The main road from Lavamünd leads directly past the Liaunig Art Museum. From the road, the building appears to be balancing on the hill. The monolithic structure, with its closed concrete facades along its long side, further reinforces this impression of a balancing act. Balance here becomes a metaphor, intended to reflect the harmonious relationship between nature and architecture in the design by querkraft Architekten from Vienna. The plan works. Nestled into the ridge with surgical precision, the museum only superficially disrupts the landscape. And it gives back to the Lavant Valley more than it takes away.
Such an unusual piece of architecture always requires a courageous client. In this case, his name is Herbert W. Liaunig. The successful Austrian entrepreneur has been collecting art since his early youth. Over 2,000 works have accumulated over the decades, primarily post-war art from Austria. The local collector needed prestigious exhibition spaces – and the economically disadvantaged region of Carinthia finally needed a museum of distinction. Discussions with the state government regarding financial participation went well. However, Liaunig was cautious: despite promised support, he also calculated the project entirely using his own funds. This proved to be a wise decision, as the state funding was withdrawn literally at the last minute. The collector proceeded with the construction anyway, at his own expense. The museum, with its 4,400 m² of usable space, was only allowed to cost €1,500/m² – including building services and furnishings. Querkraft was able to complete the project within this budget. That the construction of a museum was even possible within such a tight budget is due to several clever design solutions and the specific characteristics of the local site. The central exhibition hall, measuring 160 m long, 13 m wide, and 7 m high, is more than two-thirds embedded in the hillside; in total, almost 90% of the building lies underground. This saves on heating costs and ensures consistent climatic conditions in the exhibition area, entirely without the need for complex ventilation and air conditioning systems. Uniformly tempered ground guarantees efficient operation, while a heat pump provides environmentally friendly temperature control for the building.
Structurally, the central building consists of a concrete U-shape, constructed as watertight basement walls. Lateral bracing is provided by reinforced concrete beams. A glass skin made of parabolic shells, a type of shell used in industrial construction, sits atop this simple yet efficient concrete structure – a tried-and-tested standard mass-produced material primarily used in industrial halls. The parabolic shell construction is ideal because diffuse daylight penetrates the entire length of the room through the structured glass of the ceiling, accentuated by artificial light spotlights that further highlight individual artworks. The fact that the room only offers views to the outside on its short sides underscores the design's rigor. These carefully controlled views into the valley create an unusual harmony between the art within and the surrounding nature. Here, reduction leads to a conscious perception of the space – and the artworks displayed within it.
The Liaunig Museum essentially comprises four areas. From the entrance zone, which connects to the visible storage area, visitors enter the central exhibition hall with its northeast/southwest-facing terraces. Movable exhibition walls allow for flexible use of the hall's layout. The third area houses the graphic arts collection, and the fourth, the gold collection. The gold collection, entirely buried within the hillside, is accessed from the exhibition hall via a narrow passageway, for which the Austrian artist Brigitte Kowanz created a light sculpture. Querkraft's clever design concept allows for the future addition of further underground annexes, according to the client's preferences and budget. For example, additional collection sections could then be housed along the main hall.
