As a modern form of seating, the MQ courtyard furniture invites visitors to the MQ courtyards to relax and linger, making them a significant factor in creating the MQ “living space.” The MQ seat, also known as the “Enzi,” quickly turned the MuseumsQuartier into a favorite haunt of Vienna’s residents, as well as of tourists from around the world, and the MuseumsQuartier is now often referred to as the “city’s living room.”

The beginnings

It all began with an art project in 2002. After the MuseumsQuartier opened in June 2001, there was hardly any seating in the MQ courtyards except for a few wooden benches and no artistic use of the space either. As a result, the MuseumsQuartier Errichtungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft (MQ E+B) commissioned Austrian artist Josef Trattner to create an art installation for the site in the form of giant foam objects. They were immediately seized on by visitors and enthusiastically put to use as seating. Based on the enormous success of this project, the MQ E+B invited several teams of architects to design versatile seating for the MQ courtyards. The idea put forward by the architects PPAG – Anna Popelka and Georg Poduschka – was chosen and the MQ courtyard furniture made its first appearance in the MuseumsQuartier in winter 2002, assembled as igloos as part of the “Winter im MQ” program series. In 2003 the seating was put out for the first time in summer and was an immediate hit with visitors, who used it for relaxing on and spending time with friends. Since then, it has become impossible to imagine the MuseumsQuartier without it.

Colourful MQ furniture

Starting in 2003, the MQ seating has appeared in a wide range of colors: “swimming pool blue” (2003), “pale pink” (2004), “pistachio green” (2005), “reclining red” (2006), “cream-beige” (2007), “almost FC Austria purple” (2008), “lemon yellow” (2009), “lush meadow green” (2010), “ivory tusk white” (2011-2012), “strawberry field red” (2012-2012) and “candy shop pink” (2012-2012), “bathhouse blue” (2013), “mermaid” (2015) and “lime green” (2017). Since 2008, the color has been selected via an online vote in which anyone interested in the MQ can take part.

Models

In terms of design, the seating now comes in different models. In contrast to the original “Enzi,” the “Enzo” is hollow and a completely different manufacturing process makes it more robust and more resistant to damage. Yet the seating’s external contours and size have remained the same. Summer 2013 saw the MQ seating undergo a further redesign. The new generation “Viena” model builds on the design of the existing MQ courtyard furniture: the open reinforcing struts are gone and a hole in the center of the seat not only allows rainwater to drain, but ensures stability and provides support for a sunshade. It is a return to the original form of the “Enzi” but uses the robust material of the “Enzo.”

MQ Flagship

The MQ seating has now become something of a trademark and has been used by both “WienTourismus” and “Österreich Werbung” as a brand ambassador for Vienna. At the same time, the furniture is also utilized in art projects. During the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), 40 pieces of the world famous MQ furniture were decorated by 40 Austrian artists. Each artist was allocated a country by drawing lots and took that country as the inspiration for their design. This joint project by the ORF and the MQ was curated by the Kunsthalle Wien, Leopold Museum and mumok, who were responsible for selecting the artists. It was also supported by Österreich Werbung and ÖBB Rail Tours.

As early as 2005, the courtyard furniture at the MuseumsQuartier Wien was awarded the Adolf Loos National Prize for Design and was the first winner of the new “Spatial Design” category. In 2007, the MQ seating gained its first nomination for a National Design Award in Germany.

Viena

The new design of the furniture is a further development of the original model, the “MQ Hofmöbel”. The form, geometry and the combinatorics of the “Enzis” were adapted and improved. Moreover, “Viena” is based on the production process and the material used for the “Enzos”. The latest model features a hole in the centre of the seat, which not only allows for the rain to run off but also provides the necessary stability as well as support for sunshades.

Weight
The “Viena” model is manufactured from polyethylene using a rotational moulding process. Thus, the furniture is hollow on the inside. One “Viena” weighs 100 kg.

Enzo

The MQ “Enzos” were developed in collaboration with the MN*LS 2010. The model is made of polyethylene.

Weight
The “Enzo” model is manufactured from polyethylene using a rotational moulding process. The product is therefore hollow on its inside. One “Enzo” weighs between 125 and 145 kg.

Delivery
The product can gladly be delivered upon request. A deposit of 50% will be charged after receipt of order. The remaining 50% is due upon delivery.

Colours
The displayed colours may differ from the actual colour depending on monitor and screen resolution.