Atelier for a Sculpture Artist
In 2019 the freelancing sculpture artist Ms. Monika Rienoessl decided to move from the city of Vienna to the country house in which she was raised in the small village of Neuaigen in Lower Austria in order to establish her artist’s studio.
With the money she recently got from having sold her apartment, she approached the Vienna based office of Maximilian Eisenkoeck (MEA) in order to create her dream house. She envisioned constructing a minimalist, white pavilion home where she could live and display her artwork. With the experience gained in industrial construction methods, the architect developed the idea of establishing a basic structure with as few parts as possible and to use the remainder of the budget for renovation purposes of the old existing country house.
Photography by © Martin Weiss
The structure of the pavilion consists of 43 tiny columns with a diameter of 60mm fixed on prefabricated concrete foundations supporting a 140mm wooden board as the roof. The interior and exterior space is only divided by an almost invisible layer of extra clear float glass. The setback of the roof provides maximum light throughout the day preventing direct solar radiation. Moreover, it removes the need for additional sunshades or cooling systems.
Photography by © Martin Weiss
The old clay brick house on the main street serves as a striking contrast to the light new structure in the back. The existing house was in a very bad state of repair but it was able to be saved and upgraded with some simple but effective improvements such as the reorganization of the floor plan and some additional window openings where they were needed. Now it serves as the artist’s workshop.
The existing concrete exterior spaces were kept wherever possible. These spaces are now being used for the display of the artist´s sculptures.
Photography by © Martin Weiss
Project Info:
Architects: Maximilian Eisenköck Architecture
Location: Neuaigen, Austria
Area: 271 m²
Project Year: 2020
Photographs: Martin Weiss
Manufacturers: Grohe, Hansa, MARAZZI, Coverit, Forbo, SLV, Schuco, Siga Cover AG
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial