 |
|
|
Expansion of the Ars Electronica Center: The new structure’s shell is set for completion in May 2008
State-of-the-art façade illumination utilizing LEDs saves energy and keeps maintenance costs down.
The construction of the addition to the Ars Electronica Center that commenced in March 2007 is right on schedule. The new structure’s shell will be completed in May 2008, and work on the ventilation system is already underway. Installation of the electrical and plumbing infrastructure will begin in spring. The first section of the building’s striking glass façade is already in place.
Approximately 9,200 m3 of concrete and 730 tons of reinforcing steel bars have gone into this structure. More than 80 construction workers are on the job. In successive phases beginning this fall, AEC staffers will be moving into the new facility from their temporary quarters downtown. The expanded AEC is set for completion by the end of 2008, and thus just in time for the commencement of Linz’s stint as European Capital of Culture. “With the expansion of the Ars Electronica Center, the City of Linz underscores its orientation on the future. This is one of the most important construction projects in our preparations for the Capital of Culture year,” Commissioner Mayr stated. Mayor Dobusch was quite pleased with what he saw: “In 1993, the Linz City Council gave the official go-ahead for construction of the Ars Electronica Center that opened in September 1996. Today, this institution is famous throughout the world. The space that’s now being added will create new possibilities for the Museum of the Future.”
The new Museum of the Future will make available about 6,500 m2 of space as compared to 2,500 m2 in the old facility. Approximately 30 million euros are going into this project. Treusch, a Viennese architectural firm, emerged as the winner of a design competition held in March 2006 that attracted 38 entries. The construction project is being managed by the City of Linz.
Spacious Exhibition Hall
The structural shell’s Main Deck—a 1,000-m2 plaza adjacent to Kirchengasse—was completed in early April. Below it is a five-meter-tall, 890-m2 exhibition space and lobby. Work is currently proceeding on the eastern end of the site facing the Urfahr neighborhood’s parish church. This section of the complex will house the Futurelab, AEC’s very successful software R&D facility. This eastern side will feature a broad stairway leading from the Main Deck to the Upper Deck, the Futurelab’s rooftop terrace.
New 22-meter-tall “Architectural Twin”
About six meters from the existing AEC, a building of approximately equal size is going up. Their shared exterior glass shell will turn the zone between the two structures into a 22-meter-tall atrium. The “architectural twin” now under construction will include a two-story presentation space for virtual reality applications, office suites and a restaurant/café/bar featuring a rooftop terrace. Museum exhibition spaces will be
installed on three levels of the existing AEC facility. Adaptation of the building’s infrastructure is already in progress.
5,100-m2 Glass Façade Keeps Energy Costs Down
The Ars Electronica Center’s 5,100-m2 exterior glass shell will be illuminated by LED discs. This state-of-the-art technology produces lighting effects with substantially less electricity than the fluorescent striplights that were also under consideration, and LED discs also have a longer useful life. Lower electric bills and reduced maintenance costs will yield savings estimated at 38,000 euros/year.
1,100 LED Discs Deliver a “Pure White”
The LED discs that will be mounted on one side of each of the façade’s 1,100 glass panels can be individually controlled, which allows for infinitely variable fine-tuning of the façade’s color and brightness. This also opens up interesting options for artistic creativity. One particular feature of the technology being installed at the AEC is the possibility to produce absolutely pure white.
>>>>>>>>>Numerous pictures can be found here.<<<<<<<<<
|
|
