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A research building with a USP: The innovative underground construction concept of the laboratory, which is partly located below the level of the river, mean that water can be investigated under real conditions for the first time worldwide.

The hydraulic engineering laboratory, which was planned by ATP architects engineers in consortium with iC Consulenten, will make a long-term contribution to research into water, one of the bases of our very existence, on behalf of future generations. By diverting water through the building and exploiting the three-meter-difference in the water level between the Danube and the Danube Canal, the laboratory has created ideal conditions for carrying out extensive research work into such hot topics as hydroelectric power, flood protection, shipping, and ecology, all in the context of climate change. Outdoor and Public Labs are also innovatively incorporated into the complex, with research work being carried out in both indoor laboratories and the open air.

10,000 liters per second
The centerpiece of the laboratory is the Main Channel, which is located below water level. A channel (The Big Flume) enables up to 10,000 liters of water from the Danube to be diverted every second through the huge hall (which is 90 meters long, 25 meters wide, and 14 meters high), without any need for either a pump or an external energy source. The Main Channel allows full-scale experimental models to be tested. Openable inlets of different sizes enable the flow to be controlled in line with the individual needs of each experiment.

“We normally design buildings so that no water can get in. At the hydraulic engineering laboratory we did everything in our power to divert virtually an entire river through the building. This is how one creates almost natural conditions in a laboratory,” says ATP Ursula Reiner, architect and BIM manager at ATP Vienna.

Innovative below-ground construction concept
One particular design challenge was the special underground construction method required for the partly below-ground laboratories. Due to the weight of the water, the volume of sediment, and the loose bedrock, numerous measures including diaphragm walls, the stabilization of the ground with the help of low-pressure injection, and a water retention strategy were necessary. The building is now supported by a complex structural system that combines reinforced concrete with steel and timber construction. And the energy-active bored piles and concrete core activation of the diaphragm walls enable this loadbearing structure to provide geothermal energy for the heating and cooling of the complex.