Competition of Competitions 2025

The three architecture schools of Vienna—the IKA (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna), the IoA (University of Applied Arts Vienna), and the Institute of Urban Design and Landscape Architecture (Technical University Vienna)—are pleased to announce the second edition of their joint educational initiative: September School – The Competition of Competitions.

September School takes the form of a contest among several groups of multidisciplinary participants, each led by a duo of professors or instructors from three participating institutions. The groups are not going to design anything, but will develop briefs for an imagined international competition focused on a specific site in Vienna. 

Over the course of four days, participants will craft a compelling conceptual rationale and programmatic framework for the future development of the selected site—addressing both the why and the what. They will also define how the competition itself should be organised, including phasing, jury composition, and selection criteria.

This year’s edition focuses on the highly charged site of the former Opel Werk Seestadt Aspern. Operational since 1982 and closed in 2024, this expansive industrial plant is now scheduled for transformation and repurposing by the municipality of Vienna.

Opportunities for radical rethinking of such significant industrial sites are rare. This collaborative initiative will offer a younger generation of designers and researchers a platform to contribute to the critical discourse around its future—a conversation that has, until now, been largely shaped by city authorities, select experts, and developers.

Participants from diverse backgrounds and disciplines are invited to define a design brief of their own, rather than respond to one that is pre-determined. Together, we will reflect on the purpose of this urban redevelopment project and critically examine the potential of large-scale industrial sites in contemporary cities. Special attention will be given to the functional reprogramming of the existing structure—a singular, one-kilometer-long container that has lost its original use.

September School views its participants not as students, but as proactive ideators with distinct expertise. Group leaders will serve as inspirational interlocutors and process moderators, fostering a horizontal, intergenerational coalition rather than a traditional teacher-student dynamic. The program also encourages cross-institutional collaboration, drawing on the diverse educational cultures and pedagogical approaches of the three schools.

On the final day, an international jury will review the submitted briefs and select a winning proposal, which will be awarded a monetary prize. The event will conclude with the symposium Industrial XL: Transformations and a public presentation/award ceremony on 08.09.2025.

The results of September School will be shared widely across press and social media platforms. We hope that the ideas developed during this inter-institutional workshop will inspire and inform the official competition brief for the site’s transformation, expected to be launched by the City of Vienna in 2026.

Curators 
Ute Schneider (TU Urbanism), Sam Jacob (IoA), Lisa Schmidt-Colinet (IKA), Anastassia Smirnova-Berlin (IKA)
Hosting organisations
Technical University Vienna; The University of Applied Arts Vienna; Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Who can apply
_ Master’s students in architecture; urban, industrial and landscape design; urban planning; social design; urban and cultural studies;
_ Recent graduates (not more than 1 year ago) of the Bachelor’s programs in architecture; urban, industrial and landscape design; urban planning; social design; urban and cultural studies;

Admission: Free
Language: English 
Location: Opelwerk Seestadt Aspern/Österreichische Postsparkasse
Jury: international experts 
Prize for the winning team: monetary 

APPLY: Send a Letter of motivation (300 words) and a Bio (150 words) to stb@tuwien.ac.at before 23.00 on 01.07.2025. Please, state your name/surname, current program of studies, name of the institution. Only 40 applicants will be accepted as a result of the selection procedure.