bregenz state museum

urban development goals
the location of the new vorarlberg state museum is characterized by its prominent position between seestrasse and kornmarktplatz. the neighboring buildings on seestrasse are solitary structures with different origins, functions, architectural styles, proportions, and heights, such as the post office building, the art museum, the kornmarkt theater, the old district administration building, and the buildings west of rathausstrasse. therefore, there are no compelling urban planning constraints on seestrasse based on the surrounding area. the decisive factor for the design is the treatment of the listed building of the former district administration. in order not to disturb the proportions of the existing building on its main façade facing seestrasse, the future height will not significantly exceed the current appearance. at kornmarktplatz, the new façade will be slightly offset to allow the protruding corner of the neighboring rehearsal stage to recede into the background. the ground floor zone is set back to create a spacious covered area at kornmarktplatz for the museum entrance.

spatial concept
in the new state museum, the existing inner courtyard will become a three-story, naturally lit central interior space around which all access routes and exhibition areas will be arranged. this will enable clear vertical and horizontal orientation on all floors and create generous visual connections between old and new.

event hall
the new event hall occupies the center of the building and is lowered by four seating steps opposite the entrance foyer to the level of the existing basement (-1.20 m). completely openable on one side by means of a partition wall system, it can be optimally expanded for large events via the seating gallery to the foyer without disrupting exhibition operations.

exhibition areas
the exhibition areas, starting at the roof of the event hall, occupy the upper floors 1-3, with the special exhibition located on the third floor, as this offers the possibility of higher ceiling heights. all exhibition areas are arranged in a ring around the central atrium, which allows for easy and clear navigation through the exhibition. bridges crossing the atrium allow for shortcuts or changes in route if exhibition areas are temporarily closed to the public.

cafe
suspended in the atrium, the cafe is located in the roof area and features a large terrace (sculpture garden) and a view of lake constance. the cafe has its own entrance and is also accessible outside exhibition opening hours.

administration
the entire administration area, plus building services and staff room, is located away from the exhibition areas on the current ground floor of the existing building, with its own access via the former main entrance on seestrasse.

daylight concept
the main daylighting of the building is provided via the central air space into the event hall. the access routes arranged around the atrium are thus flooded with light, while the adjoining exhibition areas can be staged with daylight or darkened with artificial light as required. in the new part of the building, the surrounding walls are fitted with skylights.

existing structure
a special feature of the task is the relocation of the main entrance from seestrasse to kornmarktplatz, as specified in the competition brief. in this context, the existing main staircase, which was appropriate for the old entrance on seestrasse, is no longer used as such. for this reason, the present design envisages the demolition of this staircase, which was originally correctly positioned in relation to the old entrance. the original inner courtyard as an outdoor space now becomes the central interior space, connecting old and new. with its typical backyard character, the existing staircase would dominate this spacious interior space in a negative way. if the demolition of the existing staircase is not approved by the monument protection authority, its former exterior wall would have to be altered with artistic interventions and provided with generous openings so as not to compromise the building concept. the remaining existing supporting structure of the old district administration building remains unchanged, with only the former exterior walls to the existing inner courtyard opened up, as suggested in the tender.

delivery
the delivery hall and packing room are located together with the freight elevator at the corner of kornmarktplatz and theater. this location offers the possibility of delivery by semi-trailer trucks via kornmarktplatz and by smaller vehicles coming from seestrasse. the new basement level near the elevator houses the art depot, emergency restoration, and various storage rooms.