Lead architect Ellen van Loon states up-front; “The building is not an icon but rather an architectural device that establishes new urban connections and public spaces through its own internal organisation.”
OMA’s main aim for the department store was to engage the local context. Two internal pathways that cut through the building connect to the pedestrian network of the area. One of them is a green passage that invites passers-by to a series of public roof gardens. Each with its own character, ranging from tree groves to sun deck.
The facade is inspired by architecture from the Vienna Secession, which marked a transition toward more geometric forms, and the beginnings of modernism. The program is divided into two parts, retail in the front and hotel in the rear. The design marks OMA’s first project in Vienna and second for KaDeWe, who asked them to investigate an alternative to the established retail model for their Berlin location.
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OMA / Ellen van Loon and Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli will design the new KaDeWe department store and hotel in Vienna’s Museumsquartier. This was announced after a final jury meeting on October 1, concluding a design competition organized by the developer Signa.
Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli and Ellen van Loon: “The value of department stores should be measured by their ability to engage the local context. We are very excited about the opportunity to work in the historical heart of Vienna, and with this project we intend to highlight its qualities. The building is not an icon but rather an architectural device that establishes new urban connections and public spaces through its own internal organisation.”
The main program components are split in two volumes, retail up front and hotel in the rear, between which OMA created a green passage that invites people up to a series of public roof-gardens. The gardens range in quality and character – from tree groves to sun decks – generating unprecedented views from all sides of the building onto the city. The KaDeWe complex is connected to the pedestrian network of the area and provides new types of public spaces in the historical center. The façade is inspired by the gentle and sophisticated geometries of the architecture of the Vienna Secession.
Upon completion this will be OMA’s first project in Vienna. OMA is currently also leading the renovation of KaDeWe Berlin.
The project is led by Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, Ellen van Loon and Laurence Bolhaar. Landscape design is in collaboration with Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten, sustainability by IPJ Ingenieursbüro P. Jung and structural engineering and MEP by Vasko + Partner.
