The Med Campus Graz, designed by Riegler Riewe Architekten, corresponds to the regularity and objectivity of the graphic facade drawing. The HBK Module 2 was completed in the fall of 2022 and is to be opened on May 12, 2023. HBK Module 1 was completed and opened in the fall of 2017. The pictures show the buildings and facades of both modules.
Med Campus Graz Technical Information
- Architects: Riegler Riewe Architects
- Location: Graz, Austria
- Area: 93,750 m2
- Project Year: 2012 – 2023
- Photographs: © Michael Nguyen
With my architectural photography, I am on the search for the aesthetic qualities of buildings in their urban spatial effect. Above all, I am interested in the visual richness of detail in its compositional diversity and its strangeness. The most unadulterated, neutral documentation of buildings for sales and presentation purposes is not part of my work, nor is the creation of marketable references for architectural firms. Nor are they photographs that depict a building in its ideal state to increase the market value of the building in question.
With my very own passion for buildings, I strive, as an artistic architectural photographer, to interpret reality and give a new soul to the appearance of buildings through love, enthusiasm, and desire. In doing so, I deliberately interpret what I photograph subjectively and situationally, having walked around a building over and over again in different weather and lighting situations. I usually spend several hours on location and at the computer.
– Michael Nguyen
Med Campus Graz Photographs
Text by Thanh Tung
The Med Campus Graz Module 2, a new building designed by the architectural firm Riegler Riewe, has been detailedly photographed by Michael Nguyen, showcasing the stunning and modern features of the facade. It is the second building in a series that serves as an extension to the existing Graz Medical University in Austria.
The building was designed with the latest technology and innovation, incorporating elements such as solar shading, a green roof, and energy-efficient HVAC systems. The new facility has an impressive 40,000 square meters of floor space, which includes research and teaching laboratories, administrative offices, and state-of-the-art lecture halls. It is designed to maximize natural light and create a comfortable and productive environment for students, staff, and faculty. It is not just a stunning piece of architecture, set to become a significant landmark in Graz’s architectural landscape, but is also an important contribution to the field of medicine and research.
Architects at Riegler Riewe are renowned for their innovative and sustainable designs, and the Med Campus Graz Module 2 is no exception. The building’s exterior is sleek and contemporary, with a facade made of glass and aluminum panels in eight shades of grey that reflect the surrounding.
Michael Nguyen, an architectural photographer known for his stunning and unique captures of modern facade architecture, has beautifully captured the building’s design and essence. His images showcase the building’s intricate details, from the striking angular lines to the way the natural light illuminates the grey facade. The photos respect the subdued tones and the low-key colors of the building while highlighting the fascinating lines, the digital play of gray shades, and surprising green elements as well stunning sculptures/installation artworks.
Works of Art on the Campus
Four art & construction projects (two of which are shown in the pictures) have been realized on the new MED CAMPUS of the Medical University of Graz.
The installation by Manfred Erjautz thematizes the human life cycle. At the foot of the architectural breakthrough on the campus level, the following sculptures lie and stand upside down, each in a gray box: fetus, newborn, child, adolescent, pregnant woman, man, frail human, skeleton.
Esther Stocker’s Crumpled Object on Campus Square is a spherical sculpture with a crumpled, folded surface. It invites the viewer to reflect on his or her individual habits of perception.
Med Campus Graz Gallery
About Michael Nguyen
Michael Nguyen is a multi-award-winning photo artist and documentary photographer living near Munich, Germany. He is a “publicity shy” (Merkur daily newspaper Munich) photo artist, a photographic poet who moves away from the mainstream, at the same time, blurs genres. “Most of the photos could only be taken because Nguyen has a special eye for his surroundings and gives even the mundane a second view.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) In his photography, he focuses on architectural details and urban landscapes.
Many of Michael Nguyen’s photographs can be classified as hyperrealism. He creates illusions with the aim of highlighting the architectural reality that surrounds us. His work goes beyond photorealism in that Nguyen uses intensification of color, contrast, and sharpness to highlight architectural details that we often fail to notice in our everyday lives for various reasons. He thus creates more intense representations of what is perceptible to the naked eye.
Michael Nguyen is a member of FREELENS – Professional Association of Photojournalists.
Other Works from Michael Nguyen
