Competition, Gusen Memorial Site
Burghauptmannschaft Österreich
Gusen, Austria
2025
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Expansion and Redesign of the KZ-Gedenkstätte Gusen with Simon Oberhammer and Kräftner Landschaftsarchitektur.
The design frames the few remaining traces of the former concentration camp within a perimeter path along the historic wall line. New elements remain restrained: a sunken Room of Silence, a stark Appellplatz of granite gravel, and an embedded Arrival Building behind the wall.
Rather than reconstruct, the project relies on indication—glass stelae carry archival images, names, and reflections, subtly overlaying history with the present. Slightly raised paths hover above archaeological remains, preserving them without detachment. Vegetation is allowed to reclaim, reminding visitors of time’s passage without erasure.
TEAM Mario Buda, Sonja Edelmann, KateŘinA Kunzová, Simon Oberhammer, Anna OrbaniĆ, Susanne Zottl, Structural Engineering REINHARD SCHNEIDER
