An old church in Vienna's 7th district. An extraordi-
nary property – and a unique opportunity. Dr Kerstin
Ortlechner, an internationally renowned dermatologist
from Vienna, was looking for a new surgery and was
immediately impressed by the sacred aesthetics of
the space. Together with Studio Riebenbauer Vienna
Los Angeles, a design was created that preserves
the sacred aesthetic but contrasts it with a futuristic
and minimalist room concept. From the outset, the
aim was to create a surgery that would set new global
standards and attract international attention in the
architecture and design environment – for its design
language, spatial concept, and also its illumination.
The aesthetics were to be minimalist, with light grey
walls, polished aluminium surfaces and mirrors, and
the entrance was to be accentuated by LED lumi-
naires. In the centre of the sacred nave, two mirrored
boxes were designed to act as treatment rooms. A
former confessional was converted into a beauty
room. Extensive renovation work, including new sky-
lights and a large sliding glass door, was necessary to
make the building, originally built in 1860, fit for use as
a surgery.
The lighting posed a very special challenge: While
the decorative luminaires from Studio Riebenbauer's
own SR-Products brand functioned as a visible part of
the design, the XAL luminaires were to remain subtly
in the background and create the right mood for the
space. Sacred and futuristic. Thanks to the architec-
tural conditions, it was necessary to use suspended
luminaires. Using MOVE IT PRO, the character was
preserved and the church nave’s open space was left
largely unchanged. In the treatment rooms, on the
other hand, perfect lighting had to be guaranteed.
The result is a bold and internationally unique spatial
design. A surgery unlike any other in the world.
xal.com/ortlechner
69
