National Archives in Vaduz
The new building for the National Archives in Vaduz is the final part of a ten-year programme of urban renewal of the centre of Liechtenstein´s capital city. At a cost of approximately 100 million Swiss Francs, the project comprises three buildings at the foot of a hill with Vaduz Castle at its peak: a completely renovated and extended National Museum (architects: Brunhart Brunner Kranz, Balzers); the new parliament building (Hansjörg Göritz, Hannover); and the National Archives, designed by Kaundbe Architekten. The late 19th-century government building completes the ensemble. The client had required that the new building should meet the Swiss Minergie green certification standard. However, the architects and energy planners realised that within the given budget it would be possible to achieve the higher rating of ‘Minergie-P’, roughly equivalent to the passive house standard. Significant related factors included the structurally required, solid concrete construction method and embedding the new building into the hillside up to just below the parapet. This high thermal storage mass prompted developing a concept that completely avoids heating or cooling systems in the storerooms, and relies only on regulated intake of fresh air for air-conditioning. Only the office spaces were equipped with underfloor heating. The external walls – including the rendered ones – consist of reinforced concrete with masonry facing. Three types of windows are present: opening windows with triple glazing and an additional exterior glazing layer for the public area, identified by the horizontal strip of render in the masonry brick facade of the north wing; smaller, fixed double-glazed windows with narrow opening vents in the south wing; and vertical strips of glazing running the full height of the stairwells in the middle of the building. The office floors have only few load-bearing internal walls; thus, spatial layouts can be arranged as required. The offices and public spaces follow the western facade; the ancillary areas, film archive, and darkrooms are situated along the rear of the building.
