The motif of the first stamp shows an outstandingly prominent example of modern architectural creativity in Austria, the “Loisium” in Lower Austria’s largest wine-producing community, Langenlois, at the beginning of the delightful landscape of the Kamp Valley. The extraordinary cube of the Loisium is itself an invitation – visible from afar – to investigate this unique world of wine. The interested visitor learns here everything about the most important topics of wine cultivation in Lower Austria – history, the present and nature.

There is no doubt that the mythology of this world with its exciting structure and avant-garde architecture ensures excitement and surprise. Opened in 2003, the Loisium, which over the last few years has become a popular destination, invites the visitor to an unforgettable journey of discovery for all the senses.

Stephen Holl, the architect of this impressive building, was born in Bremerton, Washington on 9 December 1947. His unmistakable style, in which he always focuses on the shape, colour and material of his designs, is attributed to postmodernism and deconstructionism. In 1970, Holl graduated from the University of Washington and opened his first office in New York City in 1976. Since 1981 he has also been teaching “on the side” at Columbia University. Stephen Holl achieved fame above all with his “Kiasma Museum for Contemporary Art” in Helsinki (1988) and the “Simmons Hall” student residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology dating from 2003. Other interesting buildings are “Turbulence House” in New Mexico, the “Sarphatistraat Offices” in Amsterdam, the “Cranbrook Institute of Science” in Michigan and the “Nelson Atkins Museum of Art” in Kansas City.

Awarded the renowned Alvar Alto medal, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and the title “America’s best architect” in Time Magazine in 2001, Stephen Hall gave the Loisium an extremely daring appearance – far from the usual standards of convention and tradition. In this symbiosis of a modern wine centre, and an apparently floating hotel, a mystic world of cellars and the broad expanse of vineyards, the cubic form of the Loisium building creates a fascinating interface between architecture and landscape that has been enthusiastically received by both the public and the expert critics.

published September 26th, 2011