A superlative loft in Salzburg by smartvoll architects

Actually, it was threatened with demolition. Now the old tank hangar on the site of the former Struber barracks is the shining center of a new area in the west of Salzburg. Where military vehicles were once serviced, a market hall and various commercial and gastronomic areas now keep things busy. The architectural highlight of the conversion project, however, is on the top floor: the loft in the tank hall by smartvoll Architekten.

"We wanted to breathe its original charm back into the space," explains the Viennese team of architects that emerged as the winners of an international competition for the loft. "Generosity and the spatial experience of the entire two floors were paramount."

Concrete and mountains
At first glance, the 350-square-meter loft, a full eight meters high, impresses with its unusual openness and expansiveness. Curved galleries of light-colored exposed concrete wind along the upper window bands and structure the minimalist interior. The tone-setting material is polished and waxed concrete, which harmonizes perfectly with the preserved brickwork and is complemented only by a few elements of white-painted steel - for example, in the form of a four-meter-high, 60-kilogram hanging bookcase. A solid concrete ashlar provides space for the unusual bathroom and wellness area with fireplace, cave-like bathing niche and a fully glazed shower cubicle that juts spectacularly into the room at a height of five meters. Directly opposite is the guest area, which is discreetly separated from the open-plan living concept by semi-transparent Profilit walls. The second sleeping area on the gallery level has only protective curtains - but offers the best view of the Salzburg mountains.

With heart.
At the center of the living structure is an expressive staircase that was cast directly on site and maximizes the sculptural possibilities of concrete. "Via the expansive stair sculpture, one experiences the path between the levels not as a vertical functional connection, but as an exciting spatial experience," is how the planners describe their design. Like a bridge, it spans an arc from the entrance to the living area, covering the open-plan cooking and dining area. Beneath it rests a seven-meter-long, solid kitchen block made of glossy black basalt, whose linear heaviness contrasts beautifully with the Art Nouveau-like curved staircase.

Making-of
...and brain
A KNX system was installed for the complex and energy-efficient building automation. To control the system, the architects chose the Gira HomeServer - in keeping with their purist interior concept. Like an on-board computer, it connects the KNX system's electrical installation to the computer network or the Internet. The user interface, the Gira Interface, impresses with its minimalist design and intuitive operability. Door communication is also controlled via the Gira HomeServer, visitors and residents communicate via elegantly reduced door intercoms for inside and outside.

In this conversion, smartvoll architects really left nothing to chance, creating a kind of habitable Gesamtkunstwerk. Finally, a loft where luxury and industrial charm are not exclusion criteria.

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