Church in Vienna
Situated on a main traffic route near an underground station, the black cube of this Roman Catholic church forms a point of calm in its heterogeneous environment. The building is turned on the diagonal to the urban grid to achieve an east-facing orientation. It was also sunk to a third of its height in the ground so as not to overwhelm the housing in the neighbourhood. (Accommodated in the volume below ground are the parish rooms.) On the other hand, the outer skin of the church, consisting of black chromium-steel plates, is boldly contrasted with its surroundings, demonstrating the autonomous nature and special function of the building.
