Mercedes Salzburg / Pappas Konzernzentrale

BRIEF: Car dealership with a garage and showroom.

ADDED VALUE: In order to arrange the spatial program on this limited lot, all the functions are piled on top of one another, linked by navigable ramps and united under one roof. The vertical reorganization of a car dealership typology provides many advantages over conventional horizontally-organized car dealerships: via the ramps, the client can drive directly to either the garage or the salesroom where the cars are presented to the outside without reflective glass.

The building is located along a prominent urban road leading into Salzburg and can only be viewed when driving by. The dynamics and motion of cars has yielded to a conceptual approach which draws one into the building. The user can move within the building as if on a public road: it is possible to drive through, park, get out of the car and experience the world of automobiles. The garage facilities and the sales offices are layered on top of each other and can be reached directly by car. The navigable levels, the over-arching roof and side wings define the space and appearance of the sales divisions which are arranged around the glass-covered roof foyer. Additionally, the two foyer levels of service and sales are connected by a convenient escalator. The administrative offices are located above the roof and offer a fantastic panorama of the alpine surroundings and the runways of the nearby airport.
Location
Salzburg
2006
Typology
commercial building

Construction volume
gfa 41.550 m² cubature 170.550 m³

Client
RKS Autozubehör Handels GmbH

Realization
2004-2006

competition
1st prize 2001

Project manager
Dirk Zweering

Photographers
Angelo Kaunat, Andreas Körner, Gerhard Hagen

Awards
europe 40 under 40 2008
Barbara Cappochin International Prize 2009, honorable mention
„best architects 11“ 2010