The Astoria Garage as a Contemporary Art Space
The Astoria Garage, located in Vienna’s 8th district, was originally constructed in 1918 above the former stables of Palais Auersperg. Over the course of the 20th century, the building underwent multiple phases of adaptation and reinvention. In the 1930s, architect and engineer Cesar Karre converted it into one of the first multi-story parking garages in the city. After decades marked by reduced activity, neglect, and recurring revivals, the Astoria Garage continues to endure. Its resilient structure, dramatic spatial sequences and capacity for reinvention make it an exceptional architectural environment. It is largely unnoticed by everyday city-walkers, yet it is full of latent potential.
The course explores the transformation of the historic garage into a lively and multifaceted cultural space for the present times. Throughout the semester, students will study the idiosyncrasies of spaces for displaying art and spaces for artists to work, while developing an understanding of the precise terminology associated with this architectural type. At the same time, they will analyze and interpret the architectural logic and spatial characteristics of the Astoria Garage.
Strategies of Transformation
Against this background, the course is dedicated to the development of an integrative design that reinterprets Astoria Garage as a contemporary space for the arts, takes its history into account, and translates contemporary spatial, ecological, and social requirements into a future-oriented design. The course encourages experimentation with a wide range of interdisciplinary approaches for working with existing structures: from appropriation and deconstruction to inversion and critical transformation. Strategies drawn both from architectural practice and from adjacent disciplines will be presented as potential conceptual tools and design attitudes.
During the course, students will study the characteristics of early 20th-century urban garage typologies, gaining an understanding of the specificities of the Astoria Garage. They will be introduced to contemporary examples of comparable architectonic transformations. Through models and case studies, the course addresses themes of art spaces, heritage, transformation, and the programmatic complexity of cultural architecture, providing tools to explore radical change and interdisciplinary strategies of reuse.
Reassembling Astoria
Students will work in groups of two or three for the entire semester. Each group will focus on a specific portion of the complex, first analyzing its spatial and structural particularities and then proposing strategies for its adaptation to new cultural functions. Creating a constellation of spaces for both artists and visitors that reflect the most recent cultural/media driven shifts in art spaces.
A collective dimension informs the final stage of the course. In the concluding exercise, the groups will reassemble their individual interventions into a single coherent ensemble capable of hosting a dynamic new art space within the urban fabric of Vienna. This shared act of recomposition will test the spatial, conceptual, and programmatic relationships across the student projects and envision a renewed cultural future for the Astoria.
Teaching Methods:
The semester takes place in English, and the work will be carried out in groups of two or three. At the beginning of the semester, the existing building is explored mainly through model making. Each group focuses on a different section of the structure and analyzes it by producing a 1:20 scale model. Through the development of this working model, students gain a profound understanding of the existing conditions. At the same time, inputs from the teachers encourage a shared reflection on experimental artistic methods drawn from the context of conceptual art. Various typologies of art spaces and their respective requirements are examined, while an ongoing discussion of strategies such as appropriation, deconstruction, and inversion accompanies the entire semester and actively involves all students. During the design phase, the model remains the most important working tool. It functions both as a medium for design exploration and as a means of representation. Every stage of the semester (from initial observations to concrete design proposals) is documented, with a clear emphasis on process rather than final outcome. At the end of the semester, Kunstraum Astoria is presented through a collaborative model to which all groups contribute their individual building components. These elements can be combined and connected in multiple ways, creating a contemporary, multi-layered piece of architecture.
Lecturers:
Marko Lulić
Carlos Mombiela
Wassily Walter
Tutor:
Luis Hasenberger
Further Information:
Kick-off: Tue, 10th of March, 2026, 09:00–16:00, Seminarraum AC 03-1
Meetings take place every Tuesday.