Lili by the lake, Seestadt Aspern, Vienna (AT)
New building,
Subsidised housing ,
Neighbourhood Development,
Timber construction
Client: Soulier Real Estate GmbH
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller with White Architekter
Competition: 2023, 2. place
Programme: 250 flats, gastronomy, hotel, youth and family hostel, cultural facilities and commercial space
Visualisation: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Team
Zarina Belousova, Marcel Janisch, Barbora Köver Tothova, Christian Porath, Michael Porath, Michael Rabl, Titus Schürmann, Michael Sohm, Maximilian Weber
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics: Merz Kley & Partner, Dornbirn
Programming: art:phalanx, Vienna
Building services: teamgmi, Vienna
Fire protection: Röhrer Bauphysik, Vienna
Landscape: White Architekter
Vibrant city life by the lake
Seestadt Aspern, a multifunctional new district with affordable housing, offices and a commercial, science, research and education quarter, will be built in Vienna by 2030. Together with the Swedish office White Arkitekter, we have developed a new, mixed-use residential neighbourhood for the H1 construction site: Lili by the lake.
The staggered towers of different heights accentuate the silhouette of the quarter. A 66 metre high tower on Zaha-Hadid-Platz, which is oriented towards the lake, forms the prelude. The two 35 metre high towers mark the Platz der Kulturen and, together with the two lower high points at the northern and southern corners of the quarter, create an exciting ensemble.
The two differently designed, green local squares with attractive recreation and play areas are reserved for residents.
Residential alleyways, squares and a park on the roof
The Square of Cultures forms the centrepiece of the project. It opens up with a generous gesture towards the lake and the cascading staircases of the Campus of Religions. The west side is bustling with city life, with restaurants, cafés and art galleries on the ground floors, while the quieter east side offers numerous green spaces for relaxation.
Two-storey arcades define the base along the lakeside promenade and form a sheltered strolling zone with a Mediterranean flair. A shared office hotel, restaurants, cafés, shops, a fitness studio, studios and art galleries are located on up to four levels at the base. The high points exclusively house flats with exciting views over the lakeside city and its surroundings.
The more private residential areas follow to the north and south of the central Square of Cultures. Smaller residential alleyways and plazas interweave excitingly with the surroundings. The park-like roof areas of the four-storey plinth offer attractive views from the residential towers on top.
The plinth – and thus the transition to the urban space – is made of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements. Robustness, high flexibility, easy dismantling and the analogy to the assembly construction of the timber hybrid building on top are the main reasons for the choice of material.
Timber hybrid with high-contrast façade
The high points are designed as timber-concrete hybrids. Prefabricated ceiling elements made of cross-laminated timber panels span from the stiffening reinforced concrete core to the load-bearing outer walls. The timber remains visible and tangible on the underside of the ceiling.
On the upper floors, the façade is characterised by French windows and balconies of different widths as well as red terracotta façade elements, which change colour depending on the building and the incidence of light. The red tones form an attractive contrast to the cool and light colours of the base. The staggered balconies with alternating transparent and opaque balustrades accentuate the façade and offer generous private open spaces with constantly changing views.
