Site
Seestadt Aspern, 1220 Vienna
Case Study for a Settlement
09/2009
Site Area
13.350 m²
Gross Built Space
10.700 m2
FAR
0,80
Net Usable Space
8.650 m2 WNFL
Built Footprint
5.220 m2
Project Team
Christian Aulinger, Mark Gilbert;
Dagnija Smilga, Kerstin Fian
Client
KALLCO Bauträgergesellschaft m.b.H.
Visualisation
TC ZT GmbH Wien
Erdgeschoss
Obergeschoss
“mellow_out” is a ground-breaking urban planning strategy for the aspern+ urban development zone of north-east Vienna. This concept for an ad-interim settlement brings living, work and leisure together within a garden-like community setting. Inspired by the effervescence of Japanese cities, where the dynamic of urban evolution means that buildings are often replaced after only a single generation, mellow_out is conceived for 15 years of continuous residential occupation. After this initial period, the settlement can either be easily disassembled to make room for higher density housing blocks, or it can be maintained as an active neighborhood for a more extended period of time. So, although the settlement is optimized for temporary habitation, both the quality of its construction system as well as the precision of its urban-planning insure that it would be able to remain an attractive place to live for many generations.
“mellow_out” uses an innovative system of massive timber construction to achieve these strategic goals. While its modular planning principle reduces building costs and promotes serial production, the system is highly adaptable, and the apartment /atelier units can be flexibly configured to accommodate individual needs and desires.
What results is an informal, cluster-house settlement of moderate urban density. Great attention is paid to the design and function of the urban thresholds between public and private space: verandas, shared garden courtyards and compact yet intensively planted front yards promote social interaction. This unique program for work-live housing is intended to attract pioneering groups of young, mobile and independently employed individuals to aspern+.
