32 - Drees & Sommer

RETAIL RENOVATION DURING FULL OPERATION
Gerngross department store:
comprehensive modernization
for shopper magnet
Vienna’s largest department store is moving with the times and,
following extensive refurbishment, has been restored to its former glory.
Drees & Sommer successfully accompanied the Gerngross CityCenter
during this modernization project.
Built in the 1960s, the current Gerngross
building is located directly on Vienna’s
largest shopping boulevard, the Mariahilfer
Straße. As the tradition-steeped
department store was no longer meeting
modern requirements for profitability
and functionality, the site owner DEKA
Immobilien Investment GmbH decided
to carry out extensive refurbishment.
An architectural competition was held –
and was won by the Graz-based firm
LOVE architecture and urbanism.
Drees & Sommer came on board in
June 2008 and was commissioned
to undertake project control.
Optimization of existing property
The interior was to be upgraded to
improve the economic success of the
department store by providing it with
a contemporary image. As a result,
the atrium was completely redesigned
and building services equipment
and elevators renewed. Thermal rehabilitation
– including the installation of
high-grade windows – contributed to the
optimization of energy consumption.
To prevent financial losses, the owner
decided to undertake the reconstruction
with the shopping center in full operation.
The challenges for the project team
involved providing access to the indi-
vidual stores while at the same time
ensuring the safety of customers
and users and avoiding any negative
impact on neighbouring infrastructure.
Based on these complex parameters,
Drees & Sommer developed a detailed
construction process plan for each
floor and construction phase.
As a result of its contemporary image with a striking
facade the tradition-steeped department store is once
again a highlight on the Mariahilfer Straße
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