Following an international open competition in 2013, Hoskins Architects in collaboration with Ralph Appelbaum Associates were appointed to redevelop exhibition and visitor facilities at Weltmuseum Wien in the historic Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
The 7,500m² redevelopment includes 2,400m² permanent exhibition and 1,400m² temporary exhibition spaces. A new information point in front of the main entrance with temporary café and performance area improves the museum’s public presence on Heldenplatz. New reception and introductory spaces lead visitors to the Säulenhalle, the heart of the museum, where visitors can relax in a new café area. From here visitors can directly access the temporary exhibition spaces, new museum shop and a new auditorium at ground floor level or the permanent collection and education facilities on the upper floor. The design uses a uniform architectural language, sensitive to its historic context, which works in conjunction with the exhibition design to create a clear and coherent museum.