At the end of February 2015, the successful budget design hotel chain Motel One opened a branch near the Vienna State Opera with 400 bedrooms in the center of Vienna.
BEHF Corporate Architects planned and provided advice during the restoration and redesign of the landmarked ensemble of buildings in the first municipal district of Vienna near the State Opera – a project that the hotel chain Motel One commissioned with its co-venturer, the Verkehrsbüro Group, Austria’s leading tourism group. Two adjoining six-storey buildings from the period of promoterism were united. In order to modify the buildings last used as offices, the parties responsible actually struck new paths in terms of building regulations: In the future, these new opportunities will also allow possibilities to refurbish other landmarked buildings without changing their original character. An innovative design of the inner courtyard’s façade was combined with specific facilities to channel the daylight. As a result, the high-class hotel rooms are a refreshing upgrading within the inner courtyards from the time of the classic Vienna perimeter block development.
Although the attic was completely remodeled, the architects managed to preserve the historic roof line with its semitransparent metal structure. Furthermore, the façades, staircases, and foyers of both buildings were carefully completed and restored according to the historic drafts from the 19th century. After amply opening the historic vestibule, it now presents itself as a broad, central entrance, where the reception, the beer garden in the inner courtyard, as well as the bar and breakfast area adjoin in a well-structured manner. From here, all 400 bedrooms are accessible. When entering the hotel, you will notice a cosmopolitan flair due to generous spaces combined with an oak parquet and elaborately refurbished stuccos. In this new ensemble of buildings, visitors have the chance to encounter a unique feature of Vienna: The link between past and present and a promising vision of the future.
Photographer: Bruno Klomfar
