The Sparkasse building in Linz's Promenade is more than just a listed palace. The square ensemble with its imposing dimensions and the fountain courtyard has always been an architectural landmark and an institution in Linz's city center. These design and social components - to be an appealing meeting place for customers, 200 employees, co-workers and the entire population - are the most important goals of the extensive renovation, alongside the careful handling of the historic building fabric and an uncompromising sustainability principle. destilat is entering into a consortium with Gerald Anton Steiner Architekten and skop Bauconsulting for the major construction site.
By mid-2025, the 6,500 m2 of historic buildings will be completely redesigned for contemporary use according to the Cradle to Cradle® design principle: With open floor plans, lots of light, ecological materials and extensive planting, the airy impression of a city square will be created in the covered inner courtyard of Europe's largest cash hall, around which the 24-hour self-service area, offices, meeting rooms and multifunctional event areas as well as coworking spaces and a cultural café will be grouped on three levels.
Sustainability with a style factor: destilat and its partners focus on flexible usage concepts for the rooms, resource-saving and easily integrated technologies, the implementation of a circular economy and ecological materials: recycled carpets, laid without adhesives; wood wool-based acoustic panels for perfect sound and a world of colors and materials in light natural tones. Light oak sets the tone throughout the spacious complex and is contrasted with green lounge furniture in the relaxation oases, terrazzo, metal colors and black accents.
The interior designers reinforce the regional reference of the "Sparkasse institution" with backlit views of the city of Linz. With the so-called "ecoregal" - a metal construction spanning several storeys - they open up the firewall towards the inner courtyard and, in addition to light and visual axes, create the transparency with which the company wants to present itself and its values to the outside world.