Housing Estate in Oberlaa - Urban Planning Coordination
Vienna, 10th District
1994 - 2000
TEXTPHOTOSPLANS
GMMK , Foto: Elisabeth Mayr-Keber , Gert M. MAYR-KEBER ZT-GmbH. Thermensiedlung Oberlaa 1994-1999

The Grundäcker area is defined by its location on the periphery of the suburb of Oberlaa in south Vienna. One of the most important tasks to be accomplished with regard to the necessary structures to be created for the development, which is located at the foot of a hill called the Laaerberg, was to establish connections or rather mediating links between the periphery of the city and the green belt area which here leads into the levels of the Vienna Basin and is both undeveloped and still largely used for agricultural purposes.

Establishing connections between small single-family houses and the green belt zone

The buildings to be constructed on the peripheral zones of the site, which lead into streets with existing small, single-family houses, were to be restricted to small houses in order to provide a smooth transition to the larger structures which were to be located behind them.

The transition from the built structures to the central recreational area is effected by open courtyard structures which reach out like fingers into the planted area, thus creating an interpenetration between courtyard and park.

Structures facing the railway

Facing the railway which bounds the site to the north, for reasons of noise protection, it is proposed to build rows of houses with covered pergola walkways which reflect the topography of the site in their proportions and spatial arrangement, and also to bank up a small hill in the central garden area.

Referential axes to existing structures

The various different structures of access and location to the east and west were incorporated into and made one of the considerations of the design as a whole. With the continuation of the axes of the streets of houses to the west via a planted avenue of trees, one courtyard in the estate is assigned to this system. In the case of the orientation of one building, a field of tension in terms of urban topography is created, which in an interplay with the structural connections on the east side results in one of the large buildings being placed at a visible angle.

Traffic

The residential area is free of motorised traffic, and the necessary parking will be provided in a central garage. The residential area will be accessed by cyclepaths and footpaths which are connected to bus and tram stops by means of bridges over or underpasses under the railway.

Building density

Urban planning measures for this zone were concerned to avoid high building density. Thus on all sides of the peripheral zone building was limited to structures of one or two storeys, with the exception of the boundary with the railway. The central buildings have up to four levels, whereby the fourth level will be confined to attic apartments.

Energy and water management plan

One of the first phases of construction was put out to tender in the form of an open competition for development sponsors. The successful project, which will be carried out by six different contractors, centres on an ecologically-oriented energy and water management plan.

Constructional measures will reduce energy consumption and and energy generation will be optimised by means of a wind wheel and a thermal pump. A thermal pumping plant will be constructed at the thermal spa in Oberlaa, which is immediately adjacent to the development, and this will extract the heat from the waste thermal water from the spa and use it for heating the apartments on the estate.

The wind wheel and the thermal pump are placed at a distance to the estate for technical and economic reasons. Power is supplied via the existing City of Vienna electricity and long-distance energy network, which is supplied and drawn on a metered basis.

To avoid unnecessary consumption of drinking water, rain and ground water are collected in a cistern facility. All toilets and the estate irrigation systems are connected to this system.

Art and architecture

 As the result of a special art competition, the suggestions submitted by Manfred Erjautz and Ingeborg Strobl were awarded a prize and recommended for elaboration.

Developers

Buwog, Domizil, Gebös, Gewog, MA 11, Mischek GmbH, ÖSW

Architects

Elke Delugan-Meissl, Otto Häuselmayer, Gert M.Mayr-Keber, Helmut Richter, Albert Wimmer