coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg

'martin luther church hainburg' by coop himmelb(l)au located in hainburg, austria
steelroof and skylight
image © duccio malagamba


austrian firm coop himmelb(l)au has completed the 'martin luther church hainburg' located in hainburg, austria.
the curvaceous roof culminates with three large openings allowing natural daylight to filter into the congregation
of the church. intrinsically tied into theological principles, the three skylights provide a celestial atmosphere by
manipulating the illumination levels and transparency. the structure of the form was constructed and assembled
offsite using shipbuilding metal-processing and manufacturing technologies and rests upon four vertical supports.
framing was erected from flat welded plates rest upon a grid of girders which transfers loads directly to the four
columns below. the exposed 8 mm thick steel surface is finished with a protective coating while the interior is clad
with mesh to adhere the stucco ceiling.

a community hall adjacent to the central prayer space is separated with folding doors which can be opened to
produce a continuous gathering area. the room is bordered with a folded glass facade directing views towards the nearby street.
a sculptural bell tower welcomes visitors to the forecourt which heralds the main entrance to the church and leads
to the sacristy, pastor's office and ancillary areas. standing at 20 meters high, the self-supporting structure has a
wall thickness between 8-16 millimeters, braced only by horizontal frames with an overall volume of 8 tons.
fabricated similarly to the roof, the tower is welded rigidly to a steel element encased within the concrete foundations.



overall view with bell tower
image © duccio malagamba



view prayer room and altar
image © duccio malagamba



prayer room and community hall
image © duccio malagamba



site plan
image © coop himmelb(l)au



floor plan / level 0
image © coop himmelb(l)au



section
image © coop himmelb(l)au



section
image © coop himmelb(l)au



the geometry of the church roof
image © coop himmelb(l)au


project info:

team
planning: coop himmelb(l)au
wolf d. prix / w. dreibholz & partner zt gmbh
design principal: wolf d. prix
project architect: martin mostböck
design architect: sophie-charlotte grell
project team: steven baites, daniel bolojan, victoria coaloa, volker kilian, 
martin neumann, martin jelinek

client: association 'freunde der evangelischen kirche in hainburg/donau', austria

structural engineering: bollinger grohmann schneider zt gmbh, vienna, austria
construction survey: spirk & partner zt gmbh, vienna, austria
main works / finishing: markus haderer baubetrieb ges.m.b.h, hainburg/donau, austria
steel construction (roof/ tower): ostseestaal gmbh, stralsund, germany
steel construction (façade): metallbau eybel, wolfsthal, austria
fibre cement cladding: eternit-werke ludwig hatschek ag, vöcklabruck, österreich
sfk gmbh, kirchham, austria
altar: idee & design, stainz, austria

project data
site area: 420 m²
sanctuary for 50 people, community space and ancillary rooms
total gross floor area: 289 m²
height (slab building / community space): 3,5 m
height sanctuary: 6 m
height roof: 10 m
length: 25 m
height bell tower: 20 m

chronology
start of planning: 2008
start of construction: 08/2010
opening: 04/2011