Siemensäcker A2

Wien, E12

Once approved by the Viennese city hall, the Masterplan del barrio de planeamiento colaborativo Siemensäcker -in which’s planning team we contributed- the land owner commissioned us with the design of 65 housing units in 3 blocks of different scales (size S,M,L).

Simultaneously to the development of the architectonic project, we went along with the ‘Qualitätenkatalog’ which was developed by a panel of experts determining qualities of free space, landscape, collective parking and the management of non-residential uses in the quarter. Like this, individual decisions were made based on the collective process and vice versa. Like this, the design process unifies the disciplines of architecture and urbanism, defining at the same time guidelines at the scale of a building and at the scale of a district.

Like the collaborative design, the architecture design is determined by 5 qualities:

1. Bike city: the 3 housing blocks are connected within a platform in the basement floor, which as well resolves the plot’s complex topography and provides direct access to the homes by means of pedestrian lanes arriving at the community gardens with bicycle parking.
2. Commons: the collective character of the design is also reflected in the architecture design. Community spaces like the big bicycle parking, the large kitchen, opened for the quarter’s community, a sun terrace and a children’s playground are connecting the 3 blocks with those spaces connecting the community.
3. Exterior unit: The design incorporates a new trend of Viennese contemporary housing: each of the 65 housing units includes a space referring to the exterior. Like this, balconies, bow windows, terraces and gardens are alternating among the flats improving housing quality and opening the homes to a green pedestrian-friendly surrounding.
4. Servant furniture: The housing takes place round single service furniture, which includes service zones, storage and sanitary installations. Like this, the living areas are orientated to the exterior and the day zone (living, dining, cooking) is disposed at the building’s edge receiving day light for many hours during the day.
5. Local materiality: wooden shutters are reflecting the materiality and the constructive system which are used in the buildings’ structure (bearing concrete walls with exterior thermal isolation, selection of local woods) Furthermore the selection of indigenous plants and trees for the green spaces is a necessary condition to conserve the ecological and sustainable quality of the construction process of the new quarter Siemensäcker.