Art Sells
Two years after the opening of the first wine theme park in Austria (architektur. aktuell 11/2003) the complex has recently been completed by the addition of a hotel. The ambitious overall concept aims at combining tourist, culinary and cultural attractions at a high level with, naturally, the commensurate economic success. The architectural aspect of this idea has at any rate succeeded and could indicate new directions for tourism beyond this immediate region.
Structural problems in the tourist EI Dorado
The rational basic considerations that led to the venture of a new and architecturally ambitious tourist facility were initially related to infrastructural considerations. The winegrowing area of the Wachau, which is also a popular tourist destination, is a traditional centre point of Austria's view of itself as a nation of culture but has hardly any facilities of a sufficient size to offer large numbers of visitors an in-depth encounter with the region's immanent wine theme. In this context entertainment is needed, along with sizable catering facilities and optimal transport connections. In the centre of the Wachau, that is in the well-known towns such as Dürnstein or Weißenkirchen, the old structures and the topographreal narrowness of the Danube valley do not allow the demands of modern, quality-oriented tourism to be adequately met. But in the more open, eastern edge of the region, in Krems or in the small Baroque town of Langenlois that is surrounded by large areas of vineyards the conditions for establishing improved facilities of this kind are far more favourable. In Krems the conversion of Und monastery (architektur. aktuell 11 /2003) represents a move in this direction that is focussed above all on gourmet and seminar tourism. In Langenlois, on the other hand, the Loisium successfully appeals to the sector of the tourism market that uses day excursions to find relaxation and a measure of information.
New tourism design
This professionally planned realisation brought with it a number of surprises for the dogmatists among the tourism and architecture experts. For the Loisium has proved that this kind of "synthetic" tourist facility is not inevitably inferior in terms of quality to structures that have developed gradually, and indeed in many aspects can even clearly surpass them. Hardly anywhere else in the Wachau can one find a more harmonious, contemporary oriented ambiance and nowhere else a more committed and indeed architecturally spectacular formulation of the programme and image of such a facility. Although the genius loci in the labyrinthine, centuries-old underground wine cellars has been turned into a rather superficial tourist trail by Swiss tourism scencgraphs, by using a refurbished Baroque building along with ist outbuildings at the end of this "adventure trail" it proved possible to reintroduce some authenticity into the ensemble. And, at the start of the tour through the cellars that represents the Loisium's main attraction, stands the visitors centre designed by New York architect Steven Holl with its cafe, vinothek and shop. Thankfully Holl had been recommended to the clients by the Architekturzentrum Wien. With the assistance of local architects Irene Ott-Reinisch and Franz Sam, who through his time with Coop Himmelb(l)au acquired an ability to realise in a precise way even the most forced construction spectacles, Holl has been able to realize, making almost no changes, his expressive concept of dramatic spatial canyons within an inclined concrete cube that has many narrow, slit-like openings and few internal supports. The success of this image in the specialist and mass media was guaranteed. In economic terms, too, it seems that - at least according to the operators own advertising - the first phase is running satisfactorily as "the takings per guest are 20 per cent above plan. And the increase in the amount of time spent by each guest to two hours confirms that the entire range of facilities offered - tourist attraction, vinothek shop and restaurant - has achieved a high level of acceptance."
Art as programme
Following this initial success story it became possible to implement the entire master plan through the addition of a theme hotel. Here also the clients did not employ the kind of standardised folklore design so popular in the tourist industry, but remained loyal to their cultural ambitions and to architect Steven Holl. In response Holl developed a metaphoricaI form - a mushroom-shaped cantilevered basic structure that develops above ground floor columns. Deciding on this form was doubly intelligent, for on the one hand it employs a symbol that is clearly visible in the landscape, while on the other it allows an artistic programme to be used that circles around the tradition of organoid forms. The symbolic level is a marketing instrument - allowing the use of wellness slogans such as "grown out of the earth"- while the artistic aspect inspires a number of details that make references to the history of modern architecture. For instance the striking silhouette of the building recalls Friedrich Kiesler's vision of an "Endless House", which this Austro-American pioneer developed in
the 1950s. On entering the lobby of the hotel the first thing to strike one is the dominant yellow and black colour scheme of the interior. Yellow painted circular columns are connected with the yellow flooring by a kind of yellow cavetto instead of the classical column base, unusual pieces of black furniture that attract ones intention turn out on closer inspection to be one of Kiesler's designs, (a fact also revealed by quotation from Kiesler painted on the wall). More than half a century after they were first made they have recently been produced
as a series by Wittmann, the Austrian designer furniture manufacturer based in nearby Etsdorf am Kamp. The other areas of the hotel also follow a precise colour scheme and design philosophy. Holl himself designed the restaurant seating that was also produced by Wittmann. Just like the striking lamp above the bar and a floor design motif in the spa area it continues the history of organoid design that, particularly in the US avant-garde, has a great tradition due to the intensive reception of surrealist inspiration since the 1940s.
Exclusive destination
The marketing of the hotel as adestination for individual guests with special interests and demands not only permits a designer strategy but even explicitly promotes its use. In addition to the colour scheme (yellow for the lobby, red for the restaurant, green for the extensive and enjoyably formed spa area) this concept also extends to the individually designed bedrooms with works by diverse artists as well as numerous other design details such as the lighting in the corridors, the raw yet elegant aluminium facade, the library of books on art themes and the design of the outdoor spaces by the Graz landscape architects ko a la, who here created individual "pocket gardens". The basic spatial concept of the building - an open four-sided court around a pool with the restaurant incorporated on the side by the use of glass walls -meets many of the demands of tourism in the top price category, Not only spatially but in the spectrum of categories in the complex as a whole a state of completion has now been reached. For the adventure world of the Loisium is primarily intended for day tourism, while the hotel meets other demands. As one of only 20 AVEDA destinations worldwide (an international brand based on the "art and science of pure flower and plant essences") the hotel's spa area offers the appropriate level of exclusivity. Above all this new hotel shows that a well thought-out and ambitious artistic concept using current and historical references is always marketable. It also demonstrates that meeting the demands of the tourism business does not inevitably impair the design quality but on the contrary - and given the appropriate thematic programming - can even be intensely stimulating.
photos: Margherita Spiluttini
text: Mathias Boeckl (architektur aktuell 1-2./2006)