-2004
CIVIC
PR–249
In the historic center of Innsbruck, the town hall is recognizable by its bell tower and the structure on the roof of the city council meeting room: “a house on the roof.”
PROGRAM
The project involves creating a veritable urban island from old buildings, incorporating the Town Hall, a residential and office building, and a hotel, all connected by a network of public walkways and covered shopping arcades. It includes the restructuring and extension of the Town Hall over 11,000 m², including offices, a council chamber, a bell tower, and a bar; the construction of an 8,000 m² covered shopping arcade with 25 shops ranging from 25 to 2,700 m²; the construction of a 96-room 4-star hotel, an 18,700 m² underground car park, and the redevelopment of Adolf-Pichler-Platz to enhance the urban quality and public spaces.
Situation
Maria-Theresienstrasse, Innsbruck, Austria
Year
1996-2004
Status
International contest, winning project
Site area
13 000 m²
Built-up area
35 200 m²
Project management
Rathauspassage GmbH, City of Innsbruck, Austria
Project implementation
Dominique Perrault, architect, urbanist
Partner
Rolf Reichert – RPM
Design offices
Tritthart & Partner Planungs GesmbH, Landscaping Ludwigstorff & Hösel, BOE GmbH&Co KG
DESCRIPTION
Above the hotel, a rooftop terrace features a garden and restaurant, opening generously onto the surrounding mountain landscape. An old courtyard is covered with a glass roof to protect a commercial space resembling a small market. The project is organized around a network of courtyards and covered passageways, which structure circulation and reinforce the continuity of the public space. An existing courtyard is protected by a glass roof and transformed into a commercial space, like a small indoor market, while another courtyard is landscaped and planted to accommodate a “beer garden.” A large covered and glazed passageway forms the backbone of the project, connecting the various entities and bringing life to the heart of the block.
READ MORE
Designed as a sedimentation of urban traces, the project brings together architecture from different eras. Its identity is based on the choice of materials and their implementation: glass, the reference material, comes in transparent, white, translucent, or enameled versions, while black joinery, wide or thin depending on its use, structures the facades. The mesh covering the City Hall plays a symbolic and functional role. Transparent for the council chamber, it embodies accessibility, clarity, and the dissemination of information, the founding values of democracy. Solid and protective, it also acts as a stable envelope against the elements, like a contemporary belfry. Both light and unshakeable, the mesh circulates between uses and makes City Hall a living hub of public space, open, legible, and fully anchored in the city.
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