In Langenlois, 60 minutes west of Vienna, on a gently south-sloping vineyard, Steven Holl Architects has completed a 30-room extension for the Loisium Hotel. Working again with associate architects, Sam-Ott-Reinisch, the new structure expands on the concept for the resort's original 2005 design for the Loisium Hotel and Wine Center, with additional guestrooms, board rooms and a conference center.
The Loisium Hotel and Wine Center celebrate the rich local heritage of an ancient wine vault system. The historic subterranean network, which includes stone passages that are 900 years old, underlies the urban plan of the town. The first two buildings of the Loisium campus sought to create an analogical relation to the geometry of the cellars, with the wine center embedded within the vineyards and the hotel referencing the branching morphology of the vaults above. Together these three elements represented three basic types of architecture: under, in, and over the ground.
The concept for the new extension, “out of the ground,” connects to the original vaults via precast vaulted rooms. A reflecting pool at the entry reflects the curved geometry.
"Architecture, always a collaboration, is especially a joy when the team is made of true friends and great clients who deeply appreciate the spirit and love of detail, light, and space that architecture communicates.” – Steven Holl
The roofs and walls of the expansion building are clad in Rheinzink. The matte natural material is pre-weathered to blend with the landscape and sky. Glass walls at the hotel rooms provide views to the mountains, vineyards and existing Loisium Hotel and Wine Center. Board form exposed concrete walls compliment custom natural wood millwork.
The Loisium Wine and Spa Resort celebrated the completion of the new extension with a soft opening in May and is open to the public in Summer 2021.
photographs courtesy Hertha Hurnaug
drawings courtesy Steven Holl Architects