Vienna continues to grow. According to the latest calculations by Statistics Austria, the population will grow from currently 1.68 million to 1.76 million people by 2015; by 2030, an estimated 1.91 million people will live in Vienna. The parties responsible for housing construction reacted by increasing the volume of newly built dwellings to approximately 7,000 apartments per year. According to Michael Ludwig, City Councillor for Housing, this goal was met in 2009 and is also strived for in 2010. The residential market in Vienna is not only subject to the laws of the market economy. As one of the largest house and apartment owners worldwide, the City of Vienna uses housing subsidies as a steering instrument, which in 2010 are planned to have a value of 597 million EUR. Renate Brauner, City Councillor for Economic Affairs and Deputy Mayor, on the current situation: “Especially during the crisis, we rely on housing construction to back up the economy and maintain value creation in Vienna. The measures the City of Vienna sets in this regard secure 23,000 jobs in construction and related industries every year.”

Large-Scale Residential Projects

Thanks to abandoned railway stations, such as the premises of the former North Station as well as the enormous area of the North-West Station, there are large open spaces available for the construction of new residential districts. In the future neighborhood of aspern Urban Lakeside and the Aspang area, the plans for the construction of an entire new district are about to be implemented in several phases. In the immediate vicinity of the new Vienna Central Station, a giant housing construction project is already taking shape: On the 59 hectares between the streets of Sonnwendgasse, Ostbahnstraße and Gudrunstraße, a residential district for approximately 13,000 people will emerge by 2013. As a result of the first builders’ competition, contracts for seven construction sites in the Sonnwend quarter with a total of 1,160 apartments were recently awarded. “Besides diverse types of apartments and flexibly configurable floor plans, apartments for people with special needs, assisted living, multiple-generation apartments and home offices, we are planning a wide variety of communication spaces and common rooms for all generations, part of which can even be designed by the future residents,” explains City Councillor Ludwig. The winning projects will be implemented by Win4wien Bauträger GmbH, Kallco Bauträger GmbH, Österreichisches Siedlungswerk (ÖSW), Volksbau, BWS, Gesiba and Sozialbau. Construction will begin this year.

City Villas & Living in the Park

In the historic centre of Vienna-Nussdorf, BIG E&V, a 100% subsidiary of the federal real estate management company BIG, and the private builder and project developer Seeste are currently building seven exclusive city villas with a total of 49 apartments at “Beethoven’s Garden”. Another one of Seeste’s residential projects, “Park Apartments Landstraße”, is about to be completed. The area contains three buildings and is located at the centre of a newly designed park. Right next to Rudolf Bednar Park, the 3.1 hectare large “green lungs” of the new neighbourhood at the former North Station, BAI Bauträger Austria Immobilien is building Park Lane Apartments – a residential complex with premium amenities, located in the city and yet among nature. Completion of the 220 apartments is scheduled for the winter of 2010/2011. On Vorgartenstraße near Bednar Park, Gesiba and PPAG Architects built a ten-storey, 190-metre long building with 274 subsidized apartments. All four staircases are connected by a central hallway; the roof serves as a terrace covering the entire length of the building. The three new residential complexes at “Karree St. Marx”, a park-like landscape that is part of the urban development area “Neu Erdberg – Simmering”, also offer living in nature. The total cost for the residential projects built by Sozialbau, Bauträger Bauhilfe and ÖSW amounts to approximately 59 million EUR. By the summer of 2010, all of the 406 subsidized rental apartments will be ready for occupancy.

New Living Space for Students

With the growing number of universities, colleges and universities of applied sciences, the demand for affordable living space for students is naturally growing as well. Under the brand name “base – homes for students”, Wien Holding is therefore consistently expanding the field of students’ hostels. The former “Döbling” students’ hostel will be converted and expanded into a modern building by the name “base19”. Completion is scheduled for the fall of 2010. Two more projects are in the planning stage: By 2012, “base11” is set to be built in the 11th district near Gasometer; one year later, “base22” in Vienna-Stadlau is planned to be completed. On the area of “Postareal Westbahnhof”, in immediate proximity to BahnhofCity Vienna which is currently under construction, Genossenschaft Heimbau is building a subsidized residential building as well as a new students’ hostel. The building offering future living space for students will feature covered arcades and be built according to passive house standards. Another passive house project that was recently completed is a students’ hostel in Vienna’s Neubau district. The 105 residential units for students were developed by Österreichisches Siedlungswerk, the country’s largest non-profit builder, and are located in the immediate vicinity of Vienna’s main library. On the campus of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, the new construction of a students’ hostel will not only create 322 residential units by the summer of 2011: for the first time, a students’ accommodation will allow animals. The adjacent turn-of-the-century building will be subject to a total renovation and expansion, and should also be completed by mid-2011 to serve as a hostel for visiting scientists and training course participants.

Housing Concept WOHN-BASE©

With its WOHN-BASE© concept, Raiffeisen evolution is implementing the idea of community living. The 50 condominiums in their first project on Bandgasse, completed in 2006, had sold long before completion. Another WOHN-BASE©, built in three construction stages, was recently completed in Vienna’s Döbling district. Surrounded by greenery, a total of 11 city villas with 11 different-size apartments each were created at this premium location. The third WOHN-BASE©, currently still under construction on Trondheimgasse, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year and offers a special feature: For the first time, all three of Raiffeisen evolution’s housing concepts will be implemented into one building: HUMAN-BASE© (accessible living), ECO-BASE© (energy-efficient, sustainable building methods) and WOHN-BASE©. Energy-efficiency was also a main priority for the housing project Jungstraße in the Leopoldstadt district. Together with BIG, Raiffeisen evolution developed Austria’s tallest privately financed passive house. After a construction time of only 18 months, the residential building which already sold out prior to completion was handed over to its residents in December of 2009. Living at Viertel Zwei, the business quarters in Leopoldstadt, will be possible by the end of this year. Located directly on the 5,000 square metre large lake, “Stella Zwei” was developed as a project offering investment apartments. At the beginning of this year, EHL Immobilien GmbH began the sale of the 72 apartments; in addition, six penthouse apartments are available.

Palais Hansen: Hotel and Residential Property

Palais Hansen is being converted into a premium hotel complemented by luxury apartments. The group of owners consisting of PORR Solutions, Warimpex, Vienna Insurance Group and Wien Holding decided on Kempinski as the operator. Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group will therefore be represented in Austria for the first time. With approximately 150 rooms and suites, spacious seminar rooms as well as a ballroom and a spa, the hotel will offer an exclusive environment as of 2012. Sigrid Oblak, Managing Director of Wien Holding, on the signing of the “Letter of Intent”: “We are a big step closer to our goal of restoring Palais Hansen to its full splendor.” Friedrich Gruber, Managing Director of PORR Solutions is certain: “The mixed use of hotel and apartments is perfectly suited for this central location and will actively contribute to reviving the immediate neighbourhood.”

From Candy Factory to Residential Park

On the premises of the former Heller candy factory in Vienna’s Favoriten district, the housing construction company Buwog is building the Heller Residential Park, the Innerfavoriten nursing home and some smaller office and retail spaces which will all be completed by 2011. In several buildings, a total of 239 subsidized apartments are being developed, all with open or glass-covered balconies or terraces. All of the residential buildings are being built as low-energy buildings; one of them even as a passive house. All in all, Buwog is investing 122 million EUR in the residential park, the nursing home and the retail and office spaces. While construction at the Heller factory premises began in the fall of 2009, four other housing projects by Buwog are about to be completed: The “Verdino” project near the Laaer Woods; 69 residential units at “Goldschlag Carré” in Vienna’s Penzing district; two large city villas with 18 condominiums as part of the “Living in Baumgarten” project; and row houses in Vienna’s Liesing district.

Living & Working in Stadlau

Under the title “New Stadlau”, Wien Holding and its partners are developing an entirely new neighbourhood on the former Waagner Biro premises in the Donaustadt district. The project consists of four large sub-projects: the residential complex OASE22, which also offers special developments for seniors; the office, retail and residential park STAR22; the students’ hostel BASE22; and the industrial building zone UNIT22. The project will be developed in several stages by 2014. The OASE22 residential park will be built by Buwog, Gesiba, ÖSG and ÖSW and comprise of 346 subsidized apartments. This will be complemented by adequate facilities for sports and recreational activities, playgrounds and green zones, social facilities and a geriatric day care centre by the Social Vienna fund. Individual housing in a green environment was the guideline for another subsidized residential complex in Donaustadt. Builders Gewog and WBV-GPA created “Quartier Verts”, a residential area with apartments, terrace houses and townhouses with balconies or garden for rent. Completion of the 137 rental apartments is scheduled for the fall of 2010, the same time the metro line U2 will be extended to Aspernstraße.

Eye Catcher in Vienna’s Residential Architecture

With widely protruding, large balconies and colourful façades, Rüdiger Lainer + Partner have set new accents in the city’s residential architecture on Buchengasse in Vienna’s Favoriten district. In the work & live district of Monte Laa, dozens of buildings were completed in the last few years, providing over 800 apartments. On Paltramplatz in Vienna-Favoriten, the residential building designed by the architect duo Delugan-Meissl is attracting attention thanks to its staggered balconies and perforated flying roof. The photovoltaic plant on the top floor is supplying clean, ecological energy for the common areas. On the former factory premises of Kabel- und Drahtwerke AG in Vienna’s Meidling district, a total of 964 apartments were completed in 2008. Thanks to a central parking garage solution, the entire area is completely car-free. Angled, green and outstanding: the Ville Verte buildings in Vienna’s Gasometer City. The flaming orange residential project “Sargfabrik” (“Coffin Factory”) emerged from the former largest coffin maker’s workshop of the Danube Monarchy – complete with a bathhouse, pond and rooftop garden. The first car-free housing project in Austria – the “Car-free Model Residential Area” in Vienna-Floridsdorf – offers plenty of green space, biotopes and kitchen gardens. At “Compact City”, 54 apartments, twelve artist studios, ten workshops, 22 offices and three restaurants were constructed in a high-density building development. Among other awards, the “City within the City” received the Otto Wagner urban development award and the 2004 National Architecture Award for its visionary architectural concept. [ IN ]