salzburg airport tower

urban development context
the significance of the airport tower lies not only in its highly technical function but also in its perception as the gateway to the city of salzburg — a landmark for those arriving and departing. it forms part of an identity foundation for modern salzburg, underscoring the importance of the historic city.

the existing urban planning situation for the new construction of the tower at salzburg airport is characterized by the “collision” of three buildings either planned or already under planning within the airport area:
new tower including the extension of existing office spaces
extension of the equipment halls
new office building

these three buildings, which have no direct functional relationship with each other, must coexist in close proximity with respect and appropriateness. neither the symbolism nor the function of the individual areas should be compromised by the spatial constraints. the issue of land scarcity at this interface is clearly revealed by the preliminary project: the lighting of the office spaces behind the workshop building is insufficient, the connection to the existing structure leaves a gap, and the tower fails to merge naturally, lacking the self-evident presence it requires.

office building
the described problem is mitigated in the proposed project through a revised placement of the office building. along wiener strasse (innsbrucker bundesstrasse), an elongated office building elevated above car parking spaces is constructed. this creates a quiet green space between the new office building and the existing administration building. facing the heavily trafficked street are the circulation, lounge, and meeting zones. all office spaces are oriented south toward the new green park. continuous balconies provide shading against summer overheating. in a second phase, after relocation (for safety reasons) or upon overbuilding of the gas station, this office building can be extended westward. the required independent address formation is emphasized by the autonomous building volume. a clear urban edge of the airport area toward the street is established. the highly sensitive airport grounds are protected by this spatial filter. this decoupling of the office building from the workshop and the new tower enables a technically and temporally independent construction process without interference.

workshop
as a result, the workshop project can be extended northward, avoiding the unclear shift in the east façade without any loss of space. the clear line of the east façade of the existing workshop halls is continued in the new extension. this creates an unobstructed view from the airfield to the new tower. the tower is no longer wedged in behind the workshop building.

new tower
the straightening of the workshop’s east façade gives the new tower the space appropriate to its significance. arriving and departing travelers can see the tower in its full height and experience it in the dominance it deserves. the existing administration building is extended eastward to include the necessary office spaces. adjoining this extension, the new tower rises.

thus, the shaft of the tower, with its service cores and circulation system, forms the termination of the extension. freed in this way, and with all security requirements maintained, both the functions of the office spaces within the air traffic control unit and those of the tower are disentangled and optimized. the existing building, the extension, and the new tower form a cohesive unit. the tower “grows,” as it were, from the long, horizontal building at its western end into verticality, bending back eastward from the fifth floor to allow optimal placement of the control cab with an unobstructed view of the entire apron. moreover, the bent form of the tower conveys the impression of looking toward the runway — a suggestive gesture of perfect control. it stands freely on three sides, visible in its full height from the north, west, and east.

the surrounding ground trench serves primarily to protect the sensitive area in accordance with the required safety measures from the types of attacks described. at the same time, it topologically emphasizes the groundedness and solidity of the tower. the bridge leading to the entrance contributes to this effect. in addition, the trench serves as an installation opening for all building services rooms on the first basement level.

as a visualization of the flow of information — the concentration of all data at the junction of the tower and the administrative extension — the result of data and information processing (the takeoff and landing of aircraft) is projected in real time onto the closed façades of the administrative building. this provides viewers with a point of orientation within the timeline of air traffic control.

fifth façade: the problem of the “gap” on the third floor of the administration building is solved by “embracing” all three floors. the already overstrained load-bearing capacity of the existing structure is not further burdened. an external load-bearing system allows the full use of the roof area. cooling units are arranged on the roof and architecturally integrated into the building volume by means of reduced ceiling heights in the sanitary areas.

structurally, two slightly offset concrete shear walls containing all vertical shafts form the main load-bearing elements of the tower. these two concrete walls merge on the 11th floor into the technical room, which, as a concrete ring with concrete floors, also acts as a load-bearing component. the control cab and emergency tower are constructed as lightweight reinforced concrete structures, either placed atop or suspended from the main structure.