It was about rebuilding the oldest part of the museum complex, which includes buildings throughout the city (including the famous "Kunsthaus Graz" by Peter Cook). Now this ensemble of buildings of the 17-19th centuries has been turned into the Ioanneum-quarter - a single space connected by a common underground lobby.
This lobby, or rather, the visitor center, is located under the inner courtyard of the museum. Visitors can get there via an escalator that descends into a large glazed cone. The same cones serve as light wells for this underground space.
Through the visitor center with a cafe, ticket office and a museum shop, you can go to the New Gallery (fine art from the 19th century to the present), the Natural Science Museum, the multimedia collection: all of them are located in the buildings surrounding the courtyard. The Visitor Center also contains two spacious auditoriums for conferences and seminars of any topic.
In addition, under the ground is the ordering and lending area of the Styrian State Library: it moved to the museum complex this year. There are also shelves with books that are in the public domain. The main book depository is also located below ground level, but outside the courtyard.
The budget for the project, which included the restoration and modernization of historic buildings, amounted to 38.1 million euros; the program was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the Ioanneum Museum, one of the largest in Austria.
N. F.
