The LAAC project responds to the idea of a new type of high-rise building proposed by the aut. architektur und tirol within the framework of their Urbanissima concept (we wrote about the aut building, the reconstructed brewery here). In the state capital of Tyrol, Innsbruck, there is not much free space - it is limited in growth by an alpine valley, so high-rise buildings there are a logical solution to the development problem. However, they should differ from the post-war examples in the multifunctionality and elaboration of the architectural composition.
The P2 complex consists of a base - a new city library, a residential tower, and a public area with restaurants at the city roof level - about 11 meters above the ground. It houses the "open access shelves" of the library, a restaurant terrace and a seating area with outdoor furniture. Wide staircases lead there from street level.
The building is prominent enough to serve as a city-wide knowledge center. The architects took into account the changing role of libraries in the digital age, so only half of the space is dedicated to storage media, while the other half has become a public space, a popular “third place”. The program, in addition to study and reading areas, includes a children's library, a cafe-reading room, an event area, a city exhibition hall and premises for a city model.
The new building is located next to the railway station and the new development zone of the city, at the convergence point of the three districts. According to the architects, the hybrid nature of the project responds to such a complex context. At the same time, the library faces the Amrazerstrasse, emphasizing the main role of this street, and the tower “catches” the views of the Alps typical for Innsbruck.
