Inés Lombardi :
Public Square Design in Pöggstall

Architecture is the poor cousin among the arts in Lower Austria. So it was all the more pleasing that the community of Pöggstall greeted the redesign of the community centre façade and the building of a music school as a welcome opportunity to find an artistic solution for the building itself and the forecourt.
The competition was won by Ines Lombardi, who is well known for her intelligent and clear concepts that are committed to conceptual thinking and the techniques of perception. The artist solved the difficult task with characteristic composure. The proposal abstained from a romantic village fountain aesthetic in favour of an extremely restrained interpretation of the urban public square. Accordingly, the concept envisaged a uniform treatment of all the openings and surfaces of the façades using veneered plywood. In addition, the plan for the ensemble included a rectangular grass surface on which a concrete pergola with integrated showcases was to be built. Lombardi's discrete measures for a modern breath of fresh air, for instance with the liberation from awful windows, utility plastering and laminated doors, a pergola as an elegant transitional area between the interior and the outdoors, the corridor of columns defining a separate space, the wood tone of the wall cladding as well as the planting of ivy would have brought an atmosphere of Ancient Roman villas and a Mediterranean feeling to the Waldviertel community. It is sad that the community elders did not consider the realisation of this sovereign intervention worth any additional effort. The high spirits and the pride that the citizens of Pöggstall would have enjoyed at the new square in front of their town hall does not bear thinking about. A pity, as the project represents a missed opportunity for Pöggstall.
(Brigitte Huck)