Museum of chocolate

The main idea for the architectural appearance of the building was the rethinking and interpretation of brick industrial architecture of the XV-XIX centuries, since the site for the project is surrounded by a variety of industrial buildings. Visually, the project stands out primarily with bottle-type pipes borrowed from the ceramic industrial architecture of England of the XVIII-XIX centuries. However, the difference lies in the functionality of these pipes: in the project of the chocolate museum, the pipes are both exhibition and production premises. Visitors of the museum are guided through the entire chocolate production from beginning to end, demonstrating each stage. The museum has a cafe and a souvenir shop, which presents a wide range of goods, including the famous Viennese Hot Chocolate, produced directly in the museum, in front of visitors. From the pipes, through a special ventilation system, not smoke comes out, but air saturated with a strong flavor of hot chocolate.

The main idea for the entire visual image of the museum was architectural landscapes and sketches, created by Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele. All images of the building in the project are made in the spirit of his paintings.

The plan of the building seems rather chaotic, it is inspired by the plans of medieval European castles. Massive, monolithic brick surfaces, the disorderly arrangement of small, squared windows on the facade are the basis of the visual component of the project.

The movement around the museum is organized cyclically. The main entrance to the museum located in the main building, on the southeast side. To get to the beginning of the museum exhibition, it is necessary to go down to the -1st floor after the lobby, where there is also a wardrobe and a wc. After passing through the first two halls dedicated to the history of chocolate, visitors go up to the first floor and enter the production and exhibition rooms, where they are clearly shown the entire modern process of chocolate production and products made from it. The exposition ends with a souvenir shop and access to the first lobby.

The administrative and research block is also located in the Main Building. On the -1st floor there is a restoration workshop and a storage of exhibits. On the 1st floor there are the administration of the museum and another workshop, as well as a loading area with an elevator. On the 2nd floor of the museum there is a concert hall, which can also serve as a space for temporary exhibitions.

The central, largest pipe is an open cafe. It is located on the -1st floor, in the courtyard, and is designed for 40 seats. You can get to the cafe both after passing the exposition, going down to the wardrobe and leaving through a separate passage, and directly from the street, going down the open stairs to the courtyard. On the -1st floor, in the rooms around the cafe, there is a library and coworking rooms, which can be accessed both through the courtyard and through the museum.