Archinect - News

Vienna is back on top of the EIU list of the world’s most livable cities

2022-06-28T17:32:00-04:00

After two years, Vienna has overtaken Auckland as the world’s most livable city, according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU said that Auckland’s position on the index dipped to the 34th spot this year because of higher Covid-19 infection rates and strict border controls in 2021. Although lockdowns ended in New Zealand in December, well-vaccinated cities in Europe and Canada had begun easing restrictions earlier.

The Austrian capital was joined by Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam as the other European cities on the list. Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Osaka, and Melbourne rounded out the Top 10 of the 172-city sampling.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine also impacted the makeup of the list, as did the Chinese government’s political crackdowns on Hong Kong, causing a loss of connectivity and cultural freedoms which dropped the city to 62nd overall.

IKEA completes bookcase-inspired store in Vienna, Austria

2022-05-23T10:57:00-04:00

Austria-based architecture office querkraft has completed an IKEA furniture store in the country’s capital Vienna, whose exterior was inspired by bookcases. Designed as a car-free venue, the scheme was developed with the vision of being a “good neighbor” for the surrounding community through a blend of public spaces and an active streetfront.

Photo © querkraft + christina häusler

The scheme’s defining feature is its shelf-like main façade. The 15-foot-deep zone envelops the building to provide shade for the indoors, while also accommodating terraces and greenery. In a move reminiscent of Paris’ Centre Pompidou, the external skeleton also houses infrastructural elements such as lifts, stairs, and building services.

Photo © querkraft + christina häusler

Inside, the 316,000 square foot scheme is supported by a 32x32 ft grid of reinforced concrete columns. From the ground level, a generous void extends up the building, visually linking the five retail floors occupied by IKEA. The top two...

Studio Malka Architecture adds modular vertical extension to French Embassy in Vienna

2021-10-13T14:57:00-04:00

French firm Studio Malka Architecture has announced a new project that will see the addition of a striking collection of curved, modular extensions to the French Embassy in Vienna, Austria.

Built in the early 20th century, the embassy is situated within two buildings that express an Art Nouveau style. The project calls on the refurbishment and vertical extension of the two units that are both modern and informed by the site’s history. The result was the decision to develop a light and modular extension.

As noted by the architects, the curved, shell-like components serve as more than mere ornamentation but as functional pieces, “in the daily use of its architecture.” The system, which Studio Malka Architecture says was created in ancient Egypt, collects, amplifies, and diffuses natural light throughout the entire building, as well as creates natural ventilation.

“More than a century after its creation, the project of the new French Embassy in Vienna reconnects with Art Nouveau’s f...

Platform takes a closer look into one of 20th century's boldest architectural experiments

2021-09-27T14:34:00-04:00

What we think of today as “Red Vienna” was, in many respects, a highly fragile, contingent, and audacious effort; it is little short of a minor miracle that so much decommodified housing was built at a time when reactionary Catholicism and fascist politics were ascendant on the national scale in Austria.

Penned by Joseph Heathcott for Platform, the article takes a closer look into one of the boldest architectural experiments of the twentieth century that can still be seen in Vienna today. Between 1923 and 1934, the socialist-controlled municipal government constructed over four hundred Hofs (housing courts) providing some 60,000 units of decent, affordable homes to one in eight residents of the city.

Manfredo Tafuri argues that "Red Vienna" emerged out of the historical moment when the Austrian working class asserted its place in a nation fractured by the dissolution of the ancient regime. In his view, however, the municipal experiment in mass housing did not so much envision a new world as it did reconfigure bits of the extant city to include working-class residents. For Tafuri, this approach resulted in supposedly isolated and detached working-class neighborhoods, amounting to a failure of international revolutionary principle. But for Eve Blau, Tafuri misses the distinctly urban ...

Community-built market completed in northern Ghana by [a]FA

2020-04-21T15:24:00-04:00

The New Guabuliga Market is a recent design-build project that has been underway from [applied] Foreign Affairs ([a]FA), a transdisciplinary lab at the Institute of of Architecture of the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Based on research done back in 2018, a team of students designed this modular market structure with the goal of attracting traders to the remote community of Guabuliga in northern Ghana to strengthen the socio-economic health of the region.

Photo by Toms Kampars.

Construction began in early 2019 and the market opened in August 2019. The design consists of a "floorscape" and "roofscape" ad utilizes an integrated water source, furniture, and a market shop for locally made products. The structure takes inspiration from the traditional grain silos of the region.

Photo by Juergen Strohmayer.

The market was built with local labor and professionals who relied on the direction and expertise of the project partners. Everyone from local masons and welders to seasoned design ...

New IKEA store in Vienna omits parking and celebrates nature

2020-01-21T15:47:00-05:00

The querkraft-designed store seeks to create a friendly, open, unconventional, and informal experience for users. The new building will be situated in an urban setting, and with no allotted parking, customers are expected to arrive by means of public transportation. The structure will be constructed with prefabricated vertical concrete columns on a 10 x 10 meter grid, which the architects intended to promote flexibility for the company, the grid creates spaces that can shifted and repurposed through time. It is due for completion in 2021.

Vienna defends top spot in Global Liveability Index with 'near-perfect' score in infrastructure, education, health care, culture

2019-09-05T14:43:00-04:00

On the EIU’s index, which ranks 140 cities on 30 factors bunched into five categories—stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure—Vienna scores a near-perfect 99.1 out of 100, putting it just ahead of Melbourne. [...] Higher crime rates and ropey infrastructure pull some bigger cities like London, New York and Paris down the league table, despite their cultural and culinary attractions.

Having seemingly cracked the 'perfect-city' formula, Vienna, once again, has topped a major global livability ranking. As The Economist reports, the Austrian capital scored a "near-perfect 99.1 out of 100," followed immediately by its perennial quality-of-life rival, Melbourne.

Unsurprisingly, the list of top-ranking locations contains familiar livability heavy hitters from Australia and Canada with a couple of Japanese cities entering the mix:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Sydney, Australia
4. Osaka, Japan
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. Toronto, Canada
7. Tokyo, Japan
9. Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Adelaide, Australia

The highest-ranking U.S. city was Honolulu at 22nd. Atlanta came in at 33rd, closely followed by Pittsburgh at 34th, Seattle at 36th, and Washington, D.C. at 40th.

The Global Liveability Index 2019. Video via The Economist Intelligence Unit on YouTube.

Dominating the bottom of the list of the 140 surveyed cities are rapidly urbanizing metro areas in de...

Vienna tops global Quality of Living index once again

2019-04-08T14:52:00-04:00

Trade tensions and populist undercurrents continue to dominate the global economic climate. Combined with the spectre of monetary policy tightening and volatility looming over markets, international businesses are under more pressure than ever to get their overseas operations right. [...] Globally, Vienna tops the ranking for the 10th year running, closely followed by Zurich (2).

The annual Mercer Quality of Living survey with the world's most desirable cities for business professionals to relocate to was recently released in its 2019 edition, and the field of top-ranked locations has not changed much compared to previous years:

1st: Vienna, Austria

2nd: Zurich, Switzerland

3rd (joint): Auckland, New Zealand

3rd (joint): Munich, Germany

3rd (joint): Vancouver, Canada

6th: Düsseldorf, Germany

7th: Frankfurt, Germany

8th: Copenhagen, Denmark

9th: Geneva, Switzerland

10th: Basel, Switzerland

"In North America, Canadian cities continue to score highest with Vancouver (3) ranking highest for overall quality of living, as well as sharing the top spot with Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary for safety," explains the announcement. "All US cities covered in the analysis fell in the rankings this year, with Washington DC (53) the biggest faller. The exception was New York (44), rising one place as crime rates in the city continue to fall. Detroit remains the US cit...

Vienna leads globally in affordable housing and quality of life

2018-07-25T15:05:00-04:00

With its affordable and attractive places to live, the Austrian capital is fast becoming the international gold standard when it comes to public housing, or what Europeans call “social housing” ― in Vienna’s case, government-subsidized housing rented out by the municipality or nonprofit housing associations. Unlike America’s public housing projects, which remain unloved and underfunded...

In Vienna 62% of its citizens reside in public housing, standing in stark contrast with less than 1% living in US social housing. The Austrian capital boasts regulated rents and strongly protects tenant's rights, while US public housing functions as a last resort for low-income individuals. Earlier this year Vienna was listed at the top of Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking, beating every city in the world for the ninth year in a row. Needless to say US cities have much to learn from Vienna's urban housing model.

3XN + Gerner Gerner Plus propose undulating aquarium at Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo

2018-04-25T15:04:00-04:00

3XN and Austrian firm GERNER GERNER PLUS unveiled a new aquarium scheme titled “Poseidon's Realm”, which won second place in an international competition of the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna (A winner is yet to be announced). Working with aquarium specialists ATT, the team designed the aquarium with an undulating silhouette so that it appears like “a great, mysterious veil” across the zoo's landscape.

Image © 3XN.

Covering 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq.ft), the building is divided into four levels and topped with a green roof that is embedded within the zoo's path network — plus, the roof houses a bearded vulture aviary.

The aquarium features a glazed, wave-shaped welcome entrance that leads visitors into a “waterworld” tour. Changing temperatures, ambient sounds, lighting, and ceiling heights add to the experience. The main path widens into smaller bays that lead to individual tanks, creating a more intimate experience between visitors and aquatic life. At the end of the tour is a gi...

Vienna leads global Quality of Living index for 8th year in a row

2018-04-17T14:49:00-04:00

Despite increased political and financial volatility in Europe, many of its cities offer the world’s highest quality of living and remain attractive destinations for expanding business operations and sending expatriates on assignment, according to Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey. [...] Vienna occupies first place for overall quality of living for the 8th year running, with the rest of the top-ten list mostly filled by European cities.

The latest annual Mercer Quality of Living survey with the world's most desirable cities for business professionals to relocate to was recently released, and the ten top contenders are mostly the same familiar players:

Vienna, Austria
Zurich, Switzerland
Auckland, New Zealand
Munich, Germany
Vancouver, Canada
Dusseldorf, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
Geneva, Switzerland
Copenhagen, Denmark
Basel, Switzerland

"In North America, Canadian cities take the top positions in the ranking," the survey summary states. "Vancouver (5) is again the region’s highest ranking city for quality of living. Toronto and Ottawa follow in 16th and 18th place respectively, whereas San Francisco (29) is the highest ranking US city, followed by Boston (35), Honolulu (36), New York (44), and Seattle (45). High crime rates in Los Angeles (58) and Chicago (47) resulted in these cities dropping nine and four places respectively."

What U.S. cities can learn from Vienna's urban housing policy

2017-07-26T14:39:00-04:00

This is a two-part series on housing policy in Vienna and how it could be a model for progressive housing policy in Seattle, where I live, or other American cities struggling with affordable housing. The first part is an overview of financing and subsidies. Part two, coming tomorrow, looks in detail at how zoning and development supports housing affordability.

Mike Eliason, passivhaus designer with Seattle-based Patano Studio, penned an insightful two-part commentary for City Observatory, looking at issues of financing, zoning, affordability, sustainability, and quality of life in a side-by-side comparison of Vienna and Seattle.

Socialism and Nationalism on the Danube

2017-05-09T15:57:00-04:00

Both Vienna and Budapest can be viewed as battlefields in an unfolding European crisis of identity and confidence that threatens the continent’s political unity and raises fundamental questions about what exactly it means to be European, to be Europe. Can we read these crises at the level of architecture?

In light of contemporary political turmoil in the region, Owen Hatherley examines key moments in the architectural histories of two quintessentially European cities, from the development of Vienna's monumental public housing to Budapest's experimentation with an ethnonationalist style.

Coop Himmelb(l)au compares campus redesign of the University of Applied Arts Vienna to a "prison courtyard"

2016-07-11T14:05:00-04:00

After the University of Applied Arts Vienna chose a winner for its campus redesign competition in 2012, the proposal is just now being made a reality—much to the disappointment of another prominent Viennese institution, Coop Himmelb(l)au.

The University selected Riepl Kaufmann Bammer Architecktur’s design for a major renovation and expansion of its current buildings, totaling 9,500 square meters of new space. On July 6, the University broke ground on the project, and on July 8, Coop Himmelb(l)au’s communications office sent out an email decrying the design, comparing it to a “prison courtyard” and asking “does it necessarily have to be the worst project which will now be realized?”:

Commonly, Architecture is understood to be a three-dimensional imprint of content. Following this view, the rendering – boastfully called “inwards facing campus” – looks rather like a prison courtyard. If that image was a reflection of the University of Applied Arts’ curricula, one should definitely be con...

Olafur Eliasson's 'Green Light' responds to the refugee crisis in Europe

2016-05-17T11:30:00-04:00

Green Light is an artistic workshops that responds to the current situation in Europe, in which countless refugees are caught up in legal and political limbo. Together with TBA21 in Vienna, Olafur Eliasson has invited people from different backgrounds – refugees and locals – to take part in exchanges at TBA21-Augarten through a playful, creative process.

Over the course of the three-month project, which ends 5 June, participants put together Green light lamp modules designed by Olafur Eliasson on two days of the week and take part in practical workshops and language courses on two other days. During that time, TBA21 is also hosting a multifaceted programme of shared learning that features workshops, seminars, performances, screenings, lectures, and artistic interventions.

“Green light is an act of welcoming, addressed both to those who have fled hardship and instability in their home countries and to the residents of Vienna. I hope Green light shines light on some of the challenges a...

Hyperloop announces plans for first European routes

2016-03-11T13:23:00-05:00

In a joint statement yesterday the Playa Vista, California-based Hyperloop Transport Technologies (HTT) and the Slovak Republic’s economy minister held out the future vision of the Hyperloop whisking passengers at 760 mph between Vienna in Austria, Budapest in Hungary and the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. A Bratislava-to-Vienna route would take just 8 minutes at full speed, while a Bratislava-to-Budapest route would take 10 minutes.

Hyperloop previously in the Archinect news:

Vienna holds top position as world's nicest city for business professionals

2016-02-29T14:08:00-05:00

Vienna has once more been named the city with the best quality of life for business professionals by Mercer Consulting, the world’s biggest human resources company. It headed a top 10 dominated by neighbouring cities in Germany and Switzerland, together with Auckland (3), Vancouver (5) and Sydney (10). The survey is intended to give multinational companies a reference point when deciding how to compensate staff for postings.

According to the Mercer report, the world's most desirable cities for business professionals to relocate to are:

Vienna, Austria
Zurich, Switzerland
Auckland, New Zealand
Munich, Germany
Vancouver, Canada
Dusseldorf, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
Geneva, Switzerland
Copenhagen, Denmark
Sydney, Australia

"Problems with crime placed most American cities below that level, with the exception of San Francisco (28), Boston (34) and Honolulu (35). The most dangerous city in the US was Detroit (70), which is still recovering from the trauma of de-industrialisation."

Vienna plan world's tallest wooden skyscraper

2015-03-02T16:20:00-05:00

A wooden skyscraper that Austrian architects say will be the tallest of its kind in the world is to be built in Vienna next year. The 84-metre (276ft) HoHo project in the Seestadt Aspern area, one of Europe’s largest urban development sites, will house a hotel, apartments, restaurant, wellness centre and offices, and is expected to cost about €60m (£44m).

Designed by Rüdiger Lainer and Partner, the skyscraper would consist of 76% wood. The material choice, according to project developer Caroline Palfy of Kerbler, is largely ecological. While wood requires hewing down trees, its net environmental impact is far lower than concrete: construction would produce 2,800 tonnes less of CO2 emissions than an equivalent-sized concrete structure.

Of course, there's a reason why our cities don't tend to be populated by wooden towers. And the Viennese fire service has already expressed concern over the designs. But, with measures including "a more fail-safe sprinkler system," the building will likely pass muster.

An image of what the interiors could look like. Credit: Rüdiger Lainer and Partner via the Guardian

For others, criticism of the proposed skyscraper center around its height. Politicians and other civically-engaged Austrians have expressed concern that the tower will not fit into the historic city's skyline.

More generally, there's been a ...

Another big concrete panel falls off Zaha Hadid-designed library

2015-01-05T17:15:00-05:00

It keeps raining fiber-reinforced concrete at Vienna's latest educational facility: A large concrete facade panel weighing 80 kilograms (176 pounds) came crashing down from the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Library and Learning Center at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, reports Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

According to the source, this has not been the first incident of failing cladding elements at the award-winning building, which opened only a little over a year ago: In July of 2014, another concrete panel measuring 1.2 by 2.5 meters had fallen off the structure. The fault of the first case was blamed on "assembly error" by the contractor and eventually repaired. An independent consultant will now investigate the second event and publish the result by Thursday.

Luckily nobody was injured in both incidents, however the school has now cordoned off the area around the building and allows students to enter only through the side entrance of the Library Cafe.

Winner of "Adolf Loos: A Private Portrait" and "Escape Home: Rebuilding a Life After the Anschluss"

2014-07-09T18:28:00-04:00

We have our book giveaway winner for Adolf Loos, A Private Portrait and Escape Home, Rebuilding a Life After the Anschluss! The two memoirs were each written by family members of Austrian architect Adolf Loos.

Adolf Loos, A Private Portrait is the first English translation of the 140-page biography written by Adolf's last wife Claire Beck Loos, who wrote it to help pay for her husband's tombstone.

Escape Home shares the story of Vienna-born architectural designer and Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice Charles Paterson, who was the nephew of Claire Loos. Charles co-wrote the family memoir with his daughter Carrie Paterson.

Our lucky winner of these two great titles is Roy P. from Los Angeles, CA. Congrats!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

More details about the books here.

Win two memoirs from Adolf Loos' family

2014-06-27T18:56:00-04:00

Time for another book giveaway! We've got two great titles from DoppelHouse Press. The first is the first English edition of Adolf Loos, A Private Portrait by Claire Beck Loos, who was the last wife of Austrian modern architect Adolf Loos. The 140-page biography was originally published in German in 1936 to help pay for Loos' tombstone.

The second title is Escape Home, Rebuilding a Life After the Anschluss, a memoir about Vienna-born architectural designer and Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice Charles Paterson, who was the nephew of Claire Loos. Charles co-wrote the family memoir with his daughter Carrie Paterson.

For a chance to win both titles, fill out this survey by Wednesday, July 2nd. Two winners will be selected at random. Good luck!

Read on for more about each book:

Adolf Loos, A Private Portrait

"Lively and often humorous vignettes provide 'Snapshots' of the last years of Loos’ life (1929-1933), and reveal the personality and philosophy that helped shape Modern architecture in Vienn...

MAK in Vienna plans major show on architect Hans Hollein

2014-05-01T14:23:00-04:00

What had been planned by the MAK in Vienna as a major retrospective of Austrian architect Hans Hollein will now also serve as a posthumous tribute. Hollein died last week, less than a month after celebrating his 80th birthday. Curated by Wilfried Kuhn and Marlies Wirth and entitled simply "Hollein," the exhibition will run June 25 through Oct. 5.

In memoriam: Pritzker winner Hans Hollein dies at age 80

2014-04-24T17:34:00-04:00

Austrian architect and designer Hans Hollein, a winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize whose work ranged from big museums through tiny shops to furniture and sunglasses, has died. He was 80. [...] He won the 1985 Pritzker Prize for his work, which often included touches of fancy, such as bronze-clad palm trees in a Vienna travel agency.

RIP Hans Hollein (1934 - 2014), independent architect, artist and professor.

From 1976-2002, Hollein served as a professor at the University of Applied Art in Vienna, where he was also Dean of the Architecture department. He also held professorships at Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California, Los Angeles, and Ohio State University. According to Dorothea Apovnik, a spokeswoman for Hollein's family, he died in Vienna after a long illness.

The following is a selection of Hollein's work, including his Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main and Haas-Haus in Vienna.

Additional images of Hollein's earlier work are available here.

Donna Sink has begun a thread in the forum honoring Hollein, discussing his life and work.

Parliament-themed Austrian Pavilion revealed for 2014 Venice Biennale

2014-03-18T19:39:00-04:00

Power to the people is the driving force behind the Austrian Pavilion for the upcoming 2014 Venice Biennale. The pavilion will include an exhibition that explores the concept of parliament and its architectural influence on the world's more than 200 national parliament monuments.

The pavilion was designed by a collective team including Commissioner Dr. Christian Kühn, Harald Trapp, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Auböck + Kárász Landscape Architects, Kollektiv/Rauschen, and the Vienna University of Technology - Institute of Architecture and Design.

Here's a glimpse of the models in the exhibition:

Find out more on Bustler.

Get Lectured: University of Applied Arts, Vienna Fall '13

2013-11-26T13:02:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2013

"Get Lectured" is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series--along with their snazzy posters--for the current season. Although the fall term is about to wrap up, we'll still post some select posters and lecture series worth checking out.

Our featured poster this time comes from the University of Applied Arts, Vienna - Institute of Architecture.

Here's a summary of the Sliver Lecture Series '13-'14 - Digital Craft:

"Advanced fabrication technologies, once dominated by other disciplines, are now not only a major component in architectural schools and related research labs around the world, but have now become an integral part of a contemporary architectural practice. In this lecture series we want to emphasize our attention and curiosity for formal engineering challenges. We invited practitioners, engineers, theoreticians, and artists who, embedded in their networks, meander between different disc...

6 POINTS FOR A “NEUE ANGEWANDTE” by Wolfgang Tschapeller

2012-03-01T18:35:00-05:00

Viennese architectural firm Wolfgang Tschapeller ZT GmbH has won the First Prize in an international competition that seeks to overhaul the campus of the Angewandte, a group of buildings that house the University of Applied Arts, as well as the Museum for Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria. Tschapeller's winning entry, together with fourteen finalist submissions, will be on view in an exhibition at the Museum for Applied Arts from March 9 through 25.

Winning Entry for EUROPAN 11 Vienna, Austria

2011-12-15T13:51:35-05:00

The winners for the EUROPAN 11 challenge for Vienna, Austria were announced just last night, and the first prize, by unanimous vote, went to the urban design proposal of Dreiecksplatz (Triangle Square) by an international team comprising Artur Borejszo (PL, Architect), Leena Cho (US, Landscape Architect), Jason Hilgefort (US, Architect & Urbanist), and Andreas Karavanas (GR, Architect & Urbanist).