söhne & partner architekten installs manneristic undulating ceiling within nightclub in vienna

austrian architecture firm söhne & partner architekten has transformed an old underground two-floor nightclub into the sechser heterotopic nightclub in vienna. deeply influenced by the european art style of mannerism, the architects have adorned the interior with fine fabrics and wallpapers to generate an opulent, extravagant environment.

all images by severin wurnig

the challenging part of the project by söhne & partner architekten, was to transform the typical basement rooms into an extravagant world. in order for the guests not to perceive the rooms as an underground basement, the characteristic barrel vault was replaced with a dynamic, undulating ceiling structure. in this way, the whole room turns into an unusual, crazy, and surreal world – the ceiling looks like it’s alive.

the non-predictable is manifested by this ceiling installation which highlights the complexity of the whole sechser interior. meanwhile, the concept of heterotopia (originally defined by michel foucault in 1967) is accentuated by the curved shapes, to further evoke confusion and drama. with violent colors, patterns, shapes, and reflections, söhne & partner architekten creates a decadent and provocative world that’s hardly attributable – a world is born out of the interplay of form, function, and materiality.

thanks to its dimension and ‘function’ as a bar and club, sechser is ultimately more than just space. instead, it harbors a colorful facet of spatial phenomena, inviting guests to perceive and interpret it in so many different ways. it can be a physical space as an object, an aesthetic and personal space as a piece of art, a physiological space as a body experience, a psychological space as a mental experience, and metaphysical space as a heterotopia.

project info: 

name: sechser heterotopic nightclub
architecture office: söhne & partner architekten
location: vienna, austria