11_ VinziRast-mittendrin | gaupenraub+/-

NAME

Project title: VinziRast-mittendrin

Recommending party
The project has been submitted by: Ulrike Schartner, gaupenraub+/-

LOCATION
Country: Austria

City: Vienna

Address: Lackierestrasse 10 / Ecke Währingerstrase 19, 1090 Wien

AUTHOR

Designer or design team architects:

gaupenraub+/-
Team: Mag.a.arch Ulrike Schartner, FH-Prof.Mag.arch.Alexander Hagner, DI Michaela Ebersdorfer, Laura Hannappel, Amine Khouni

DETAILS  

Plot Area: 450 mq

Gross Area: 1955 mq

Of which residential: 35,5%
Public/communal areas: 33,5 %
Facilities for the public: 25,5%
Business/trade: 0 %
Offices: 5,5 %

Number of residential units: 30
Typology of users: Students, Temporary residents, Other
Total building costs Euros: 0
Building Cost = Total Bulding Cost / Gross Area: 0
Floor area ratio = Gross Area / Plot Area: 0,8
Work started on date: Thursday, 15th March 2012
Work completion date: Tuesday, 24th November 2015

OWNERSHIP 

Promoter: Vinzenzgemeinschaft St. Stephan
Allotment rule: WII 10,5 g 80%
Reduction cost percentage compared to the market value:
– assignement % 0
– rent % 0

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Cost of construction max: Compared to the avarage values of Vienna/Austria the project costs of the candidate project are slightly below average.
Rental/sale cost compared to market price: Compared to the avarage market values of Vienna/Austria the rental costs for the residents are low. The running expenses of VinziRast-mittendrin are cost-covered by income from renting the top floor, restaurant and catering.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Rules of allocation: There are 10 living communities of 3 people in VinziRast-mittendrin. In each living community 1-2 students and 1-2 formerly homeless persons are living together. Rent is split through a specific allocation key, based on the size of the room. Students have to apply and are invited to an interview before they are accepted.
Protection of fragile categories: The living communities and communal areas are for students and formerly homeless persons only. The restaurant is open for all guests with no pressure to consume. The top floor can be rent by everybody.
Involvement of inhabitants in the building process: During the conception regular jour-fix-meetings took place, amongst others with future inhabitants and users.
Community accompaniment in the life of the building: Yes, the jour-fix-meetings are continuing to take place and mediation is offered as well.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Functional mixitè: The communal apartments consist of three small private rooms, sanitary facilities and mini-kitchens, therefore large communal kitchens, living rooms and terraces are added on each floor. In addition, the building contains consultation rooms, a library, a large event space, a restaurant and several workshops and a roof studio with a large roof garden. All spaces invite to interact with each other.
Common spaces and shared living: The workshops are open for other homeless people as a day care center. They can meet professionals in the consultation rooms. The restaurant is open for all guests with no pressure to consume. Their catering service is very popular. The event room on the top floor and the terrace can be rent by everybody.
Techniques and strategies for environmental saving: The old building was not demolished but renovated, carefully rebuilt and one store was added. Building material like the old roof beams or bricks were re-used. Many doors, windows and floors where just cleaned up and repaired. “Objects trouvee” were included to the furniture concept. The ceiling is clad with plywood sheets from old fruit crates, essentially rubbish. Materials where quite cheap but through the work of volunteers they could be upcycled.

Description of the project:

Brief project description
VinziRast-mittendrin is a result of the Vienna Audimax Occupation by students in 2009. The rebuilt and extended Biedermeier building is a pilot project in the area of community living.

Since the opening in spring of 2013, students live together with formerly homeless persons in 10 living communities of 3 people under one roof. The room outlay includes common rooms, the restaurant “mittendrin“,two event venues and several workshops, which give residents as well as other homeless people the opportunity to work together, thereby creating an extra source of income. We like to see it an ambassador against monoculture, that encourages diversity in the city and offers a different perspective to society.

Detailed project description
The building is located centrally, which is ideal in terms of the association’s aim to achieve integration in urban space. It became the location for a joint housing project when industrialist Hans Peter Haselsteiner, whom the students approached for financial support, introduced the Vinzenzgemeinschaft St. Stephan as guarantor for the permanent implementation of the idea.

gaupenraub+/– carefully examined how and where people find shelter to escape the open sky and planned communal apartments for groups of three residents. This consist of sanitary facilities and mini kitchens, adding large communal kitchens, living rooms and terraces on each floor. In addition, the building contains with offices, consultation rooms, as well as a library. In the basement a large event space was constructed, while the ground floor contains a restaurant and several workshops.

New multilevel decks in the courtyard provide horizontal access to the different units. This preserves a maximum amount of usable floor area in the interior, while also shifting personal encounters from the corridor to the outside of the building – a clear advantage, as the heterogeneous mix of the residents led gaupenraub+/– to view such encounters as a potential source of conflict. They widened the decks in front of the lift and communal kitchens to create sizable outdoor seating areas: avoiding or meeting, walking past or communicating are all treated as equally important.

The original roof was taken down and its materials used in fitting-out the interior. A third living floor + a roof studio with a large roof garden replaces the old top.

The designed building in total is structurally and mentally open. Communal areas that are public to different degrees, from the courtyard to the apartment lobby, far exceed in number the spaces for individuals to retreat to.

All the construction was carried out with donated money. Donated materials, voluntary work, freely contributed time and expertise helped to hold the building costs low. Income through catering services, lending the top floor to different events, the rent from the apartments and donations pay back the monthly costs and credit interests. The concept defines this communal housing project as a joint act; architecture can make a difference.