The project attracted the attention of the Holcim Awards jury for offering a method for a step-by-step urban densification, combining both bottom-up/top-down and formal/informal practices – thereby creating an urban commons. Arenas Basabe Palacios Arquitectos have designed buildings that will accommodate less than 10% of the total housing units – since the urban plan aims to create conditions for the neighborhood to evolve in a heterogeneous way that always reflects its population’s needs. A variety of other local and international architects have designed buildings in construction projects owned by the state-run Austria Real Estate (ARE).

The architects established the framework for the urban neighborhood on an 11-hectare site in the Rosenhügel district of southwestern Vienna. The site is now home to around 2,300 residents in 1,100 housing units and ground-floor commercial spaces with a total floor area of 83,000sqm. This new form of garden city is emphatically non-uniform and encourages a variety of building sizes from privately funded single-family houses through to private residential complexes and collective low-cost housing blocks. The participation of citizens, cooperatives, developers, institutions, planners, and experts has been central to the approach. Not only was community engagement encouraged during the design phase – it is integrated into the ongoing development of the site to ensure the project continues to adapt in a non-homogenous way and common spaces are not neglected.

The project has “created and is testing an alternative model of urban development,” explains architect Luis Palacios. The design process was deliberately open-ended and established the rules for future interaction within the neighborhood rather than proscribing all designs across the plan. In addition to creating the urban master plan for the entire precinct, Arenas Basabe Palacios Arquitectos and their local building partner Buschina & Partner have designed 11 buildings containing 82 housing units and a total floor area of 9,500sqm that were completed in 2022, including the “Sunflower Houses” pictured.

An urban plan that integrates sustainability and flexibility

Sustainability requirements of the master plan define minimum energy efficiency standards for all buildings and specify south-orientated gardens, energy self-sufficiency (at least 35% renewable energy supply, water sufficiency (at least 35% rainwater collection), passive house (thermal inertia walls), closing cycle for organic matter with composting for gardens. The master plan encourages biodiversity across the site where 60% of land is greenspace, including wilderness corridors that provide habitat for native alpine marmots and diverse local flora and fauna. The water cycle metabolism includes drainage that slows water flows to avoid flooding and allow for water collection for urban gardens. Minimal paved areas improve natural drainage. The entire site is a car-free neighborhood that enables mobility via shared parking spaces for bicycles, three collective underground garages (with space for 700 vehicles) at the perimeter as well as good connections for train, bus, and car sharing.

The original design for the project was a Europan10 winner in 2009 for the site in Vienna. Instead of proposing a pre-designed urban fabric, the project proposed a collective pattern for individual interpretation: a grid of gardens structures the area. The site was occupied by a pig farm during the early 20th century and then by the Federal Office for Protection of Pets Against Virus Infection before being abandoned. The pre-existing factory structure on site has been rehabilitated to house a cultural center that supports ongoing community engagement and encourages architectural diversity within the site.

An urban commons and exemplary approach to design

The project won a Holcim Awards Bronze in 2014 for Europe and was praised by the independent expert jury for its focus on procedures to enable stakeholder participation and diverse physical forms. “It offers a method for a step-by-step urban densification, combining both bottom-up/top-down and formal/informal practices to create an urban commons,” explains Jean-Philipp Vassal, Principal of Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, Laureate of the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize; and Head of the Holcim Awards 2014 jury for Europe.

The Wildgarten urban design functions as a framework for physical and social development, outlining a porous fabric with low environmental impact and a collective space – reprogrammable in time, while furthering ownership capacity-building. The project contributes to Vienna’s aim of providing a resilient habitat for the city’s existing population without compromising the ability of future generations to experience the same under its goal of climate neutrality by the year 2040. In its Smart Climate City Strategy, Vienna is committed to a social, human approach. “Smart City Vienna” is the vision of a city in which life is good without doing so at the expense of the environment and future generations. Vienna uses the opportunities that social innovations and new technologies bring with them actively and prudently to achieve the goals.

Project location

Emil-Behring-Weg 3, Meidling, 1120 Vienna, Austria

References

• Basabe Montalvo. (2021, August 3). The Multiplayer City: Flexible urban supports for complex social processes [Video]. MSD at Home. Melbourne School of Design. University of Melbourne. Retrieved April 15, 2023
• City of Vienna. (2022). Smart Climate City Strategy Vienna: On our way to becoming a model climate city. Retrieved April 15, 2023
• Die Sonnenblumenhäuser by Arenas Basabe Palacios Arquitectos. Archello. Retrieved April 25, 2023
• Europan 10 Wien. (2009). Europan Europe. Retrieved April 17, 2023
• Fourth Holcim Awards: Regional and global Holcim Awards competitions for sustainable construction projects and visions 2014/2015. (2015). Holcim Sustainable Construction Press.
• United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2009, January 1). Wildgarten Quartier: An innovative, ecological and democratic neighborhood in Vienna, Austria. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). Retrieved April 14, 2023
• Wildgarten. (n.d.). Austria Real Estate. Retrieved April 17, 2023
• Wildgarten, public housing in Vienna – Euskadiko Arkitektura Institutua. (n.d.). Wildgarten, Public Housing in Vienna – Euskadiko Arkitektura Institutua