Expansion and redesign of the Gusen concentration camp memorial site

The planning area is located on the edge of the former concentration camp. Parts of the site are now used for other purposes or have become overgrown. All that remains are fragments of buildings and facilities. Our concept allows visitors to form a coherent picture of the historical site. In our view, a mere reconstruction would be less impressive. A new “ build-over” on the site or even the heaviness of a monument should also be avoided as far as possible.
Structural interventions are condensed to a necessary minimum. The site should remain as we find it as far as possible: historical parts of buildings remain intact and freely accessible for future archaeological research. The landscape, which has been transformed several times since the liberation of the concentration camp, will also be left in its current state.
A “space of silence” will become the center of remembrance. This encompasses the former roll call square, which will remain available for larger commemorative events, with a vertical, space-defining installation. Curved walls—free-standing curtains—open up to the sky and block out the immediate surroundings both visually and acoustically. This creates a quiet, meditative, and light-filled place.