Trade centre 16

The warehouses of a former mail order company in Bergheim near Salzburg stood empty for over ten years. These halls, part of an industrial estate near the Maria Plain pilgrimage church, benefit from good connections to the city of Salzburg and the motorway. The halls were built in the 1970s, resulting in a heterogeneous building complex. Following the decline of the mail order business, around 43,000 m² remained unused.

Developer Marco Sillaber has revitalised this area with an upcycling concept. The architects at smartvoll condensed the interior of the building by adding new levels, increasing the usable space to over 60,000 m². Exterior interventions were kept to a minimum, but light and green islands were skilfully integrated. Inside, the architects created an innovative sequence of rooms with platforms, ramps and stairs that offer accessibility and flexibility. Parts of the old shipping racks were reused in the spirit of upcycling.

The space recycling of the halls saved a massive amount of grey energy. 43,000 m² of usable space was retained and could also be redensified. Demolition would have required the transport of 25,500 m³ of concrete over 80,000 km, which would have caused over 15 tonnes of CO2. A new building on undeveloped land would also have been significantly more harmful to the environment.

For its sustainable implementation, the project received the ‘Earth Prize’ from the Ministry of the Environment in 2022 and the Architecture Prize of the State of Salzburg in 2024. It saves CO2 and does not seal any additional soil. The ‘Retail Centre 16’ is considered a role model for reuse and land recycling in Austria.