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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... View full entry
Artist, educator, and urban planner Theaster Gates has been awarded the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts by the Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation. The 55,000 Euro ($65,000 USD) prize, awarded every two years by the Republic of Austria and the City... View full entry
Famed Austrian architect, architectural philosopher, academic, and theorist, Wolfgang Tschapeller has been awarded the prestigious European Prize for Architecture. An annual award is given to living architects whose work reflects and exemplifies the "highest ideals of European civilization... View full entry
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. — The Economist
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... View full entry
MVRDV is known for their interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary architecture and architecture's impact on urban issues. Designing innovative structures like the Tianjin Binhai Public Library and Glass Farm MVRDV will discuss their firm's design ethos and approach in an upcoming exhibition... View full entry
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).
— Mercer
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... View full entry
Snøhetta's new Swarovski Manufaktur in Wattens, Austria brings creative design, rapid prototyping, and technical production under one porous roof. To enter the Manufaktur, visitors first walk through a bridge from Campus 311, a new office location in an old factory building that has an interior... View full entry
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... — huffingtonpost.com
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... View full entry
The Austrian branch of Penda reveals a residential high-rise for Tel Aviv defined by arches and cascading terraces. The design responds to the broad display of the city’s Bauhaus era and responds to the city's climate challenges rather than opting for another glass tower. Tel Aviv Arcades... View full entry
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... View full entry
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.
— Mercer
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, AustriaZurich, SwitzerlandAuckland, New ZealandMunich... View full entry
Time flies mercilessly, and another iconic example of contemporary architecture is already celebrating its 10th anniversary: designed by the late Dame Hadid and shortlisted for the 2008 RIBA Stirling Prize, the four stations of Innsbruck’s Nordpark Cable Railway opened to the public in December... View full entry
Konrad Frey was a pioneer who designed and built solar houses based on data and scientific insights. Yet Frey and his work are largely unknown. A project by the architectural theoretician Anselm Wagner aims to change that. — Phys org
"The architectural designs of Konrad Frey are characterized by the fact that their form is a consequence of function. Had he worked in Vienna, had his activities started in the urban context, his architecture would have become a topic of research long ago," says art historian and architectural... View full entry
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. — cityobservatory.org
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. View full entry
A day after the Austrian government said it was planning to tear down the house where Adolf Hitler was born, the interior minister now says it is likely to be redesigned.
The idea is to prevent the property from being a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. [...]
"the new plan comes after members of a government-appointed commission on the future of the house suggested that erasing the house would give the impression Austria was trying to erase its past."
— npr.org
The tricky business of architectural preservation:Plans unveiled to save Aberdeen home of Mitsubishi founderRIP: Bruce Goff's Bavinger House demolishedNo guarantees for historic residential architecture in "real-estate limbo"The price of keeping Britain's 'Downton Abbeys' from crumblingPreserving... View full entry
