plombe 7

This residential housing project in the 19th district of Vienna doesn’t offer consciously any parking-lots, but enough space for bikes. In the ground-floor is located a bike-space, a small workshop, a washroom, and social space, that is connected with the courtyard, to spend some time with your neighbours. The gap in the back part of the courtyard is closed only by a glass-house, that offers the local residents to plant their own vegetables what provides to a higher consciousness of food and 9ncludes also social aspects. The glass-house has also to little yards of its own, that define some kind of individual space. By the height of 3 to 3.6 m meters, and the material this garden pavilion doesn’t influence the light falling into the yard very much. The quality of the natural lighting provided also to the decision not to build another residential house into the gap.

You can enter directly from the pavement the staircase to reach the flats. This shall on the one hand provide to a closer connection between the flats and the outside – the borders shall disappear, and on the other hand it helps to save space, as space is very limited in this project. There are 5 different flat typologies, between 39 and 122 square-meters. Open floor-plans and big windows, that are very much influenced by the geometry of the rooms develop attractive spaces. The facade and the window openings were developed by strictly atmospheric aspects. The window modules and their height is specific for the room situations, so the facade can be generated out of it. As the two neighbour-buildings have different architectural styles, the only way to fit in, was to find a contrast to both. The geometry of the roof seems to be complicated, but it was developed only because of the different height of the neighbour-buildings and the geometry of the lift.

By this means it was possible to develop 5 different flats for different needs, that are all attractive, on a quite narrow plot. The courtyard could remain nearly as it was and got accomplished by a glass-pavilion for growing vegetables. The gaps were closed conspicuously but not aggressive.

project: 2011
location: Vienna