B.R.I.O. Housing Neues Landgut, Vienna (AT)
New building,
Subsidised housing ,
Timber construction,
Circular construction
Client: Österreichisches Siedlungswerk Gemeinnützige Wohnungs AG
Location: 1100 Vienna, Neues Landgut
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller, PLOV Architekten
Competition: 2021, 1st prize
Construction: 2022 – 2026
Usable floor area: 16,000 m²
Programme: 175 subsidized apartments (incl. 88 SMART apartments), kindergarten, offices, commercial
Photographs: Aldo Amoretti, EMILBLAU / Martin Geyer
Plans: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Team
Marcel Janisch, Katharina Makoru, Mona Nad (project management), Michael Porath, Nikolaus Skorpik, Michael Sohm, Philipp Unger
Technical planning
Structural design, building physics, energy concept: RWT Plus, Vienna
Construction: PORR Group
Timber construction, prefabrication: Rubner Holzbau, Obergrafendorf
Precast concrete elements: Oberndorfer, Gunskirchen
Landscape: simzim – Simma Zimmermann, Vienna
Social sustainability: art:phalanx, Vienna
Mobility concept: Rosinak&Partner, Vienna
Art in architecture: Golif, Vienna
Bright.Robust.Innovative.Open
Southwest of Vienna’s main train station, the mixed-use “Neues Landgut” neighbourhood is being developed on a 9-hectare site. The project will include a total of 1,500 apartments, an educational campus, offices, commercial space, and large green areas.
Under the project name B.R.I.O., an acronym for German words for “colourful, robust, innovative, and open,” we collaborated with PLOV Architects on behalf of ÖSW to create a socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable project comprising 175 subsidised flats built using a timber-frame system. The varied mix of housing comprises 88 SMART flats, family flats, and units with floor plans suitable for shared accommodation. A particular focus is placed on the specific needs of single parents.
The building complex is designed as a modular timber-hybrid structure and has therefore been constructed to be as efficient and sustainable as possible within the economic constraints. The two-storey solid-construction base houses the commercial and community facilities. Above this are the residential floors, which, as a prefabricated timber structure, follow an optimised column grid. The precast concrete slabs are very thin, measuring just 16 centimetres. Together with the timber structure, this demonstrates an economical and environmentally responsible use of materials. The project also illustrates how buildings can be designed in a modular and space-efficient manner despite a complex site layout.
Different flat typologies
Around 16,000 square metres of floor space spread across the elongated buildings with various height, each having a polygonal floor plan. The B.R.I.O. residential module allows for flexible floor plan design and easy adaptation to different requirements – from small 1.5-room flats, through 2-, 3- and 4-room flats, to open-plan, two-storey maisonettes, a wide range of options is offered for small and larger families. Floor-to-ceiling glazing, along with projecting loggias and balconies, extend the living space outwards.
The greening of the two-storey plinth façade and roof surfaces, permeable substrates and a low-tech heating and cooling concept contribute to a project that is exceptionally climate-friendly. The modular construction method ensures that the building complex adheres to a circular architectural approach. It takes ecological considerations into account throughout the entire life cycle: from construction and operation to eventual demolition and the potential reuse of the elements.
Social and environmental use
The mix of subsidised and specially subsidised flats with rents capped at 7.50 euros per square metre, combined with the wide range of flat types, ensures a good social mix. Numerous communal spaces and micro-rooms available to rent at affordable rates as studios or home offices complement the housing provision. Single parents will find suitable support services integrated into the local community. For example, the children’s playroom on the ground floor is located right next to the launderette with a co-working space. There are also childcare and learning support programmes.
Communal kitchens and dining areas next to the roof terraces encourage neighbourly interaction. A Volkshilfe branch offering building management services and a repair café round off the neighbourhood’s amenities.
Areas with extensive greenery, ranging from the inner courtyard to the roof gardens, combined with ground-level green facades, create a vibrant and nature-oriented neighbourhood hub. The roof gardens become a park.
There, deep layers of growing medium also allow for the planting of deep-rooted trees, providing shade, cleaner air and noise protection for the nearby railway tracks. On the railway side, the building complex forms a structural backdrop featuring soundproof glazing and loggias.
Extensive open spaces and communal indoor areas offer numerous opportunities for play, sport and exercise, as well as for informal gatherings of residents and beyond. The Environmental Agency, which is moving into the commercial section, acts as an interface with the city’s residents and makes a valuable contribution to education, promotion, advice and exchange on the topics of the environment, biodiversity and ecology.
Facade design and art in architecture
The B.R.I.O. project focuses on people and their natural environment. Externally, the project features a varied building form, with different heights and staggered external walls that reflect the modular approach. Above the plinth of precast concrete elements, the structural hybrid timber construction is characterised internally by glulam columns with precast concrete slabs and externally by timber façades with horizontal battens.
Identity-defining works by the Viennese artist Golif contribute to the design. Forty black-and-white wall installations depict large-scale figures at various points on the timber façade. On the reinforced concrete core, these are sprayed as graffiti against colourful backgrounds. The faces and features reflect the diversity of the residents and the urban environment, for which the B.R.I.O. project creates an inclusive, open and people-centred framework.
Construction site images
Photos: EMILBLAU / Martin Geyer
Plans: Dietrich Untertrifaller
