Symposium: Industrial XL

The three leading architecture schools of Vienna have come together to initiate a public dialogue on how contemporary cities can strategically rethink large-scale industrial sites. The transition from an industrial-era logic to environmentally conscious planning is far from seamless. We are confronted with challenges of unprecedented complexity and must draw on expertise from a wide range of disciplines to develop realistic approaches to XL-scale urban transformation.

Vienna, with its layered history of industrial development, offers a rich and timely context for these discussions.

The event will feature dynamic problem statements from leading practitioners and academics in the field. On-stage interviews with chief architects of European cities and regions—including Kristiaan Borret, Floris Alkemade, and Finn Williams—will complement the more theoretical presentations by keynote speakers with insights drawn from real-life planning experience.

Experts from all three organising schools will contribute to the discussion, alongside representatives from the City of Vienna and several development companies.

Programm

Welcome by symposium curators

Introduction. Austrian Industrial: Where are we now? by Gabu Heindl AU

Part 1. Problem statements
_The Phenomenon of the Interior Urbanism by prof. Ute Schneider (TU Wien, KCAP) AT/CH
_XL Politics of the XL Transformations by Alexander D'Hooghe (Organisation for Permanent modernity), BE
_The Next Energy Scapes by prof. Milica Topalovic (ETH), CH/RS
Discussion moderated by Gabu Heindl & Anastassia Smirnova-Berlin, AU/NL

Part 2. XL Conversations 13.30 – 15.00
_ Alexander D'Hooghe interviews Kristiaan Borret, chief architect of Antwerp (2014-2017) and Brussels Capital Region (2015 - 2024), BE
_ Milica Topalovic interviews Floris Alkemade, chief architect of the Netherlands (2015-2021) and a project leader (as part of OMA) of Entrepot MacDonald and Zollverein Kohlenwäsche, NL
_ Sam Jacob interviews Finn Williams, a co-founder of Public Practice, UK, and the city architect of Malmö, SE

Q&A and organised plenary discussion

Date
08.09.2025, Monday
Place
Österreichische Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Wien, Austria

Organisers
The Institute of Art and Architecture (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna)
The Institute of Architecture (University of Applied Arts Vienna)
The Institute of Urban Design and Landscape Architecture (Technical University Vienna)

Curators
Ute Schneider (TU), Anastassia Smirnova-Berlin (IKA)