VILLACH - Atrio: Centre of three cultural spheres
In Villach South – at the location of the Interspar market on Kärntner Straße – the “Atrio”, the largest shopping centre in the Alps-Adria region, marks an exciting attraction: A Mecca of experience and leisure time at the point of intersection of the economically promising regions Carinthia, Friaul and Slovenia.
“Atrio” - a project of SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels AG – not only merges attractive event-shopping and visionary architecture, but also combines the advantages of the location Villach and the economically promising regions Carinthia, Friaul and Slovenia. This supraregional aspiration demands an extraordinary concept – the role of the three countries is even displayed in its name and logo.
A piazza revived by a shopping world
On the one hand the name “Atrio” bears the syllable “trio” as a symbol for the three countries; on the other hand the word atrio is derived from the latin word “Atrium” meaning square or front court. Such a “square” marks the centre of ATRIO: A 3.000m² large piazza roofed by glass which is circled by the majority of shops.
The Atrio is a two-storey shopping centre, connected by escalators, travelators and an extensive lift system. About 90 shops offer an interesting branch mix and join forces with leading enterprises to exert a supraregional attraction. Both the exterior and the interior are contentually thematised and thoroughly designed; due to their impressive dimension and high quality they live up to the demand “senza confini”.
The new shopping world in the immediate proximity of the motorway exit Villach – Italy is a flat compley of buildings with a ground area of 30.000m² and walls about 13m high. It radiates a signalling function – on the one hand because of its catchy design of the front court facing South, on the other hand because of its “tower” that sticks up at the B83 – Kärntner Straße as a city guard.
Boundary object
Its size and location make the building an ambiguous boundary object: inside the city and yet outside, closed and yet transparent, massive and large on the surface but retaining the impression of an outdoor space inwards owing to the paned 50x60m piazza. The complex borders the piazza which has become part of urban Villach and is revived by the shopping world.
DATES AND FACTS
Total area: ca. 56.000 m2
Rentable area: ca. 39.000 m2
Parking lots: ca. 2.000