‘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.

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 2 overall view with bell tower image © duccio malagamba

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 3 view prayer room and altar image © duccio malagamba

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 4 prayer room and community hall image © duccio malagamba

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 5 site plan image © coop himmelb(l)au

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 6 floor plan / level 0 image © coop himmelb(l)au

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 7 section image © coop himmelb(l)au

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 8 section image © coop himmelb(l)au

coop himmelb(l)au: martin luther church hainburg - 9 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