VMA was invited to submit a proposal for the Aspern Urban Development Information Center as the catalyst for the largest urban development in the Danube region. The briefing centered around a temporary building which would incoporate offices, exhibition spaces, a multifunctional event space, café lounge, and an observation deck to overview the construction site. VMA responded with a modular 3d stacking of container elements defining the exterior architectural form and sculpting out an interior volume slated for the dynamic event space. The container element and the resultant configurations allowed maximum flexibility in adapting/modifying the building shape due to the content/user needs over the expected 10 year building site and would provide a strong brand image for the Aspern region – a landmark in progress.

Aspern Info Center Night Perspective

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The design concept to create a trade fair interior pavilion for the presentation of ENLIGHTENED^TM Swarovski Elements gemstone brand at the BASELWORLD Watch and Jewellery Show 2008 is based on translating the fascination exerted by a gem into a magical and sensual three-dimensional experience. The form of the space follows the logic of the folded faceted structure, which originally derived from the need to conceal the extremely restrictive and rather banal geometry of the existing outer tent construction and ultimately took the shape of a cut gem. The structure itself is composed of a pneumatic membrane divided into inflated facets. Animated lighting and sound design transformed the space into a spacious free-flowing subtle visual, acoustic and tactile spatial experience. VMA’s long-term creative partner, the British graphic designer Neville Brody/Research Studios, devised a series of animated graphics that highlight and enhance the key elements of Swarovski’s new brand while harmonising completely with the unique luminescent space created by VMA’s gradually alternating lighting cycles. Expertise in the area of new materials as well as the integrative approach to the lighting and multimedia components helped the VMA designers to reinterpret the archetypical idea of a crystal creating an expressive and iconic brand space.

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VMA was invited to design and develop a mobile event structure in collaboration with Griffner targeted at the exclusive mobile roadshow event industry. The first working prototype was completed in August 2007 and has toured extensively throughout central Europe.

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Exhibition design for a group of over 70 international artists presented in a vaulted 900m2 Kunsthalle Wien exhibition space. The primary space was dissected by a 45 meter bridge, constructed from aluminum scaffolding and spanned with a translucent membrane, which connected second level galleries whilst introducing a new elevated gallery space with secondary floating walls. The new circulation pattern emphasized the second level condition and enhanced the viewer curiosity and `viewing-to-be-viewed´ experience.

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The proposed design created a dynamic mobile temporary structure to be used throughout Europe as a launching pad for the introduction of the new automobiles into the marketplace. The building was lifted off the ground to provide more space to facilitate a high volume of visitors and separate the building into different zones of activities. The central element of the design was the introduction of a hydraulic car lift in the center of the structure which allowed for the car to be transported vertically into the primary space for easier access for prospective test drivers. The elevated form, floating above the ground plane, was conceived as an aerodynmic digitally enhanced architectural form which needed be transported and easily assembled in a short period of time.

The Sprachpavillon was the central element in a touring exhibition in Austria as part of the ‘European Year of Languages 2001’. The architectural intention is to develop a fluid form of communication and information through an expression of flexibilty, transparency, lightness, and elasticity. The distorted pneumatic form provides an soft interface between the interior and exterior spaces which activates the surrounding urban context through subtle natural and dynamic artificial lighting. This provides the framework for the ‘interior’ human content, language and communication, which is achieved by the use of a ‘terminal’ located in the center of the interior volume. The terminal represents an experimental approach to the expression of languages in a visual context through means of architecture/design, film, and typography. The typographical element is a linear band wrapped around a transparent skin with motorized interior cylindrical forms reflecting the superimposition and overlaying of words and sentences of the EU languages. The architectural, graphic and human entities revolve and interact around this point in space eliminating borders, boudaries, and obstacles and thus emphasizing the fluidity of space itself.

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VMA was presented the Adolf Loos Staatspreis Gold Award 2002; Eyes and Ears Europe Gold Award 2002; and PROMAX Europe Silver Award 2003 for the ORF Newsroom Studio Architecture.

In May 2002 ORF unveiled the comprehensive redesign of their news/information programs. Building upon the corporate design package of Nevile Brody in 1993 a new building was constructed to incorporate the entire news production including office and conference space for the entire news team, on-air and editing suites and a new studio space. The Newsroom startet on-air on May 2, 2002 with 7 daily news programs (approx. 2 millions daily viewers) and 3 pre-recorded information programs per week. 4 further live magazines of 50 minutes per week started in October 2002. The briefing was based on the implementation of fully automative studio sets with pre-set positions and lighting atmospheres increasing efficiency and providing a possibility of 24-hour news programming with minimal costs.

The 356m2 studio (5,15m height) is based upon a circular 360 degree architecture utilizing 4 studio cameras to flow freely through the studio space highlighting a flexible adaptation to the individual necessities of the various news programs/formats. The studio plan focusses upon the central element – the ‚newsdesk‘ – which is rotating to 5 different positions throughout the daily on-air cycle. Translucent sliding walls play an active role in the framing and masking of individual ’sets’ and providing a soft transition between the moderator and the background layer. Computerized lighting systems are implemented in backlighting a series of rotating walls and accentuating various surfaces ranging from translucent plexiglass to large format printed textile satellite images. The secondary areas located adjacent to the central ‚newsdesk‘ add flexible spaces for weather reports (bluebox), studio discussions, promotion spots, breaking news reports, and smaller format news coverage and 5 weekly news magazine programs. Flatscreen monitors used for live correspondent reports and graphic information are mounted on tracks revolving around the studio to further enhance the studio flexiblility.

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