Palais Wertheim

Viennese chic meets Berlin punk

Location

1010 Vienna, Austria

Year

2017

Category

Event location

Photography

Michael Goldgruber

Commissioned by

Schwarzenbergplatz Event GmbH

The history of Schwarzenberg 

The Palais with its five storeys forms the prominent corner of Schwarzenbergplatz facing the Ringstraße. It was built in 1864-1868 according to plans by Heinrich Ferstel for Franz Ritter von Wertheim. At the end of the 19th century, the "Grey Theatre" was managed by the court actress Valerie Grey, who belonged to the ensemble of the K.u.K. Hofburg Theatre. In 1910, it was converted into a residential and office building until 2017, when the Palais Wertheim event location was officially opened.

Sources:
www.burgen-austria.com/palais.php?id=73
Palais Wertheim - Wikipedia

 

Raw concrete structure

The original use of the spaces as archives contributed a lot to the design of the venue. As a result, a grid-like structure was created on the ceilings of the halls as an important recognition feature. In the main hall, the "Wertheimsaal", this structure is partly vertical and divides the access area from the common area as a wall.

These grid structures of raw concrete are what give the event halls their brutalist design. This contrasts with the expansive interior design with curtains, upholstered seating and generous mirrors. The innovative spatial concept of the Palais Wertheim halls is a mixture of Viennese chic and Berlin punk.

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The origin of the term Brutalism lies, among other things, in the French term "béton brut" ["raw concrete"], which refers to an essential defining feature of the style, namely the material visibility of the building.

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Source: Wikipedia

Convertible 

A reinforced concrete staircase leads visitors to the 6 - 8 m high event venue in the basement. The flexible event area offers the perfect location for every type of event on around 1,200 m². The mobile stage can be arranged and used in three different ways - whether for Christmas parties with a band, seminars, weddings or for catwalks. The result is Vienna's most exciting event venue with a top location in the 1st district of Vienna.