A New Urban Approach

Carl Auböck (1924-1993) was one of the innovators of Austrian architecture after 1945. Building on Roland Rainer's urban development concept for Vienna, from 1959-1962 he and others planned the mixed and car-free district centre with its four iconic residential slabs in green space.

This model development by the City of Vienna was about testing new construction methods and high-quality materials for housing, but above all about a new quality of life in the city. At a time when the car was becoming the benchmark for urban planning, a car-free local centre with tree-lined green spaces and mixed functions was created here, with schools, kindergarten, market and offices in the ground floor zones of the residential buildings. Each apartment in the ten-storey slabs has a south-facing loggia, generous glazing instead of punched windows, cross-ventilation and lighting (apart from the bed-sit units) and an innovative floor plan. Auböck was also able to show off the quality of his work in the detailing.

With: Maria Auböck-Kárász, Auböck + Kárász Landschaftsarchitektur; Felix Siegrist, architect; Sonja Pisarik, Az W; Helga Pfeifer, resident

Moderated by Maria Welzig, Az W