Najjar Najjar Architects

The new UNESCO Marine and World Heritage Centre in Krems (Austria) is located in the small town of Krems right at the river Danube’s waterfront. In this area the Danube meanders through the hilly landscape of the Wachau region in Lower Austria. With its vineyards, gardens, picturesque villages and old forests on the riversides, the region became a major destination for tourists, cruising the Danube. In 2004 the region was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The design is based on a proposal, ranked first in an architectural competition in 2008. The architects’ vision for the World Heritage Centre was to create a landing as a dynamic threshold between the Danube River and the countryside. The design vision for the World Heritage Centre was to create a landing as a dynamic threshold between the Danube River and the countryside.

With a spectacular roof spanning over 80 meters the architects intended to outline a gate framing the activities of the visitors embarking and debarking. The structure contains an exhibition area, a restaurant, a tourist information center and a ticket office for the Danube shipping line. All these functions are formally unified under one roof. The project received the “Best Architects Award” in 2014.

Design Team: Rames & Karim Najjar, Szczepan Sommer, Conrad Kroenke, John Mc. Cullen, Reyhan Kargi, Stefanie Slanec, Matteo Trentini, Ursula Wieser-Benedetti (Topolis Landscape)
Consultants: Markus Teurer Germany; Werkraum Vienna (Civil Engineering)
TGA Consulting Vienna Peter Cornelius, Reza Saber (Building Services)