The A2 highway runs almost exactly along the dividing line between two vast geological formations. In the west, one sees the foothills of the limestone Alps, and the broad expanse of the Pannonia Basin begins to the east. This geological situation is the foundation of our design concept. The soft hills of the Vienna Woods start from Vienna and rise gently to the south, culminating at Schneeberg Mountain. This topographical figure stretches from Vösendorf down to the thermal region. Agriculture and smaller villages mainly mark the opposite side. The dissimilitude of the environments is emphasized by the placement of different layers of material: Towards the limestone Alps, the noise barrier shows the structure and progression of the geological formation. Three shades of tinted wood concrete are used above the concrete base, finished with local natural stone filled into vertical gabions at specific points. Viewing windows provide glimpses of the captivating landscape. On the Pannonia Basin side, shallow layers represent the progression of the landscape. Different shades of dyed wood concrete are used here as well. In forested areas, two of the three shades of brown are replaced by green. In urban areas, a shade of red creates a reference to the brickwork of the roofs, and a beige tone represents the historic plaster of the building façades. The outer surface of the noise barrier is clad in green wood concrete, blending the wall visually into the surrounding nature. At bridges, the barriers are topped with topographically structured aluminum panel cladding.

 

 

Location: A2 Südautobahn (Austria)
Year: Competition 3rd Place 2017
Team: Lukas Göbl, Alexander Enz in Kooperataion mit der IGP/ Adi Hasenzagl