Add To Collection
Add to Collection
PHI - Refurbishment Philips Haus
PHI - Refurbishment Philips Haus
Vienna, Austria
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
PHI - Refurbishment Philips Haus
Vienna, Austria
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2018
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
Philips Haus – an icon of 1960s modernism – forms a welcoming gesture on the southern entrance to the
city of Vienna. Although dwarfed by nearby Wienerberg City, it continues to make an impact more than
fifty years after its completion. Its shape and anatomy remain distinctively unique, leaving behind an
architectural afterglow in the eyes of the thousands of motorists that drive by every day. Philips Haus still
conveys the visionary spirit of its designer, renowned Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer.
Originally conceived as the Austrian headquarters of Philips, it was opened in April 1965, after 4 years of
construction starting in late 1961. Philips Haus showcases a particularly unique construction. It rests on
4 slender reinforced concrete pylons, prominently visible on its facades. Between those – and cantilevering
beyond them considerably – span more than 70 metres long prestressed concrete beams. Two per
floor, spaced 14m deep, connected by a minimized secondary floor and beam construction. As a result,
the individual floors seem to rest between the primary pylons like a stack of shelves inserted through a
pair of ladders. The centre-span of the longitudinal beams measures 39 meters, its cantilevers 16 meters
on each side. A 76 meter long, three-storey podium, sits off -centre underneath the high-rise slab. Both
volumes are interconnected through a shared vertical circulation core.
Approximately 50m in height, the building is a masterpiece of structural engineering. Responsible for its
structure were legendary Austrian engineer Robert Krapfenbauer in cooperation with the Munich firm
Dyckerhoff & Widmann. A column-free plan allowed for the first open-space offices in Austria in the 1960s,
and today provided an ideal starting point for a sustainable refurbishment of the Philips Haus. Its open,
interrupted layout facilitated a great variety of adaptations: from loft to micro apartment, all possibilities
for conversion into contemporary forms of housing could be exploited. The result might be called a ‘vertical
village’, composed from serviced apartments, supermarkets, restaurants, fitness club, parking and a
future connection to the new U2 underground metro line.
Nine standard floors of the high-rise contain 135 serviced apartments which range in size from 30 to 46
m2. As future investments they are not intended for immediate personal use, but will be rented on a daily
to monthly basis, fully furnished and supported by hotel-like infrastructure. Every apartment affords
impressive views over the city, or southward across Lower Austria and to the Schneeberg. A truly magnifi -
cient 360° vista can be experienced from the 12th floor penthouse.
Revitalisation of the building was carried out in close coordination with the historic preservation authorities,
as since 2010 the facade, structure and circulation cores had become registered monuments. Reconstruction
of the aluminium ribbon windows received particular attention and was subtle reinterpretation
of Schwanzer’s original facade from the 1960s – which did not survive into the 21st century and had been
replaced a few times.
A terrain modification from the 90ies could be undone, and the southern side re-established with its
landmark panoramic window. Hence the podium would again – as intended by Karl Schwanzer – appear
to be hovering above a slightly setback ground floor. Philips Haus became PhilsPlace, and thus - not least
through its name - the original concepts and spirit of the building live on.
city of Vienna. Although dwarfed by nearby Wienerberg City, it continues to make an impact more than
fifty years after its completion. Its shape and anatomy remain distinctively unique, leaving behind an
architectural afterglow in the eyes of the thousands of motorists that drive by every day. Philips Haus still
conveys the visionary spirit of its designer, renowned Viennese architect Karl Schwanzer.
Originally conceived as the Austrian headquarters of Philips, it was opened in April 1965, after 4 years of
construction starting in late 1961. Philips Haus showcases a particularly unique construction. It rests on
4 slender reinforced concrete pylons, prominently visible on its facades. Between those – and cantilevering
beyond them considerably – span more than 70 metres long prestressed concrete beams. Two per
floor, spaced 14m deep, connected by a minimized secondary floor and beam construction. As a result,
the individual floors seem to rest between the primary pylons like a stack of shelves inserted through a
pair of ladders. The centre-span of the longitudinal beams measures 39 meters, its cantilevers 16 meters
on each side. A 76 meter long, three-storey podium, sits off -centre underneath the high-rise slab. Both
volumes are interconnected through a shared vertical circulation core.
Approximately 50m in height, the building is a masterpiece of structural engineering. Responsible for its
structure were legendary Austrian engineer Robert Krapfenbauer in cooperation with the Munich firm
Dyckerhoff & Widmann. A column-free plan allowed for the first open-space offices in Austria in the 1960s,
and today provided an ideal starting point for a sustainable refurbishment of the Philips Haus. Its open,
interrupted layout facilitated a great variety of adaptations: from loft to micro apartment, all possibilities
for conversion into contemporary forms of housing could be exploited. The result might be called a ‘vertical
village’, composed from serviced apartments, supermarkets, restaurants, fitness club, parking and a
future connection to the new U2 underground metro line.
Nine standard floors of the high-rise contain 135 serviced apartments which range in size from 30 to 46
m2. As future investments they are not intended for immediate personal use, but will be rented on a daily
to monthly basis, fully furnished and supported by hotel-like infrastructure. Every apartment affords
impressive views over the city, or southward across Lower Austria and to the Schneeberg. A truly magnifi -
cient 360° vista can be experienced from the 12th floor penthouse.
Revitalisation of the building was carried out in close coordination with the historic preservation authorities,
as since 2010 the facade, structure and circulation cores had become registered monuments. Reconstruction
of the aluminium ribbon windows received particular attention and was subtle reinterpretation
of Schwanzer’s original facade from the 1960s – which did not survive into the 21st century and had been
replaced a few times.
A terrain modification from the 90ies could be undone, and the southern side re-established with its
landmark panoramic window. Hence the podium would again – as intended by Karl Schwanzer – appear
to be hovering above a slightly setback ground floor. Philips Haus became PhilsPlace, and thus - not least
through its name - the original concepts and spirit of the building live on.
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.