The new MPREIS Filiale in Klagenfurt/Kärnten is another example of a supermarket pioneering a new approach to architecture and sustainability.

Architects i-unit from Tyrol designed a highly functional building with a radical-looking appearance, using a wooden structure. The building has a rectilinear glass-fronted core wrapped in a sloping skin of wooden lamellae, with semicircular openings, like a cell membrane. The ‘membrane’ seems to be stretched from the edges of the projecting roof to the ground, and forms an arcade around the perimeter, as well as creating an interior filled with a gentle light. The whole effect translates the actual light weight of the wooden structure into a lightness of feeling.

The roof of the 400-m² building is made of Kielsteg elements that are just 37 cm high, on 10-m spans. The roof is used to generate power and supplies as much energy as the supermarket needs. To support green mobility, MPREIS Klagenfurt provides charging points for e-bikes and e-cars.