Design Studio Retrofit Gemeindebau 4.0

Context

The “Retrofit” approach aims to carefully transform aged urban structures through targeted interventions and make them fit for the future. Retrofit acts according to criteria of resource conservation and the circular economy, closing the chain of action of “re_think, re_duse, re_cycle and re_use”.

In urban development, retrofit processes mean the existing-oriented renewal and retrofitting of buildings, open spaces and public areas with the greatest possible consideration of the existing social and natural conditions. Vienna's housing estates in particular offer great potential for this.

Content and aim of the design

Having already developed numerous retrofit approaches for post-war municipal buildings in Vienna-Brigittenau in previous years as part of semester designs, we are now intensifying this search for sustainable solutions for other locations in Vienna together with colleagues from Wiener Wohnen.

The specific task this time includes typological design solutions for the transformation of selected types of municipal buildings in the context of their neighborhood.

The aim is to develop retrofitting concepts on a neighborhood scale for the following building types, which have a generally valid character and can also be used modularly at comparable locations according to certain criteria:

• Block • Row • Point • Mixed.

These retrofit processes are intended to improve the quality of life, usability and well-being of current and future residents of municipal housing in the sense of a “high-quality further development of the existing city”. This is also linked to integrative measures to increase climate resilience, social cohesion, food sovereignty, the local economy and biodiversity.