The Austrian Postal Savings Bank building (German language: Österreichische Postsparkasse) is a famous Jugendstil building in Vienna, designed and built by the architect Otto Wagner. The building is regarded as an important early work of modern architecture, representing Wagner's first move away from Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism. It was constructed between 1904 and 1906 using reinforced concrete. German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... Jugendstil is defined as a style of architecture or decorative art similar to Art Nouveau, popular in German-speaking areas of Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Otto Wagner Otto Koloman Wagner (13 July 1841–11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect. ... Le Corbusiers Villa Savoye, a well known example of modern architecture Modern architecture is a term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament, that first arose around 1900. ... Poster by Alfons Mucha Vitebsk Railway Station one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture. ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ... Year 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Reinforced concrete at Sainte Jeanne dArc Church (Nice, France): architect Jacques Dror, 1926–1933 Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete in some countries, is concrete in which reinforcement bars (rebars) or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be brittle. ...

The building houses the headquarters of the Österreichische Postsparkasse (P.S.K.) bank, formerly the k.k. Postsparcassen-Amt (Imperial-Royal Postal Savings Office). It is located at Georg-Coch-Platz 2, in the first district Innere Stadt, next to the Ringstraße boulevard. The Innere Stadt is the the first Viennese Municipality District. ... The Ringstraße at night The Ringstraße is a circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria and is one of its main sights. ...

Exterior

Main facade of the Österreichische Postsparkasse (P.S.K.) building in Vienna

Up to six stories high, the building occupies an entire city block. The massively simplified facade of the bank clearly owes something to classicism. Wagner's key idea was to celebrate modern materials by developing new forms. The entire facade is covered with square marble plates. These are attached to the main structure by aluminum rivets or bolts, which themselves form a pattern. The building's harmonious synthesis between form and functionality was highly acclaimed by critics. The metal rivets do not obstruct the facade but resemble decorative elements. The use of marble also makes the maintenance and cleaning of the facade very easy and inexpensive, another important functional element in Wagner's design. The architect kept the design very minimalistic and simple; his aim was to convey the sense of a strong, impenetrable bank in which customers would know their money was safe. Only at the upper part of the exterior, near the roof, did Wagner add more elaborate decorations, such as statues of female angels holding laurels in both hands. Image File history File linksMetadata Wien_PSK.jpg Description: Wiener Postsparkasse by Otto Wagner Source: de:Bild:PSKw. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Wien_PSK.jpg Description: Wiener Postsparkasse by Otto Wagner Source: de:Bild:PSKw. ... City Blocks are a part of the fictional universe recounted in the Judge Dredd series that appears in the UK comic book 2000 AD. // Overview Also known as starscrapers or stratoscrapers (compare skyscraper), they are the most common form of mass-housing in Mega-City One, averaging a population of... West facade of the Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral A facade (or façade) (Pronounced fa-sa-de) is generally the exterior of a building — especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. ... For other uses, see square. ... Venus de Milo, front. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... A rivetted buffer beam on a steam locomotive A rivet is a mechanical fastener consisting of a smooth cylindrical shaft with heads on either end, the second one formed in position. ... A bolt may be one of the following things: For bolts and capscrews, see Bolted joint. ... Synthesis (from the ancient Greek σύν (with) and θεσις (placing), is commonly understood to be an integration of two or more pre-existing elements which results in a new creation. ... See: In mathematics, see Minimal element. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ... Laurel may refer to: // Lauraceae, the botanical laurel family, including Bay laurel Laurus nobilis, the original true laurel that is the source of bay leaves used as a seasoning California Laurel Umbellularia californica is a related tree or large shrub True Cinnamon or Ceylon Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum, the inner bark...

Interior

Main hall in the Österreichische Postsparkasse building in Vienna

Through the main entrance at Georg-Coch-Platz the visitor ascends a flight of stairs to the grand Kassenhalle, where customer services are located. The main hall is thus effectively on the first floor. The hall is designed like an atrium, with a large glass skylight allowing natural light to enter the heart of the building at all times. Natural light is not used only for stylistic reasons, but also to reduce the cost of electric lighting. Even the floor of the main hall is constructed of glass tiles, allowing natural light to reach further down to the floor below, where the Post Office boxes and mail sorting rooms are located. Wagner kept decoration in the main hall to a constrained minimum, using only glass and polished steel as materials. The decorative effect is created by the simple but elegant use of the material itself. The frosted glass skylight is pierced by steel columns, their slim design making them as unobstructive to the falling light as possible. The hall is one of Otto Wagner's most famous masterpieces, and one of the finest examples of the Viennese Jugendstil. Looking up inside the 32-story atrium of the Shanghai Grand Hyatt, part of the Jin Mao Building. ... The word skylight, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ... Most of the industrialized world is lit by electric lights, which are used both at night and to provide additional light during the daytime. ... Mission, or barrel, roof tiles A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, porcelain, metal or even glass. ... A Post Office box is a uniquely-addressable lockable box located on the premises of a Post Office station. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is an alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon content between 0. ... Frosted glass is produced by the acid etching of clear sheet glass, or sand-blasting. ... Deconstructing a Roman pillar. ...

The building's office space is divided according to the axis of the outside windows, again making use of natural light as much as possible. The interior walls are non-load-bearing, and can therefore be re-arranged according to need, a feature that has become standard in modern office buildings. OFFICE WORK IS SHITE!! NEVER WORK IN ONE! end of. ... A window is an opening in an otherwise solid and opaque surface through which light and, sometimes, air can pass. ...

Spared any damage during World War II, the building is still in its original state and includes a museum devoted to its creator, Otto Wagner since 2005. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000,000 Civilian dead: 4,000,000 Total dead 12,000,000 World War II (abbreviated WWII), or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict...

Literature

• Otto Wagner. Die österreichische Postsparkasse. Falter Verlag, Wien. 1996. ISBN 3-85439-180-3
• Carl E. Schorske. Fin-De-Siecle Vienna : Politics and Culture. Vintage, London. 1980. ISBN 0-394-74478-0

External links

• Otto Wagner Museum located within the Austrian Postal Savings Bank
• Virtual tour through the building

Coordinates: 48°12′36″N, 16°22′49″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...