118 THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2025 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS Enhancing the experience: Graben pedestrianisation and public realm upgrade, with anchor views of St Stephen’s Cathedral, is at the heart of the historic city core. The old and the new: and MuseuemsQuartier cultural development by O&O Baukunst (left) and Hotel Topazz was designed by BWM Architects (right). CHARACTER AND CONTEXT: PROTECT THE PAST, DEVELOP THE FUTURE For many places around the world, urban heritage does not stem from a single fixed point in time. Typically a city’s character is a result of the layering of periods of time, eras of development, style, and influence. Vienna is a product of many layers of history – a fact Unesco defines as the very essence of what Vienna aims to protect and preserve for future generations. A true palimpsest that is visible through the different forms of architecture, urban design, and planning sitting side by side which is a physical reminder of the influences and circumstances that have shaped not only the built form but also the local people and their identity. Too few places however display the same forwardthinking attitude as Vienna who view their heritage as past chapters in a story still being written, rather than a closed book. This attitude drives Vienna to seek out new chapters; ‘ future’ heritage. It is only by understanding this context that you can begin to appreciate some of the more recent architectural additions to the historic core with contemporary buildings that seek to simultaneously respect the past whilst providing something of the future. Buildings such as BWM Architects ‘Hotel Topazz’, a low-energy hotel where the design was shaped by employing innovative building techniques and technologies to reduce CO2 by 45 per cent, illustrate Vienna is unafraid of contemporary design within historic settings. Perhaps the best example is the MuesumsQuartier project, cars from the historic centre through a myriad of public realm upgrades, with pedestrianisation projects on some of the oldest and most important streets in the city. Two of Vienna’s most historic streets, Graben and Kartner Strasse, have undergone major upgrades to provide the city’s first central pedestrian zone with a four-lane highway and parking removed in the late 1970s, and a more recent public realm redesign to bring the streets up to modern standards. These ambitious schemes have not only enhanced the quality of the pedestrian experience but enhanced the wealth of heritage assets that frame these prestigious routes. The new public spaces and quality materials provide a more appropriate setting for many of the city’s best examples of baroque architecture, maximising views of, and access to, Stephansdom, the romanesque gothic cathedral at the heart of the city centre. Other key routes into and around the designated Unesco world heritage site boundary have undergone similar treatments, with the Kaiserforum and Hofburg gateway receiving investment to upgrade the surrounding public spaces, including Michaelerplatz (a key node) pedestrianised with the accessible Roman ruins delivering a main feature point. Across the entire centre, streets have been updated to widen pedestrian pathways, add cycle paths, and deliver improved seating, lighting, and crossings. The result is more people accessing these heritage spaces and creating on-street activity that delivers a vibrant and active environment.
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