Sonnwend II Housing Development in Vienna
- Sabine Drey
In the Sonnwend neighbourhood of Vienna, roughly 5,000 dwellings are being created at present. As part of a new competition stage, a further 400 residences are to be added. This time, the theme is "smart living", a term that signifies a variable housing concept for small, low-cost dwellings. The tenants' contribution is €56 for the utility value and the rental costs €6. Geiswinkler & Geiswinkler Architects have designed a total of 148 flats to a low-energy standard, of which 116 are "smart dwellings" with areas of 40 m², 55 m² and 70 m². Most of these units extend through from the street on one face to the courtyard on the other and have various layouts and functions - office, loft, shared flats, single or family dwellings. To permit this range, a reinforced concrete skeleton frame was created without load-bearing elements on the living areas, with prefabricated clip-on balconies on the street face and with access galleries on the courtyard side. The latter provide access not only to the dwellings but also to communal areas such as laundry rooms, play spaces and storage areas. The compact form of construction, the simple, vertically continuous load-bearing system, the use of prefabricated elements with integral service installations and a restriction to only three window sizes also ensure cost savings.
