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magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City
magdas HOTEL Vienna City

magdas, Austria’s first social business hotel, has moved to new premises at No 38 Ungargasse. BWM Designers & Architects were responsible for the conversion of a former clerical residence into magdas HOTEL Vienna City, with 85 guest rooms, a restaurant with sidewalk tables and an al fresco dining area.

While the quiet guest rooms are infused with the contemplative essence of the former Stephanushaus, BWM also reinterpreted the idea of human connection and community, not only by preserving the architecturally noteworthy chapel on the 6th floor, but also by opening the ground floor up to its urban surroundings thanks to the large windows in the hotel’s in-house restaurant that invite passers-by in. The sidewalk tables in Ungargasse and the outdoor dining area in the garden facing Krummgasse offer people new places to meet up in the 3rd district.

magdas HOTEL Vienna City has an extraordinary history. “The former Stephanushaus was a clerical residence for many years,” says Johann Moser of BWM Designers & Architects. “And several nuns, who worked here as housekeepers, lived on the top floor.” The rooms on the bottom two floors were designated for guests. The organ builders, for instance, who renovated the organ in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, stayed here.

Johann Moser
We were committed to preserving this mixture of retreat and community.
Johann Moser

Retreat and community

“We were committed to preserving this mixture of retreat and community,” Johann Moser continues. “The common areas are places where people interact, talk and are stimulated, while the guest rooms have a quiet, contemplative character and offer refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city and the activities on the ground floor.” The idea of connection and community, one of the core principles of magdas, is reinterpreted here.

magdas is Austria’s first social business hotel. Its goal is to give displaced people a chance on the labour market and to offer them work and training under the supervision of hospitality experts. magdas also sets great store by sustainability. The hotel has a photovoltaic system on the roof and geothermal heat pumps in the ground, as well as a garden in front of the building which replaced the parking spaces that were there before. And resources were also treated with the utmost care in the interior design. Old lamps were fixed, the former reception was turned into a bar, and chairs that had been used at the former location at Prater are reused here. At the same time, BWM Designers & Architects never lost sight of the building’s special history.

1960s architecture: conservation and restoration

BWM Designers & Architects were guided by the principle of conservation and restoration. Their aim was to largely preserve the style of the 1960s building and the restrained, elegant architecture of that era. In the entrance area, for example, the original black and green stone floor has been preserved, as has the curved reception desk that is now part of the new bar, and some vintage furniture. And even the beautiful old lift, though refurbished, has maintained its original appearance.

“As restrained as the architecture of that era was in general, it could be very flamboyant in its details,” says Johann Moser. The fully preserved chapel on the sixth floor, for instance, exemplifies this. It is still available for ceremonies such as baptisms and weddings.

It was necessary, however, to remedy some weak points, for instance in the construction physics. BWM Designers & Architects were responsible for the overall restoration of the building; the full reconditioning of the sound and house engineering, including heating and ventilation systems; as well as for building entirely new fire exit stairs. On the top floor, they removed internal walls to create a spacious room that can be used for events and conferences.

Der Beichtstuhl eines ehemaligen Caritas-Pflegeheims wurde zu Wandpaneelen für das magdas LOKAL umfunktioniert.
Der Beichtstuhl eines ehemaligen Caritas-Pflegeheims wurde zu Wandpaneelen für das magdas LOKAL umfunktioniert.

From the sidewalk through to the outdoor dining area

On the ground floor, guests can look in from the sidewalk, across the generous space and out into the garden. The foyer and reception area leads off into the in-house restaurant, magdas LOKAL, to the left, and to the right lies the entrance to the event hall. Dark-green columns and a low ceiling characterise the reception area and set it apart from the restaurant area.

In magdas LOKAL, which can seat 85 guests, there are bench seats and tables both in- and outside of the expansive windows, extending the restaurant onto the pavement in Ungargasse. At certain points, guests can look through the entire building, all the way through to the formerly sealed parking lot in Krummgasse at the very other end. This parking lot was redesigned and now boasts lawns, trees and pergolas. The restaurant’s al fresco dining area is located here and is a relaxing oasis in the urban surroundings.

Green, recycled, upcycled

magdas LOKAL’s dark, multi-coloured terrazzo floor and its dark-green centre columns are a reaction to the black and green colour scheme in the reception area. The furniture consists of a varied mix of vintage pieces and new bench seats. Generally, it was one of the project’s core principles to recycle pre-existing furniture, lamps and fixtures, not least in order to meet the sustainability requirements and the social and ecological standards of the operator, magdas Social Business of Caritas, the Archdiocese of Vienna’s social aid organisation.

For this reason, BWM Designers & Architects teamed up with Daniel Büchel, architect and upcycling expert from Vorarlberg, who had already upcycled and reused found pieces for magdas HOTEL Vienna Prater. “It helped that Caritas itself runs social institutions that specialise in certain manual skills. The chairs, for example, were repaired in a workshop that employs people with disabilities,” explains Johann Moser. In keeping with the principle of recycling, the headboards and tables in the 85 guest rooms were made from old cupboard doors.

Shades of green

Various shades of green dominate the corridors leading to the guest rooms. The houndstooth pattern used in the carpets is a nod to the 1950s.

The black floral patterns on the light-coloured corridor walls were painted by artist Michaela Polacek, and Daniel Büchel restored original 1960s furniture from the clerical residence for the suites on the 6th floor, which he also thoughtfully decorated with accessories dating back to that era.

In keeping with the building’s religious background, the guest rooms are characterised by a spirit of frugality and restraint. When guests enter them, they have an unobstructed view past the basin across the entire room, giving it a sense of spaciousness. The premium, light-green tiles in the toilet and bathroom serve as a gentle interruption in the otherwise prevailing simplicity. A curtain between the sleeping area and the vestibule and sanitary area can be used to separate them. There are mirrors, clothes hooks, desks and other fixtures attached to rails of dark oak running along the plain white walls. The television is hidden inside an oak casket that is reminiscent of a tabernacle.

A communal place with international flair and Mediterranean charm

Almost all the rooms have a balcony giving onto Krummgasse. These balconies have short curtain marquises in light colours that, in combination with the plants and the outdoor dining area below, create a friendly, almost Mediterranean atmosphere.

With the restaurant – including its sidewalk tables in Ungargasse and al fresco dining area in Krummgasse – open to all visitors, there is no doubt that magdas HOTEL Vienna City adds value to the neighbourhood. By literally opening its doors to the surroundings, it also brings together international guests and locals alike.

Task
Umwandlung eines ehemaligen Priesterwohnhauses in ein Hotel, Planung Umbau/Sanierung des Gebäudes sowie Interior Design für Allgemeinbereiche inkl. Restaurant und 85 Zimmer

Status
Completion 10/2022

Client
magdas HOTEL

BWM Team
Johann Moser, Hubert Meyer, Magdalena Geppel, Kinga Baluch, Anke Stern, Dijana Arapovic, Ferdinand Bischofter, Sanja Piro, Bernhard Dillner, Daniel Krawczyk, Greta Kenyeres

Image credit
BWM Designers & Architects / Severin Wurnig
BWM Designers & Architects / Walter Luttenberger
BWM Designers & Architects

Participants

ÖBA, Ausschreibung
Baukooperative GmbH

Statik
Gschwandtl & Lindlbauer ZT GmbH

Bauphysik
Burian & Kram Bauphysik GmbH

Brandschutzplanung
IFBS Institut zur Förderung von Brandschutz und Sicherheit, e.V.

Vermessung
Korschineck & Partner Vermessung ZT GmbH

Haustechnikplanung
PME Techn. Büro für Klimatechnik GesmbH

Lichtplanung
Pokorny Lichtarchitektur

Landschaftsplanung
Simma Zimmermann Landschaftsarchitektinnen OG

Gestaltung OG 6
Daniel Büchel

Ausführungsplanung
Baukooperative

Teppichdesign
Gabriele Bruner

Geothermie
IBF DI Faustmann KG (Geomatrix)

Baumanagement
Porr Bau GmbH

Elektrotechnik
Fa. Rauhofer

Wärme-Wasser-Klima-Lüftungsanlage
Fa. WWLA

Kunst im Hotel
Atelier 10

Awards

Innovativ & nachhaltig

28 November 2023

Innovativ & nachhaltig

magdas Hotel Vienna City was chosen as one of the three finalists for this year's "Hotel Innovation Award". The award was presented at the 196+ forum Vienna conference in the columned hall of the Weltmuseum. Congratulations to the entire team and many thanks to magdas for the sustainable cooperation!

Hotel Innovation Award

9 November 2023

Hotel Innovation Award

The 12 nominees for the "Hotel Innovation Award" have been announced - including two hotels designed by BWM, magdas Hotel Vienna City and Hotel Konzerthaus Vienna. We are delighted and are keeping our fingers crossed for the award ceremony on 27 November as part of the 196+ forum Vienna.

gebaut 22

7 June 2023

gebaut 22

Every year, the city of Vienna (MA 19) grants the “gebaut 2022” Award to outstanding architectural projects that are displayed in an exhibition and documented in a publication, We are excited! In the picture (from left to right): Johann Moser (BWM) together with Michael Kleinbichler (magdas), Clemens Foschi (Caritas) and Hubert Meyer (BWM).

Press

27 February 2024

md / interior / design / architecture

Das Hotel, Leitlinie für nachhaltiges Leben?

Link PDF

4 January 2024

Falstaff.com

Stay so cool

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13 December 2023

Falstaff Spezial

Stay so cool

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6 December 2023

AZW

Urlaub im Grätzl

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28 November 2023

FAZ

Im Schlaf Gutes tun

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27 October 2023

Kurier

Mid-Century-Juwel mit Mission

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30 September 2023

ubm Magazin

Mid-Century-Juwel mit karitativem Spirit

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8 September 2023

Kurier

An die Bar, die früher ein Beichtstuhl war

Link

8 September 2023

vienna.at

Open House Wien lockt mit gratis Führungen durch Architektur-Highlights

Link

8 September 2023

derstandard.at

Open House Wien: Am Wochenende sind wieder die Türen geöffnet

Link

8 September 2023

stadt-wien.at

Open House Wien: Architekturfestival lädt zum Entdecken der Stadt

Link

8 September 2023

heute.at

Open House: Tag der offenen Tür in Wiener Schlafzimmern

Link

2 September 2023

Immo Kurier

Architektur hautnah

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1 September 2023

www.tophotel.de

Hotelimmobilie des Jahres 2023: Das sind die 10 Nominierten

Link PDF

4 July 2023

md-magazin

Bewahren und ertüchtigen

Link PDF

4 July 2023

nextroom.at

Magdas Hotel Vienna City

Link PDF

15 June 2023

architektur aktuell

Zwischen Stille und Geselligkeit

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12 May 2023

trend PREMIUM

Bettgeschichten

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16 February 2023

Falstaff Living

Häuser fürs grüne Geschäft

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19 December 2022

a-list.at

Magdas Wien: Hotel mit Sinn

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17 December 2022

Die Presse

Sozial mit einem Hauch Retro

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8 December 2022

www.kultur-port.de

Warum Social Business in Wien funktioniert

Link

28 November 2022

wien.info

Vintage zum Übernachten

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20 November 2022

Kurier

Zeitreise in die Sixties im neuen Magdas Hotel

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16 November 2022

hotelundtouristik.at

Ein Blick ins neue Hotel

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16 November 2022

Kurier Magazin

Lust auf Wien

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13 November 2022

Der Standard

Neues Magdas Hotel eröffnet: Kreislaufwirtschaft ist kein Klumpert

Link PDF

11 November 2022

Heute

Neuanfang – "magdas Hotel" gab Ziad (34) eine Chance

Link PDF

11 November 2022

gast.at

Neuer Standort für magdas Hotel

Link PDF

11 November 2022

Radio Wien

Neues Magdas Hotel

Link

1 September 2022

Die Presse Online

Architekturfestival: "Verändere deine Perspektive"

Link PDF

26 May 2022

fotocultmagazin.com

Kaiserlicher Glanz, innovativer Luxus und nachhaltiger Lifestyle

Link

21 March 2022

Die Presse

Neue Betten in der Hauptstadt

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21 May 2021

Einkaufen im Dritten

magdas Hotel im Dritten

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10 March 2021

Wiener Bezirkszeitung

Neues Hotel mit sozialem Auftrag

Link PDF