Kirche Steinhof

The starting point of the concept is the redesign of the presbytery in front of the existing altar rail. The new grouping of altar, ambo and sessio are aesthetically held together by their common material – metal (steel). They are conceived as individual movable elements, the liturgical elements, together with the newly created platform, form an aesthetic entity which is purposefully distinctive from Otto Wagner’s work. At the same time a connection to the building is formed via the material, metal, as a not insubstantial amount of metal was also used in the construction of the church.

Ambo, stipes, and the construction of the session are of folded steel, which has been given a blackened galvanised finish. They separate themselves subtly from the surface of the podium and highlight the location of the liturgy. The surface of the podium has been textured to improve grip, but this recedes optically into the background.