8. März 2022
In summer 2021, the new Classic Depot Wien (CDW) opened not far from Schönbrunn Palace in the southwest of Vienna. The sophisticated new-build had already won the BIG SEE Architecture Award 2021. It houses 100 exclusive, "serviced" spaces for vintage cars, sports cars and collectors' vehicles plus the corresponding specialist businesses for classic vehicles. The beating heart of the CDW is the exclusive V8cht restaurant on the third floor. The restaurant with bar features a high-class design in an industrial look. Its floor-to-ceiling glazing and spacious roof terrace afford an expansive view over the former site of the "Fritze Lacke" paint factory. Nimbus luminaires immerse the dining area in atmospheric artificial light.
The "V8cht – Restaurant | Bar" caters for its patrons' every wish in a space covering over 350 square metres including seating and standing room for a total of 99 guests in the indoor and outdoor areas. As Jan Christoph Pollak, founder and proprietor of the restaurant is keen to emphasise: "It is not only reserved for the clients of Classic Depot Wien but also welcomes a wide range of diners for lunch or an elegant dinner – for private parties or for corporate events." Two Vienna architects, Matthäus Wagner and Sebastian Illichmann, were responsible for the outstanding interior design of the V8cht and also devised the concept for the entire new-build for the CDW.
Explaining their idea for the V8cht, the two architects stressed: "The food and drink are the stars of a restaurant. The design is meant to be very discreet, giving priority to the use of space." But bearing in mind that eating should also be an aesthetic experience, Wagner and Illichmann placed great importance on the use of high-quality materials and a clear division of functions. For example, picking up the theme of the "garaged" cars, many vertical surfaces are made of sheet steel, with horizontal surfaces such as tables, floors and ceilings made of warm wooden materials.
Thanks to the luminaires' special glare suppression – which applies to both the Q FOUR range and the Lighting Pads – they cause hardly any reflection in the restaurant's large windows, allowing guests to let their gaze wander freely across the view of the night-time city lights while they enjoy dinner or a cocktail. This special effect, this "invisible light", recently received recognition in the form of the Baden-Württemberg International Design Award, with the Q FOUR range winning Focus Open 2021 in Gold.
Client: Clemens Stiegholzer, Vienna
Architecture, interior architecture and lighting concept: Matthäus Wagner, Vienna and Sebastian Illichmann, Vienna
Implementation: 2016–2021
Photos: Kurt Kuball, Vienna
Stuttgart, January 2022
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