Between tradition and transformation

The event saw architects Wolfgang H. Salcher (state historic monuments officer for Vienna at the Austrian Federal Monuments Authority) and Maximilian Eisenköck, and businesswoman Karina Schunker (Managing Director, EHL Wohnen) join film director Robert Dornhelm, owner of the Bärenvilla, to discuss the topic of "Protecting heritage buildings: between tradition and transformation". Moderated by journalist Tarek Leitner, the discussion addressed the cultural significance of protecting heritage buildings, the balancing act involved in putting buildings to productive use while simultaneously endeavouring to preserve them, the challenge of finding innovative solutions for modern building requirements and the question of profitability.

In his opening address, Andreas Kraler, CEO and Managing Partner of the HELLA Group, stressed the importance not just of preserving protected heritage buildings, but of finding flexible technical solutions to ensure they remain attractive for ongoing use. Preserving and utilising protected heritage buildings can be a step towards greater sustainability and makes particular sense for a country like Austria. Fine old buildings need to be treated with respect in terms of both technology and culture. "We are a nation of culture," asserts architect Maximilian Eisenköck.

Reconciling modern imperatives such as accessibility, fire safety and energy efficiency with the need to protect heritage buildings can be quite a challenge for construction projects. Finding the right solutions requires both innovative technical ideas and a very flexible approach from everyone involved. Owner Robert Dornhelm had a most pertinent example to share: "The attic of the Bärenvilla in the original form we are supposed to be preserving did not have any windows, but building control requirements and the need to manage building temperature both dictated that windows were essential. It was by no means easy, but our architect eventually found a way to turn the attic into usable living space without compromising the building's heritage status." 

Quite a number of creative solutions for tricky situations like these have already appeared, added architect and state historic monuments officer Wolfgang Salcher: "As well as traditional exterior shading, there is also the possibility of a multi-skin facade with shades installed between the skins, for example."

The Federal Monuments Authority aims to work in partnership and makes a priority of speaking with all stakeholders. Investors, users and the public at large need to be made aware of the historical and cultural significance of heritage assets to ensure the true value of what already exists is appreciated. Telling the many stories associated with protected heritage buildings can often be one of the most effective ways to inspire such appreciation. "Once people have genuinely learned to value and appreciate a building, its future is essentially secure," exclaims Wolfgang Salcher with conviction. 

The stories behind the building certainly played a role in Robert Dornhelm's decision to purchase the Bärenvilla. Links to Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect who created the Bärenvilla (and Vienna's city hall, the Rathaus), emerged in a number of the director's film projects. "I made a film in Hungary in a castle that Friedrich von Schmidt had restored. Then, as we were filming the crime series "Vienna Blood", I unexpectedly found myself in what had once been his studio." When the director subsequently heard that Friedrich von Schmidt's Bärenvilla was for sale, the urge to step in, buy it and save it from the planned demolition proved impossible to resist.

Karina Schunker, Managing Director of property services provider EHL Wohnen, understands better than most the critical role of economics in the preservation of protected heritage buildings. She outlined the legal situation for potential buyers in the residential property market as follows: "When owners renovate protected heritage properties, they can only then agree higher rents if they have invested 'significant own funds' and avoided claiming public subsidies. If they cannot clear this bar, the rent usually remains quite low, meaning that there is a risk letting such properties comes to be seen as being driven primarily by emotion rather than economics and is therefore not a serious business venture. When this happens, the lessors have to go back and correct the input tax they initially claimed for the original costs and maintenance expenses." Factors such as these increase financial risk in projects to renovate protected heritage buildings, which tend to be cost-intensive (with high interest rates and challenging technical specifications) anyway, and make them a harder sell.

Not all the technical requirements to be met originate with the Federal Monuments Authority. Climate change too is creating an ongoing need for new and innovative building systems solutions, which are essential if protected heritage buildings are to remain usable in the future without detriment to their cultural value. "Much has happened in the area of climate resilience over the last ten years," concluded moderator Tarek Leitner, "and it is important that we work with property owners to develop new solutions, for example for sun protection, greening and geothermal energy."

Following the fascinating panel discussion, HELLA invited guests to a cocktail reception in the Bärenvilla owner's ground floor living space. Architect Katrin Steinbacher, who oversaw the restoration of the Bärenvilla for Robert Dornhelm, led a tour of the premises, including the wine cellar and garden, allowing guests to witness first hand just how successfully the tension between transformation and tradition in the preservation of protected heritage buildings can be resolved. The evening concluded with a tasting of wines from Vienna winery Wieninger in the famous Turmstübchen room, in which architect Schmidt once hosted salons with colleagues including fellow architects Theophil von Hansen and Heinrich von Ferstel, and artist Hans Makart.