New MCI Campus project moves ahead

International jury choses breathtaking architecture for the new home of MCI Management Center Innsbruck – Architectural landmark next to the Habsburg Imperial Gardens and the Historic City Center inmidst of the Alps

With the successful completion of the architectural competition, the realization of a new campus for Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) has taken shape. Of altogether 88 submissions, the jury has selected the draft of the renowned Viennese architects Loudon, Habeler & Partner.

“The new design of the university including bus and car parking garage and a sports field is divided into two sections: the sober frame construction of the sports field melts into its natural environment, while the star-shaped MCI building builds a bridge to the urban environment via the transparent and delicate skeleton of its outer façade, representing the metropolitan image of the university,” as Architect Anton Kirchweger of Loudon, Habeler & Partner explains the concept. “The individual university buildings are arranged in a star-shaped solitaire to form a campus which responds to the urban space. Four squares located at the corners of the university building establish a link between the campus and adjacent urban spaces. The building’s rise in height ensures that generous spaces around the complex can be made available to the public.”

“The winning project for the new design of the MCI campus convinces with a lot of green space, open roof decks, and an atrium that includes overhead lighting and indoor terraces. Therefore, the new campus will not only rank as an architectural gem for the business location Tyrol but also provide lecturers and students with a particularly high quality of living,” Patrizia Zoller-Frischauf, Member of the Tyrolean Regional Government in charge of federal building construction, enthusiastically announces.

“The project will be realized in close vicinity to the lively Innsbruck Old Town, the imperial Court Garden with its century-old trees, the University of Innsbruck campus of the Universitätsstraße with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics and the Faculty of Catholic Theology, and the current MCI building. The recently elected architectural solution will provide new impulses to the university, congress, and cultural quarter, which stretches from the Universitätsstraße to the Fenner area at the heart of Innsbruck. The range of first-class services offered by MCI will thus receive a new home,” Mayor of Innsbruck Mag. Christine Oppitz-Plörer adds.

“The major challenge of the project was to design a dynamically developing university with an urban reception for bus guests and a soccer field in due consideration of the limited space available and in preservation of respect for the nearby landmark Court Garden; accordingly, this competition also placed great demands on the jury,” Mag. Gerhard Fritz, City Councilor in charge of urban planning, notes. “The winners have come up with a brilliant solution to the difficult task, demonstrating interesting urban design and architectural skill.”

“A total of 400 rooms, including lecture halls, seminar rooms, a centrally located auditorium, modern laboratories, and work spaces as well as meeting places of the highest quality ensure productivity and innovative drive promoting the dynamic advancement of the Entrepreneurial School® in the global race for the best brains,” Head of the MCI Department for Infrastructure & Organization Mag. Tommy Mayr comments on the project’s idea. “The extensive adaptation of Harvard Style lecture halls with their amphitheater-like seating arrangement guarantee quality teaching in accordance with international standards.”

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann sees long-term investments finally coming to fruition: “The results of what combined forces are able to achieve are astonishing. The new campus does not only create synergies and new dynamics at the location for business, technology, and science; it also increases MCI’s competitive edge on an international level. I would like to thank all persons involved for their trust in MCI and their exceptional commitment.”

The beginning of the construction is scheduled for the second half of 2018. The completion of the project and the opening of the new MCI campus are planned for mid-2021. The Federal State of Tyrol is funding the project with 80 million Euro. The City of Innsbruck is investing 25 million Euro in addition to the value of the inner-city property.

Press release of the Federal State of Tyrol

Press contact
Mag. (FH) Ulrike Fuchs
Marketing & Communication
+43 512 2070-1527
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu