The renovation of the University of Graz Library, Austria

With the extension and restructuring of the university library, the architects have restored the historic building to its former glory and brought its structure and design into the modern age.

Completed:

2019

Architect:

Atelier Thomas Pucher, Graz, Austria / Artwork on the building: Anna Artaker, Vienna, Austria

Applicator:

Schaunigg GmbH & Co KG, Vorau, Austria (art in architecture) | Pichler GmbH, Passail, Austria and Hubert Wolf GmbH, Wies, Austria (acoustic solutions and StoVentec R) | Metallica Stahl- und Fassadentechnik, Weiz, Austria (StoVentec Glass)

Building Owner:

BIG Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft mbH, Vienna, Austria

Products:

Ventilated façade insulation system (StoVentec R, underside of canopy), ventilated rainscreen cladding with mirrored glass panels and expressed open joints (StoVentec Glass), Suspended, seamless acoustic system applied as a wall lining (StoSilent)

Photos:

Crystal O'Brien-Kupfner, Graz, AT | David Schreyer, Graz, AT | Christian Schellander, Villach, AT

Architecture as urban regeneration

The reading room, which had been altered on several sides, was freed from an extension added to the north-west, subsequently exposing the building's historic facade.The space between the main building and the library building was redesigned as a foyer. Finally, a two-storey vertical extension will be placed on top of the building, towering and cantilevering over a newly created town square.

Vertical extension

A long, two-storey glazed structure was built on the roof of the historic building, towering over the forecourt in a sweeping gesture - reminiscent of Russian architect El Lissitzky's 'cloud iron' horizontal skyscraper concept from the 1920s. The glass of the superimposed cube is designed with vertical screen-printed louvres, the lightness of which deliberately contrasts with the solidity of the exposed historic building below.

Art in architecture - 'sgraffito' render technique

The striking underside of the canopy was designed by Viennese artist Anna Artaker with an enlarged illustration from a book of a 17th Century copperplate engraving. The original postcard-sized motif had to be enlarged by 220 times in order to fill the entire 500 square metre underside. This process employed 7 plasterers over 3 months, using the historic 'sgrafitto' technique where a through-coloured render coat is applied and then scratched away while still wet, to expose the contrasting colour of the layer beneath.

Mirrored glass and greenery

The interface between the extension and the historic reading room is seamless. A concrete stele forms a new protruding edge and creates a joint that is clad with StoVentec mirrored glass panels. A planter and climbing trellis in front of the columns facilitate the growth of greenery across the facade.

Acoustic management

As the entrance foyer is used by many people and is also intended to serve as a multipurpose event space, acoustic comfort had to be guaranteed. A seamless StoSilent acoustic system applied to the walls improves the sound properties of the room without compromising the design.