Winkler + Ruck Architekten
Certov Architects

Renovation of Kärntner Sparkasse in Klagenfurt

Austria - 2025

Heritage preservation and modernity in harmony

Following its renovation, the main building of Kärntner Sparkasse in Klagenfurt has a splendid new look. In keeping with the concept from the architects Winkler Ruck and Certov, the historic building has been modernised to create a space for modern banking activities and public use such as a bistro and sky bar. As part of the redesign of the building envelope and interior areas, the planners opted for profile systems from Forster Profile Systems and Reynaers Aluminium for the fire resistant and emergency doors as well as the facade and roof glazing. The combination of steel and aluminium solutions addresses the requirements associated with both heritage preservation and also modern architecture, fire protection, energy efficiency and safety.

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Interior portals with emergency door terminals and motorised locks as well as fire resistant doors were provided with the forster fuego light profile system for fire and smoke protection purposes. The slim face widths of the steel profiles favour transparency and let plenty of daylight inside the building. Photo: Patrick Johannsen Photography

A new take on a historic structure

The main building of Kärntner Sparkasse has been a prominent feature of Klagenfurt’s city centre for generations. One of the aims, in giving it a new lease of life, was to open up the listed building as a whole from a design perspective, and link it more closely with city life around it. To this end, the planners opened up the ground floor area onto Neuer Platz in order to create flowing transitions between the public space and the interior. While the historic facade was restored in consultation with the Austrian Federal Monuments Office, the new uses in the interior and roof area required modern structural solutions.

Opening onto the city: The outside doors of the bistro feature the thermally insulated forster unico steel profile system. The mullion-transom facade and fixed glazing were created with the Reynaers ConceptWall 50 system with integrated elements from the slim MasterLine 8 window system. Photo: Patrick Johannsen Photography

Fire protection and safety in the interior

Fire resistant doors with the forster fuego light profile system were used to safely guide the flow of visitors inside the building and also create separate fire zones in accordance with official requirements. The thermally decoupled system with fire resistant fillings provides preventive fire and smoke protection within the interior. A total of eight large-format portals in the interior area were equipped with emergency door terminals and motorised locks, which meet the respective requirements for both fire protection (fire resistance classes EI30–EI90) and barrier-free accessibility. In addition, there are ten further fire resistant doors (fire resistance class EI30) in various configurations. Thanks to the slim face widths of the steel profiles, the fire protection elements blend discreetly into the architecture and ensure maximum transparency and natural light inside the building.

Coordinated systems for building envelope and roof

The facade required a combination of lightness and robustness, from an architectural perspective. On the ground floor, eight emergency doors with the thermally insulated forster unico steel profile system serve as emergency exits to the outside. Like all Forster profiles, these are made entirely from recyclable steel and offer high mechanical strength and heat insulation despite the minimal widths of the profiles.
The extensive glazing of the facade and roof area was implemented with aluminium system solutions from Reynaers Aluminium. The street-front glazing on the ground floor and the mullion-transom facade, which measures around 350 square metres, were created using the Reynaers ConceptWall 50 facade system. The facade solution also features integrated insert elements from the Reynaers MasterLine 8 window system, which favour technically precise implementation with their slim face widths.
The upper end of the building is illuminated by a glass roof that runs for around 80 metres, which was also made with Reynaers ConceptWall 50, and is fire resistant in places. The roof glazing incorporates top-hung roof windows with the Reynaers Attic Window system. In addition, 40 dormers featuring the filigree Reynaers SlimLine 38 design system blend seamlessly into the historic roof landscape.

The renovated main building of Kärntner Sparkasse has been carefully integrated into its surroundings at Neuer Platz in Klagenfurt. The dormers were created using the filigree aluminium system known as Reynaers SlimLine 38. Photo: Patrick Johannsen Photography

A new place for banking and socialising

The renovation has turned the headquarters of Kärntner Sparkasse into a multifunctional meeting place. In addition to the modern bank branch on the ground and upper floors, the public bistro and sky bar with a view over Klagenfurt have given the building new life. The project shows how Forster Profile Systems and Reynaers Aluminium can bring their strengths to bear in a challenging renovation project: Forster with its steel profile systems for fire protection, escape routes and safety; Reynaers Aluminium with its facade, window and roof solutions for transparency, daylight and architectural lightness.