08 PRECHT, BAUMBAU

Restaurant Steirereck in Pogusch is one of Austria’s most well-known culinary destinations (see above). To offer its guests something extraordinary in terms of accommodation, the Reitbauer family has built several original lodging houses just a short walk away from the restaurant. Four are treehouses offering beds for two to three people. The wooden-clad log-like round bodies offer lookouts that resemble a periscope. A living area, sleeping area, and full bath are spread out over three levels connected by a spiral staircase. The sleeping area offers a beautiful natural cinema, as guests look from the forest right out onto a meadow. Called “Bert,” the new modular accommodation unit was designed by Precht and Baumbau and produced from bent cross-laminated timber to minimize the environmental impact.

After several conversions in the past decades, this late nineteenth-century three-story villa is once again being used as a residential building. By deconstructing the northern façade oriented towards the garden, the villa took on an entirely modern form. The new visual appearance is characterized by wooden slats and projecting alcoves and balconies. The roof was rebuilt in the same geometry, using generous glazing and creating a new outdoor space.

Ursula Futura

The mission of the collection is to draw attention to everyday moments of wonder and change perspectives on ordinary things. Rainbows, morning fog, shimmers of color created by sunlight, a bursting soap bubble, reflections in the sky – all are natural phenomena that trigger emotions. Phenomena recreates these sensory experiences, capturing their fragility and challenging the viewer to consciously perceive moments of wonder through glass objects and the interplay of material and light.

Design

11

Gheorghe

Puzzle Link Apartment, Vienna

In its renovation of an attic apartment in Vienna, architecture studio Gheorghe inserted two triangular cross-laminated timber structures into the space. The top floor, which is located in a historic building in Vienna's 13th district, was designed to support interaction between a couple and their children. The structures are made up of 698 planks and include shelving, storage space, and seating areas with tables which can be accessed via wooden steps. In the transformation, the original historical features of the space were preserved – such as the Viennese tiles from the building’s original stairwell. The client had saved and stored the tiles, which were cleaned and used for the floor of the raised indoor platform running alongside the terrace.

Simiæn’s niche products were created out of a deep devotion to foods and a desire to create new perspectives on the question of what and how we should eat in the future. Designer Julia Schwarz explores the symbiosis of edible and inedible organisms. Her collection captures the obscure taste of lichen as an inconspicuous edible plant with great potential as a source of nutrition. Extremely beautiful and often confused with moss, lichen can be considered a superfood, Julia explains.

STUDIO F. A. PORSCHE

Tondach V11 Roof Tiles

Roof tiles are also a product somebody has to design. Studio F. A. Porsche’s unparalleled roof tile design for Tondach, an established Austrian roof tile maker, presents an impressive interplay of shadow and light on a uniquely V-embossed flat tile. It is a perfect expression of timeless design without compromising the merits of the humble clay roof tile.

15

Joyjoy

Rental Apartment, Košice

Studio Joyjoy remodeled an apartment resulting in a minimalist, playful space open to modern life in the center of the city. The green bathroom contrasts with the white plumbing fixtures, while the bold orange in the kitchen supports the appetite and creativity. The colors used for the customized furniture spill onto the floor, optically dividing individual parts of the apartment. The original wooden parquet floors and refurbished doors act as a uniting element throughout the interior.

Alleswirdgut

Račianska Residential Tower, Bratislava

Encounters instead of loneliness. Activity against stagnation. Visible from afar, the residential complex is composed of a twentystory north tower, a seventeen-story south tower, and a connecting eight-story central building built in the middle of a brownfield site in northeastern Bratislava. Austrian architecture studio AllesWirdGut structured the façade with distinctive orthogonal enclosed balconies, attracting the eye with its design and functionality. The architects believe that the design will outlast short-lived fashions and be a model to emulate.