FIRE STATION VIENNA

Vienna, Austria
Competition Entry, 2014

The main fire station in Vienna Leopoldstadt is located at a collision point of grossly differing urbanisms: the large-scale infrastructure of the trade fair grounds meets the homogeneity of a 19th century urban block structure. In this heterogeneous environment we place an autonomous volume which fundamentally changes its reading depending on the urban perspective—the shape shifter. The design is organized as a stack of different programmatic elements, each of which unfolds quite independently: the garages for the firetrucks on the ground floor are arranged around an elliptical courtyard; the roofs of the garages offer a landscape onto which the social spaces of the second floor can spill into; the third level is long linear volume containing all bedrooms; on top, there are two volumes housing offices and a gym. These two volumes have a strong urban presence and help redefine the buildings perception from different urban angles. The façade of the building acts as a translucent light and color filter, animated by the bright red color of the fire trucks and their blue emergency lights.