A palace built on Schwarzenbergplatz in 1903 has been filled with new life: Around 200 LeitnerLeitner tax consultancy and LeitnerLaw law firm staff are breathing new life into the historic building. 120 years after its construction, it has been completely renovated and transformed into a modern office with the central maxim: ‘a great place to work’.
Since the building is listed, the turn-of-the-century look has been retained in many rooms The interior design by Büro Arkform aims to make the heavy look light. Tall rooms with stucco ceilings and lots of glass now meet a modern, discreet interior. VELA round luminaires and SASSO spotlights do their part to brighten the modern offices and corridors – where attentive observers will notice a wealth of new design elements that aesthetically and materially relate to the representative building’s original historical furnishings.
The building's highlight is the impressive state room, which has been converted into a canteen. Employees now take their lunch in the state room. The emperor, who opened the building 120 years ago, now watches over the canteen. A lighting design solution was sought that would both comply with the building's protected status and harmonise with the modern interior for use as a canteen and event space.
A special construction was developed for this room, based on a bespoke MINO 60 profile luminaire with direct and indirect light distribution. JUST spotlights and UNICO downlights were integrated into the track. The entire system shines in a special gold that perfectly matches the neo-baroque decor. It extends over a length of around 11 metres and a width of 5 metres. The construction was attached using cable-stayed suspension fittings and hung exclusively from the four specified mounting points – in line with the requirements of the building preservation order.
In addition to the state room canteen, there is a coffee lounge, a coffee kitchen with MOVE IT 45 tracks in gold/black, a library and a small roof terrace that can be reached via a spiral staircase. The corridors were fitted with acoustic panels and MOVE IT 25 S tracks. The turn-of-the-century look has been retained in many areas as best as possible.
Jennifer Cerny, Interior Designer ARKFORM ZT GmbH
At the beginning of each project, I first study the history of the existing building, which serves as the starting point for the redesign. I often draw inspiration from architectural details or existing forms and materials which then form the basis for a new interpretation. When new elements are introduced into the existing structure, it is important to cultivate a certain symbiosis – this is usually very well expressed in the design language.
