Loacker Galaxy

To mark the 100th anniversary of its beloved hazelnut wafer, Loacker entrusted MoDusArchitects with the complete reinvention of its flagship store in Heinfels, Austria. More than just a retail space, this project embodies the living soul of the brand – a place where the Loacker story comes alive and where thousands of visitors from around the world feel welcome every day. In the height of summer, the store welcomes over 3,500 guests daily, becoming a vibrant hub where tradition meets innovation, and the unmistakable scent of freshly baked wafers drifts through the air.

The transformation touches every facet of the visitor experience: a newly imagined café and retail store on the ground floor, a hands-on wafer-making workshop upstairs, and a sculptural outdoor service pavilion that will soon be completed. The design language of the “Loacker Galaxy” radiates energy – a bold interplay of form and material that celebrates the company’s family heritage while opening a visionary window into its future. Warm, tactile wood speaks of Loacker’s artisanal roots, while the precision and sheen of stainless steel evoke its world-class production facilities.

Barth plays a pivotal role in this new identity, realising MoDusArchitects’ vision with an unrivalled blend of artisanal skill and technical precision. Barth realised the full-height shelving “totems” – the dramatic, vertical landmarks that define the shop’s architecture. In both fixed and rotating versions, these totems are feats of design and fabrication: brushed stainless steel frames with perfectly integrated shelving, vertical partitions, niches for scales, and self-closing swing doors. The rotating models conceal a sophisticated mechanism that allows effortless movement, enabling the space to transform with fluid grace.

Above it all, a 10-metre-wide circular suspended light fixture, also crafted by barth, hovers like a glowing halo. Its outer ring of bent steel sheet and inner grid structure create a breathtaking focal point that draws the eye and unites the space below. From the sculptural stainless steel café counter to the dynamic “totem forest” and the theatrical upstairs workshop, every element radiates a sense of discovery and delight.

Here, design is more than aesthetic – it is storytelling in three dimensions. It is the memory of a first bite of a Loacker wafer, the joy of sharing it with friends, the fascination of watching it being made. Through MoDusArchitects’ bold creativity and barth’s unwavering commitment to excellence, the Loacker flagship store has been reborn as an international destination – a place where wafer lovers, design enthusiasts, and curious travellers meet the magic of Loacker in a setting as unforgettable as the taste itself.

Architect

Modus Architects

Design Team

Sandy Attia, Matteo Scagnol, Camilla Cormanni, Leonardo Franzini, Martina Salmaso