wednesdays 20

With: Dietmar Eberle, Herbert Kaufmann, Thomas Prader, Harald Semela, Liesbeth Waechter – Böhm

“Vienna Airport is a shame. A little less surface luxury and a little more depth and sensitivity in planning and design could have spared Austria this fiasco (…) Ultimately, a crack running through the building forebodes where this kind of architecture belongs”, architectural critic Vera Purtscher wrote after the opening of the new wings added to Vienna Airport in 1995. Starting next year, things shall change, though. The airport will again be reconfigured and expanded by plans of architects Baumschlager & Eberle – Grassmann in cooperation with the Swiss architects Itten+Brechbühl.

Apart from architectural rehabilitation, the Vienna Airport Inc. is treading new paths in other fields as well. The conflict with local citizens’ action groups about the projected third runway shall be resolved by a mediation procedure. However, if, and in how far, the results and suggestions for compromise will eventually be considered in the planning process still remains to be seen. wednesdays 20 presents the new airport design and takes Vienna Airport as a model case to discuss the possibilities of the new instrument of architectural conflict mediation.

Guests:

Dietmar Eberle, of “Baumschlager & Eberle – Grassmann” architects
Herbert Kaufmann, Vienna Airport
Thomas Prader, Attorney at law, appointed mediator
Harald Semela, Vienna Urban Planning Department

Host:
Liesbeth Waechter-Böhm