Architecture

Freshly-baked museum showcases the best things since sliced bread

Freshly-baked museum showcases the best things since sliced bread
The recently-completed Paneum (aka House of Bread) was created for bread company Backaldrin
The recently-completed Paneum (aka House of Bread) was created for bread company Backaldrin 
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The Paneum was created for bread company Backaldrin
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The Paneum was created for bread company Backaldrin
The Paneum reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft)
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The Paneum reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft)
The Paneum has four floors
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The Paneum has four floors
The Paneum has a total floorspace of 1,850 sq m (19,913 sq ft)
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The Paneum has a total floorspace of 1,850 sq m (19,913 sq ft)
The Paneum is a serious exhibition including 1,200 objects going back 9,000 years
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The Paneum is a serious exhibition including 1,200 objects going back 9,000 years
Coop Himmelb(l)au left the wood visible inside
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Coop Himmelb(l)au left the wood visible inside
The Paneum reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft) and consists of two parts: a box-shaped plinth building which includes foyer and event rooms, and the pleasantly-named "Wunderkammer des Brotes" exhibition area
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The Paneum reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft) and consists of two parts: a box-shaped plinth building which includes foyer and event rooms, and the pleasantly-named "Wunderkammer des Brotes" exhibition area
"Wunderkammer des Brotes" exhibition area is the interesting-looking bit of the building and comprises a wooden structure clad in stainless steel
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"Wunderkammer des Brotes" exhibition area is the interesting-looking bit of the building and comprises a wooden structure clad in stainless steel
The recently-completed Paneum (aka House of Bread) was created for bread company Backaldrin
9/23
The recently-completed Paneum (aka House of Bread) was created for bread company Backaldrin 
The Paneum was created for bread company Backaldrin
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The Paneum was created for bread company Backaldrin
The Paneum is also referred to as the House of Bread
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The Paneum is also referred to as the House of Bread
The Paneum reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft)
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The Paneum reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft)
Coop Himmelb(l)au has produced several notable buildings recently, including China's massive MOCAPE and Denmark's House of Music
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Coop Himmelb(l)au has produced several notable buildings recently, including China's massive MOCAPE and Denmark's House of Music
The Paneum is located in Asten, Austria
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The Paneum is located in Asten, Austria
"The design of the exhibition area is based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, a concept for collections originating in the Baroque period," says Coop Himmelb(l)au
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"The design of the exhibition area is based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, a concept for collections originating in the Baroque period," says Coop Himmelb(l)au
The Paneum's atrium is topped by glazing
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The Paneum's atrium is topped by glazing
The interior of the Paneum measures 1,850 sq m (19,913 sq ft)
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The interior of the Paneum measures 1,850 sq m (19,913 sq ft)
The Paneum features four floors
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The Paneum features four floors
The Paneum hosts an exhibition including 1,200 objects dated to a timespan of 9,000 years
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The Paneum hosts an exhibition including 1,200 objects dated to a timespan of 9,000 years
The Paneum's spiral staircase
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The Paneum's spiral staircase
The Paneum's palette of concrete, wood and glass imbues the interior with a more sombre atmosphere than one might expect looking at the building from afar
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The Paneum's palette of concrete, wood and glass imbues the interior with a more sombre atmosphere than one might expect looking at the building from afar
The Paneum atrium is topped by glazing
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The Paneum atrium is topped by glazing
"The design of the exhibition area is based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, a concept for collections originating in the Baroque period," says Coop Himmelb(l)au
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"The design of the exhibition area is based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, a concept for collections originating in the Baroque period," says Coop Himmelb(l)au
View gallery - 23 images

Coop Himmelb(l)au's House of Bread has finally risen and looks just as unusual as the renders led us to believe it would. Inside, the building serves as a museum and exhibition space dedicated to bread, and is packed with an eclectic mix of cultural objects, art, books and toys related to the staple food.

Resembling a loaf of bread (or an amorphous blob of steel, depending on your point of view), the Asten, Austria-based building opened recently and is now officially referred to as the Paneum.

It reaches a height of 20 m (65 ft) and consists of two parts: a box-shaped plinth building that includes foyer and event rooms, and the upper exhibition area named "Wunderkammer des Brotes." This latter space hosts an impressive collection of 1,200 objects related to bread that cover a timespan of 9,000 years.

The objects on show include bread-related equipment and art, Egyptian grain mummies, Peruvian totem poles, Meissen Porcelain, Chinese granaries, paintings, and thousands of books.

The Paneum's spiral staircase
The Paneum's spiral staircase

The exhibition area was constructed using a wooden shell made from CNC-cut laminated timber, clad in stainless steel. Inside, a large atrium is navigated by spiral staircase and topped by a glazed roof. The architects kept things simple with a material palette of concrete, wood and glass that seems to complement the space.

"The design of the exhibition area is based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities, a concept for collections originating in the Baroque period," says the firm. "This concept is especially appropriate for the unusual and small-scale objects in the collection related to the topic 'bread' which are presented in the exhibition area."

Coop Himmelb(l)au has produced several notable buildings recently, including China's MOCAPE and Denmark's House of Music.

Source: Coop Himmelb(l)au

View gallery - 23 images
1 comment
1 comment
Jean Lamb
Any dwarf bread? (cf Terry Pratchett). Always thought baguettes could be weaponized...