Mozarthuas Vienna – Vienna, Austria

To coincide with the 2006 celebrations commemorating the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wiener Holding GmbH undertook the refurbishment and enhancement of the “Figaro House” which was occupied from 1784 to 1787 by the composer. Gordon Linden acted as advisor to the project and assisted in developing the first preliminary concepts for the project which enabled initial fundraising efforts and the subsequent planning and construction work. In all, approximately 10 million Euros were provided to the project in the first public/private partnership for a cultural attraction in Vienna.

In recent years only one floor of the building where Mozart lived was open for visitors which attracted an annual attendance of about 70,000 persons. By providing convenient access to the upper floors via elevator, the single floor area of 177m2 was expanded to 990m2 which has permitted an enlargement of the attraction content as well as providing more adequate space for ticket sales and queuing, merchandise sales and food services. While some artifacts from Mozart’s time are available, in creating a more desirable and attractive visitor attraction, the intention has been to provide more interactive exhibits which go beyond the standard museum approach which is common in the former homes of famous people not only in Vienna, but throughout the world.

Additional information is available on the web at www.mozarthausvienna.at

A range of services was provided for the initial project prospectus including:

Visitor Attraction Preliminary Concept (in collaboration with Pentagram)

• Building analysis and evaluation with a view to expanding the areas which can be viewed by visitors..
• Review of attendance numbers and analysis of potential “carrying capacity” of the expanded facility.
• Preparation of a preliminary space and function program for the new complex, identifying functional relationships between activity areas and the general space requirements for each.

 Project Development Plan

• Preparation of a comprehensive, step by step, guide to undertaking the further planning, design, construction and operation of the new expanded facility.
• Development of a phasing plan to determine appropriate time periods for each of the phases of work.
• Organization plan identifying the relative roles and responsibilities of professional and technical resources to carry out the enhancement program.

Visitor Attraction Concepts (in collaboration with Knowledge Based Consulting and Barry Howard, Ltd.)

• Preparation of preliminary attendance estimate and business plan.
• Development of a thematic organization and narrative for the visitor experience.

Role: Advisor