Unconventional and equally serious: This is how the Geramb-Rose jury describes the approach to a new city hotel in the heart of Graz. The challenge: the adaptation of a more than 400 year old monument at the foot of the Schlossberg.
The world of city tourism was still okay then. “Hotel boom: Ten new hotels in Graz are just on the way,” headlined a Grazer newspaper in November 2019. The number of overnight stays in Graz rose by ten percent in autumn, and the prospects for a continuation of the upward trend seemed rosy. Even the tourism boss, known as a level-headed manager, was full of confidence that he would be able to gain half a million overnight stays by 2023, and said that Graz could “tolerate” these new hotel buildings.
Now things turned out very differently, but since the planning and construction require long lead times and some things were already “in the pipeline” at this point in time, two new hotels were actually opened in Graz in 2020. The hotel chain at the main train station does not have to be introduced. The other, however, which is called modestly after its address, is worth a closer look. It combines several building themes in the historical center of Graz that are a challenge for the world cultural heritage. “Kai 36” lies in the extension of Sackstrasse, one of the oldest streets in Graz at the foot of the Schlossberg, which was separated from the quay on the banks of the Mur by a gate. Even if the view can expand there and the promenade is lined with trees, the houses on the quay are built close to one another, with their backs to the steep slope of the Schlossberg. The house with a strikingly wide sloping roof over three storeys plays a special role. It is one of the oldest, built in the second half of the 16th century. Nevertheless, it stood empty for a long time until the Graz racing manager Helmut Marko bought it and decided to expand it and add it to his portfolio of three hotels. The renovation was put in the hands of Nicole Lam, who had already planned the most recent new building, the Hotel “Lend”, for the hotelier.
With the listed ensemble, the Graz architect broke new ground. In close coordination with the Monument Office and the Old Town Commission, the historical structure was exposed and only a new staircase was created, which now also opens up the inner courtyard wing, which was previously only accessible via a balcony. Instead of a steep monopitch roof, two levels with hotel rooms were added to this courtyard wing. The main house was retained in its original form, the facade was renovated in accordance with the listed building standards. The architect connected several axes on the ground floor with well-placed passages to form a continuum with different vaults, which now contain a café-bar with a small, open kitchen, the reception and the staircase. In this area facing the street, which presumably also had different functions in earlier times and is now interrupted by steps, atmospherically differentiated places to linger were created. The radically new can only be seen when you gain height with a lift or stairs and step out of the courtyard house onto one of the upper terrace terraces. A floor was added to the third existing building in the courtyard, a free-standing Stöckl built close to the rock, which can now be reached from above via a small terrace with a meadow. Even higher, one step further on the terrace, the only completely new implant: a small courtyard house for an apartment and the toilets for those who use the open spaces. The ensemble effect with the two roof structures is created because all three roofs have been worked and shaped like a plastic and covered with sheet copper over the façades. It is also noticeable that the small new building is in good proportion to the existing structure. The location and proportion are carefully considered. That creates tension.
With these fixtures, but also with the variety of open spaces, including the existing steps and the newly used terraces, stairs and access paths, a living whole is created – recognizable as a time layer from 2020. That the balancing act between preservation and renewal in the historical, has been used differently over the centuries The old town commission in Graz clearly recognized it and approved it despite the sensitive location on the easily visible slope of the Schlossberg. The expansion was indispensable for the client, as the superstructures only created a number of rooms that are still far below the usual limits of economic efficiency for cool computers.
The guests can expect 21 individually designed rooms, which have to be found with the elevator, in the staircase or via the small inner courtyard. Even if the beams remained visible under the huge roof areas, the architect’s need to give the house a fresh, unconventional touch without right angles is evident everywhere inside. Sanitary cells remain visible as a room within the room, and the stairs to the top floor are designed as elegant, compact furniture. Where nothing was right, floors were laid in such a way that purists would probably turn up their noses – at an angle, in unusual formats and with a mix of natural stone and matt wood. Nothing looks luxurious. Public areas such as the café, which will also be the breakfast room for hotel guests, should reflect the intimacy of living spaces. What you know from bars in hip city quarters of Berlin or Munich can also be found here – natural materials and attention to detail, a lush mix of furniture and art on the walls everywhere.
At quay number 36, added value was created on extremely difficult terrain, which shows that the preservation and sensitive development of our historical urban landscapes are not only necessary to keep a city alive, but can also be fertile and beautiful. The jury of the Geramb Rose 2020 saw the hotel as “an excellent example of how an existing property that was intended for a completely different use can develop a new spatial diversity”. The guest who finds something special in every city and wants to look behind the scenes, the historical facades, will have the feeling that they have penetrated the interior and are welcome for the time of their stay. ■
(“Die Presse”, print edition, 12.12.2020)
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