Terra Mater Factual Studios, an internationally renowned film production company specializing in nature documentaries, has completed a major expansion of its Vienna headquarters with a striking new wooden pavilion designed by Austrian-Finnish architecture firm Berger Parkkinen + Architects. The project represents a comprehensive reorganization and expansion of the company's location in Vienna's historic Hietzing district, combining sustainable building practices with innovative design solutions.

The Terra Mater production company operates from a historic Art Nouveau villa with accompanying outbuildings that has undergone several expansions over the decades. The villa was first expanded in the late 1980s, and in 2003 received a glass bridge-like entrance structure and a meeting cube facing the garden. However, the continued growth of the staff and the need to incorporate extensive technical infrastructure required for modern film production necessitated this latest architectural intervention.

The new project addresses multiple functional requirements while maintaining the firm's commitment to sustainability and innovation. Architects created a new two-story wooden pavilion containing offices and meeting rooms, reorganized the entrance area to include an employee lounge, and integrated a cooling center for the servers essential to film technology operations. Remarkably, this technical infrastructure remains completely undetectable from the exterior, preserving the building's aesthetic harmony with its surroundings.

The design team faced particular challenges in developing the solid wood construction while incorporating extensive technical installations throughout the building. The positioning of the new structure was carefully planned to ensure that an impressive mature tree in the garden retains its visual impact and continues to serve as a focal point for the landscaped property. This attention to preserving existing natural features demonstrates the architects' sensitivity to the site's established character.

The architectural composition features two distinct but complementary structural systems that work together to create a cohesive presence in the garden setting. The primary element is a constructive timber building that serves as the space-creating component, while a surrounding metal framework called the "Rank construction" forms the secondary shell. Although these two structures function autonomously, they reference a common basic grid system in their rhythmization and dimensioning, creating visual unity.

The building's interior showcases the visible wooden structure throughout, with exposed timber walls and ceilings that were treated with white glazing to enhance the perception of the surrounding green spaces. This design approach created a permanently flexible and subdivisible spatial structure while intelligently integrating all necessary building services. The clear tectonics of the wooden construction allow for future adaptability as the company's needs evolve.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the design is the distinctive Rank structure that weaves around the building on all sides. The geometric ornamental shaping of this framework gives the building its unique identity while serving a functional purpose. The structure is specifically designed to support the growth of climbing plants and tendrils, creating a dialogue between architecture and nature. In the coming years, vegetation will completely cover the full height of the building, with the choice of plantings ensuring long-term cyclical changes in the building's appearance that harmonize with the seasonal transitions.

This living facade concept embodies the company's connection to nature filmmaking while demonstrating cutting-edge sustainable architecture practices. The architects successfully implemented a holistic approach to sustainable building design that serves as a model for contemporary environmental architecture. The project seamlessly integrates the demands of modern film production technology with biophilic design principles, creating a workspace that reflects Terra Mater's commitment to documenting and celebrating the natural world.