coop himmelb(l)au's 'house of bread' to rise in austria

coop himmelb(l)au has revealed images of a customer information center and event forum currently under construction in upper austria. the project was commissioned by baking brand backaldrin and will be sited at their asten headquarters, taking the name ‘haus des brotes’ — a term that appropriately translates as ‘house of bread’. the building consists of two primary elements: a box shaped plinth, and the ‘wunderkammer des brotes’ — a two-storey freeform exhibition area that floats above.

the square base building presents a cast-in-place concrete façade that contains a foyer and event rooms capable of hosting presentations, receptions or workshops for up to 120 visitors. above, the rounded wooded museum structure is clad with stainless steel shingles. internally, the design of the exhibition area is based on the idea of a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ — a concept dating back to the baroque period. this display method is particularly appropriate for the unusual series of small-scale objects in the collection, all relating to the theme of bread.

the center of the exhibition is defined by a circular atrium
image © coop himmelb(l)au (also main image)

the center of the ‘wunderkammer’ is defined by a circular atrium, in which select items are individually suspended. the void is enclosed by a spiral stairway where visitors are encouraged to look at the exhibited pieces from a range of different perspectives. this circulation route provides access to the upper levels, where objects are presented on walls, tables and cabinets. the atrium is naturally illuminated from above, while the surrounding exhibition spaces use artificial light.

currently under construction, the ‘house of bread’ is expected to open later this year
image © coop himmelb(l)au

the envelope of the exhibition building remains visible internally. composed of layered circles of cross laminated timber, the self-supporting shell is prefabricated using 3D, CNC technology — a method that ensures short building time and free form precision. currently under construction, the ‘house of bread’ is expected to open later this year.

led by acclaimed austrian architect wolf d. prix, coop himmelb(l)au recently designed a sculpture to be erected in front of the vienna state opera, one of the austrian capital’s most prominent sites. see more projects by the vienna-based firm on designboom here.

site plan (click to expand) / image © coop himmelb(l)au

project info:

client: backaldrin österreich the kornspitz company gmbh
planning: coop himmelb(l)au – wolf d. prix & partner zt gmbh
design principal: wolf d. prix
design partner: karolin schmidbaur
project lead: friedrich hähle, günther weber (until 2015)
design architect: stephan sobl
project architect: stephan sobl
project team: albara arab, martina bighignoli, daniel bolojan, donna riedel, benjamin schmidt, damian witt