Competition – ISTA Laboratory Building LAB 8

LAB 8 is designed as a research facility that provides optimal conditions for both current and future scientific requirements. The intelligent integration of laboratories, workspaces, and diverse landscaped outdoor areas encourages scientific exchange and creates an inspiring working environment embedded within the natural setting of the Vienna Woods.

The architectural concept of LAB 8 builds upon the orthogonal planning principle of the ISTA master plan and continues it through a harmoniously organized arrangement of orthogonally positioned building volumes. The outdoor spaces are characterized by the high quality of stay offered by extensively landscaped pathways, terraces, and gathering areas. Public circulation routes, open stairways, and platforms provide barrier-free access to the public rooftop terrace with panoramic views, as well as to the surrounding facilities.

Inside, generous communication zones and tea kitchens create an attractive, welcoming, and open atmosphere that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration. The use of timber as a primary construction material, together with the emphasis on large façade openings, strengthens the connection to the surrounding landscape of the Vienna Woods. Vertical timber fins running around the buildings act as filters, reducing the visual mass of the cubic volumes and lending the architecture a lighter appearance.