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This design by Najjar & Najjar Architects includes a new shipping pier and a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. A large roof spans the area like a wing and connects the functional elements.
The ample roof which marks the point of arrival forms a remarkable gate to the landscape of the ‘Wachau’ Valley. Alongside the City of Krems in Austria it leads everyday life’s fugitives to a place of experience, of emotions.
A new place of articulation assumes a shape, creates strong connections between river and city, between landscape and urbanism. The large gate forms the frame for different encounter possibilities, whether cultural, culinary or interpersonal. Zone of communication, gastronomy, commerce and ticket counter conflate into a whole.
The Zone of communication of the World Heritage Centre is located at the areas Westside; it guides the visitor in a literary and visual way into the culture of the region. Six lines of illuminated screens offer the possibility to represent the ‘Wachau’.
An inviting outside staircase leads the visitors from the promenade to the ‘Gate of the Wachau’. Washed concrete produced from Danube gravel and also several planting accentuations with reed communicate the close proximity to the river.