Millions of historical treasures from the regional state museums are stored against the backdrop of the imposing Alpine scenery in this depot in Hall in Tirol. On the outside, the "vault" radiates self-confidence and stability, while on the inside, a clear and simple spatial structure offers optimal conditions for the researchers and the artefacts – with an amazingly simple technical solution.
Precious Collections
As is well known, people's memories are short, here it is preserved. Not a completely preserved mummy, but at least the foot of a 3,000-year-old mummy, a million preserved alpine butterflies, valuable Gothic sculptures, Stone Age wedges, various string instruments by the legendary Tyrolean violin maker Jakob Stainer. The list is long. The new Hall Collection and Research Centre is home to countless historical treasures with an estimated value of over one billion euros.
Reduced and hermetic
In the vault, the square, flat monolith watches over the cultural treasures that have been brought together from numerous depots and collections of the Tyrolean State Museums at this location; the memory of the country collected in a treasure chest mysterious from the outside against the backdrop of the mighty Alpine peaks.
The façade, clad in grey, glass-fibre-reinforced concrete slabs (FibreC) with its irregular hand axe-shaped bulges, is hermetic and defensive like armour. A few reduced perforations break through the armor-like skin: the gate for the truck lock, ventilation slots, the legally required windows to the carpentry workshop and the main entrance. The insides of the gate glow red when it is open on working days. There is no regular public traffic.
Onion principle
The spatial concept is simple and clear. In the outer ring, there are 7,500 m² of storage space according to the onion principle, followed by a corridor or access ring, and in the core, the bright work and studio rooms for the three dozen employees are grouped around the introverted, green atrium, which the scientists had wanted as a "contemplative circle of thought" for concentrated research and work.
Store, research, restore
Two of the three floors are sunk into the ground and achieve an optimal temperature of 19 degrees Celsius and 50 percent humidity for the climatically self-sufficient depot area without complex technology. In its silhouette, the building is cut in accordance with the slope. The fundus, which is stored in the outer ring, can be reached by means of locks via the access corridor from the offices, the workshops, packing, unloading and conservation rooms, the photo studio and the carpentry workshop in short distances. "For us restorers, the working situation has improved considerably compared to the past," says Laura Resenberg, head of the restoration workshops. "Now it is possible to take a quick look at an exhibit. The matching studios are located directly opposite the respective depot stock. Moving barrier-free on the same level with our cars makes everything much easier." Research, think and discuss with colleagues – concentrated in one place, in peace and quiet and directly on the object. People's memory is short, preserving it is an elaborate and yet worthwhile process.
[Source: Franz und Sue ZT GmbH] (https://www.franzundsue.at/projekte/sammlungs-und-forschungszentrum-der-tiroler-landesmuseen/)
Photos: Andreas Buchberger, Christian Flatscher, Ditz Fejer
#optigrün #VHF #AGRAFFE
