Temporary Spaces, Lasting Impressions

A number of cultural institutions in Vienna started out as provisional structures born out of a specific need, and some of these temporary solutions proved so practical in terms of construction, design and function that they have become permanent.

The first Kunsthalle Wien was a yellow container designed by Adolf Krischanitz on Karlsplatz as a temporary pavilion for exhibiting contemporary art. It went on to become a definitive cultural venue, and the glass pavilion of the Project Space now stands on the same site. The Fluc (now FLUCC) was created as a cultural venue on unused urban space following the construction of the new railway station at Praterstern: a disused pedestrian underpass was repurposed and supplemented above the entrances by a living architectural model, a modular structure comprised of portacabins. The Notkirche (makeshift church) on Gaussplatz was built as a functional temporary solution for the parish. Today, it also serves as a venue for concerts and local festivities. What all three buildings have in common is that they have brought lasting change to the local cultural scene and the urban context.

With:
Ulrich Huhs, architect
Amar Priganica, cultural researcher
Klaus Stattmann, architect
Martin Wagner, FLUCC

Moderated by: Suzanne Kříženecký, Az W