Paul Petritsch :
Community Hall in Rohrendorf Near Krems

The Rohrendorf community hall is the result of an extension and a conversion to a historic building situated directly on the roadside. The new part of the building is concealed behind the facade and lies in an attractive courtyard. What could be more obvious an approach than to use a striking symbol to mark the new community centre, the new meeting place. Among the submissions to the competition one project full of profound irony was most convincing: Hans Schabus, a master of contradictory functionality, submitted a proposal for a floodlight of the kind used to illuminate the football pitch. However here the mast is not on an open field but in an enclosed courtyard. It is 16 metres high and clearly visible from near and afar. In contrast to the impressive height the ball of light is small and concentrated on the courtyard in a dot shape. A solar panel on the roof is not only intended to symbolise a closed energy cycle between nature and the public electric grid but also to generate same. In this way a functional object becomes a striking landmark, one that marks the community as a strong source of energy. The council decided to go without.
(Brigitte Huck)