During the revitalization of the former “Generali Center” at Mariahilfer Straße 77–79 in Vienna, the existing building had to be not only comprehensively refurbished and modernized but also given a completely new identity. The aim of our design was to transform the classic mall with its individual shops and corresponding circulation into a modern shopping center that is home to three separate larger stores, each with its own entrance. The new name “MAHÜ77” is derived from the nickname affectionately given by the Viennese to the popular shopping street.
New shopping experience
The remodeling of the building, which was originally constructed in 1974, included the partial hollowing out of the existing structure and removal of all separating walls and tenant fittings in the shops and the original escalators and lifts. The large openings in the mall were closed using composite reinforced concrete slabs, while two new vertical circulation spaces for escalators and lifts were cut out of the reinforced concrete structure close to the facade. New retail spaces for three major tenants were created in the basement and on the ground and first floors.
BREEAM Excellent
MAHÜ77 was the first shopping center in Austria and the first retail refurbishment project in the entire German-speaking region to be granted BREEAM Excellent sustainability certification. The measures implemented in cooperation with ATP sustain enabled CO2 emissions to be reduced by 88.14 % while final energy demand was reduced by 36.67 % vis-à-vis the given BREEAM benchmark.
The resource-friendly building services technology concept is based on a lifecycle-cost calculation, an eco-audit, and a study of low emissions technologies. The roof was completely renewed and adapted in line with the latest insulation standards, and completed with large-scale planting.
Individual yet homogenous
The entrances to the three shops present individually designed spatial features: A raised central portal leads to the ground-floor sales areas and the left-hand entrance leads to the basement via a deep atrium while the generous double-height void to the right provides access to the shop on the first-floor. An additional small street-facing retail space, including an area of pavement seating, is located on the corner facing Neubaugasse.
The new, glazed two-story post-and-rail facade gives the shops a shared aesthetic identity and lends the shopping center a homogenous external appearance. The facade enables the sales floors to interact with the pedestrian zone on the lively Mariahilfer Straße, drawing this into the retail experience.
