Located between Südtiroler Platz and Bozner Platz in Innsbruck, Austria, DAS RAIQA redevelops the site of the former Raiffeisenlandesbank Tirol as a mixed-use quarter combining banking, offices, hotel accommodations, restaurants, event spaces, art, and publicly accessible areas. 

Designed by Pichler & Traupmann Architekten, the project also introduces a new urban connection between the railway station and the city center through a plaza and traffic-calmed shared space that prioritizes pedestrians.

Rather than demolishing the 1972 bank building entirely, the project retains and reveals its wide-span reinforced-concrete frame. Stripped of its previous loads, the structure is transformed into an open atrium and hall that organizes the new mixed-use program, making the former bank’s load-bearing frame a defining spatial element of the new quarter.

During demolition, a Social Urban Mining process prioritized the preservation of the reinforced-concrete frame, representing the project’s most significant act of reuse. According to the final report from the University of Innsbruck, the initiative saved 1,500 metric tons of CO2e.

A plaza and atrium within the existing structure

A new trapezoidal plaza extends between Südtiroler Platz and Adamgasse, opening toward the full width of the Nationalbank building opposite. From here, visitors can access the bank foyer, self-service and consultation areas, and the hotel.

The exposed concrete frame contains the bank and hotel lobbies, a shared hall, and part of the art spaces, turning the former office structure into a central public interior.

Freestanding glass lifts move between the exposed concrete beams, connecting the different levels of the bank and hotel. A winding staircase leads to the consultation level, where meeting rooms form a gallery around the hall. Hotel administration spaces are positioned above the reception area and expressed through the facade to mark the hotel entrance.

The three office clusters are located on a single level, with the open space within the retained concrete frame functioning as both an internal courtyard and shared atrium. Meeting booths are inserted into this space, while staircases span the central void to connect different floors and the two sides of the building.

Hybrid programs around a shared void

To the north and east, the next level connects the hotel and bank functions through double-height event and seminar spaces arranged around the internal courtyard and central hall. A large terrace extends in front of the event hall.

The hotel bedroom wings begin at the fourth level and continue to the ninth floor. The rooms are organized as prefabricated modular timber boxes that follow the grid of the former office high-rise. Positioned beyond the existing structure, the modules reduce the load on the retained concrete frame to approximately half its previous level, avoiding major structural reinforcement.

Only the circulation corridors extend into the former structural volume, which becomes part of the hotel hall. The corridors are accessed from triangular lift platforms and overlook the central space.

The hotel wings extend northward beyond the hall and enclose a second courtyard. An intensively planted terrace occupies the roof of the administration area and is accessible from the fitness space. At the upper edge of the reinforced-concrete frame, the Skybar and restaurant occupy wide-span platforms, while a row of suites provides private west-facing terraces and connects to the hotel wing below.

Timber added to a reused structure

The material strategy responds directly to the structural limitations of the retained concrete frame. Timber is used extensively for new superstructures and trusses to minimize additional loads while introducing a lower-carbon material into the redevelopment. The hotel rooms are delivered as constructed glulam timber boxes, enabling modular and rapid assembly.

Glulam ceiling elements are also used in the project. Wide-span ceilings for the Skybar and restaurant, together with trusses serving the office cluster level, are constructed in timber.

Durable facades and planted roof areas

The facades combine large glazed areas with metal mesh, aluminum, and exposed concrete. Exterior sunshades consist of suspended structures with slim aluminum profiles, fabric panels, and printed curtain-like designs. The materials were selected with durability in mind.

At street level, a wide curved canopy extends around the plaza, sheltering shops and restaurants along the edges of the Raiffeisenlandesbank property. The canopy frames the main building while supporting public activity around the square. To the north, a planted staircase leads to the roof and a restaurant terrace, while the eastern roof area is planted alongside the existing residential buildings.

Social urban mining and carbon reduction

The project’s circular approach extends beyond preservation of the concrete frame. During demolition of the former RLB building, materials and components were assessed according to three stages: reuse, recycling, and disposal.

Geothermal heating and cooling

DAS RAIQA uses geothermal groundwater and heat-pump technology to provide  of the heating and cooling (100 percent of demand through this system).

The Raiffeisenlandesbank building section has achieved klimaaktiv Gold, while the hotel building section has been assessed under the ÖGNB sustainability system. The project also incorporates energy monitoring, photovoltaic electricity generation, and ventilation with heat recovery as part of its operational energy strategy.