Co-operative housing
for Vienna's periphery

The project proposes a model for co-operative housing in existing residential areas. The single-family houses in these areas are often under-occupied or vacant, mainly due to ageing residents and rigid floor plans, before they are usually demolished and rebuilt.

The model breaks this cycle by acquiring vacant buildings through a co-operative and replacing them with new buildings on the same footprint. In this way, denser neighbourhoods gradually emerge that offer generous, affordable living and green space close to the city.

Collective gardens and ground floors foster communal activities and enable inclusive living in a green environment. Previously individual plots are thus developing into an uninterrupted green space with differentiated gardens used by all residents.

Buildings are characterised by hollow section columns with installations and by central access cores. As a result, floor plans are highly adaptable and buildings more likely to become long-lived.

Thesis, 2015–16