Wien (AT)

Inhabited milieu's challenges

How to think about new, large-scale developments in the present era? Vienna is growing, and fast! The city is currently one of the fastest growing metropolises in the German speaking region. In the next few years the city is expected to surpass the 2 million mark, which causes an increasing demand for housing. Over the past decade, Vienna has made considerable efforts to expand its public infrastructure. Extensions of existing or new metro lines now quickly reach the fringes of the city. Densification along these corridors is a strategy that the city is pursuing. It’s in this context that we find the site «Am Heidjöchl». It is located along the new U2 underground line in Vienna’s 22nd district, Donaustadt. Donaustadt borders on the surrounding countryside and is still partially characterised by agriculture. It has a heterogeneous appearance, with carpets of single-family homes alternating with multi-storey terraced houses and interspersed with individual large blocks of flats. Several parts of Donaustadt are earmarked for new urban development. Famous for its size and in the immediate vicinity of Heidjöchl is «Seestadt Aspern», an ongoing mixed development project for around 40,000 people. Other smaller developments are also in the neighbourhood. Heidjöchl, a long-term strategic area, is the final piece in this comprehensive urban strategy. Local residents value the relaxed atmosphere on the outskirts with lots of green and open spaces and need to use the car more than an average Viennese. Therefore, the project must address existing requirements while proposing an alternative model inclusive and in tune with our planet, where harmful habits can be easily abandoned.

Questions to the competitors

Vienna’s climate guide and the knowledge gained from the developments around the site provided the framework for Heidjöchl. The aim is an urban paradigm shift that places sustainability at its very core.  Around 11,000 people will live here in about 4,900 residential units. The basic parameters are already defined: two stops of the underground line, a two-stop tram line, schools and kindergartens, affordable housing and workspace. Density can be increased near the public transport stops, while at the edges a reasonable fit with the existing neighbourhood is required.  What is really important, however, is a holistic approach to social inclusion, the presence of green space and an urban foundation for resilient development. There are several questions that need to be addressed: Firstly, how to reconcile the existing with the emerging? Secondly, what can a dense but very green urban quarter look like in this well-connected location? Thirdly, how can the transition between private, semi-private, and public zones be managed, especially on a porous ground floor? Fourthly, how can nature become an integral part of the whole site and be connected to larger green corridors? Finally, how to work with the local climate and expected effects of climate change to ensure an urban fabric fit for future habitation and well-being, conceiving the planet as a shared habitat for humans, animals, and plants?