Tag: vienna | ArchDaily

Cultural Centers Beyond the Building: 6 Unbuilt Projects Integrating Landscape

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Cultural centers continue to serve as a productive ground for unbuilt architectural exploration, reflecting how architects are rethinking the role of public institutions in relation to landscape, experience, and program hybridity. In this Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected projects bring together a range of proposals that expand the definition of the cultural center beyond a singular building. These works position architecture as a spatial framework that mediates between research, exhibition, retreat, and public life, often embedded within or distributed across natural and urban contexts.

Wohnpark Alterlaa: Vienna’s Monumental Vision for Everyday Life

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:30:00 +0000

On the southern edge of Vienna, a cluster of monumental terraces rises above the cityscape, their stepped balconies cascading with greenery and their rooftops crowned with swimming pools. This is the Wohnpark Alterlaa, one of the most ambitious social housing projects in postwar Europe. Designed by Austrian architect Harry Glück and built between 1973 and 1985, the complex was founded on a provocative principle: municipal housing should not only provide affordable shelter but also offer the pleasures and amenities usually reserved for the wealthy.

Terra Mater Factual Studios / Berger Parkkinen + Architects

Andreas Luco — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Terra Mater Factual Studios is a film production company that has made an international name for itself with nature films. The Austrian-Finnish architects BERGER+PARKKINEN were commissioned to plan the reorganization and expansion of the company's location in Vienna-Hietzing. The new building was recently completed.

Helmut Swiczinsky, Co-Founder of the Coop Himmelb(L)AU, Passes Away at 81

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Helmut Swiczinsky, co-founder of the Viennese architecture collective Coop Himmelb(l)au and a key figure in experimental and deconstructivist architecture, passed away on July 29, 2025, at the age of 81. Born in 1944 in Poznań, Poland, he studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology and the Architectural Association in London.

World’s Most Liveable Cities in 2025: Discover the Cities With the Top Quality of Life

Reyyan Dogan — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released its Global Liveability Index for 2025, assessing 173 cities worldwide across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. This year, Copenhagen has taken the top position, ending Vienna's three-year run as the world's most liveable city. The Danish capital earned high scores in stability, education, and infrastructure, narrowly surpassing Vienna, which saw a decline in its stability rating following recent security incidents. The average global liveability score for 2025 remains steady at 76.1 out of 100, unchanged from 2024. While year-on-year improvements were recorded in healthcare, education, and infrastructure, these were offset by a continued decline in stability, driven by rising geopolitical tensions, civil unrest, and increased security threats in several regions.

Quartiershaus am Stadtbalkon / feld72

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 10 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The building complex consists of the cluster house (feld72) and the cooperative house (transparadiso), which are connected by a commercially used city base zone.

Renovation of 1960s Apartment / Studio Jakob Sellaoui

Valeria Silva — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000

A renovation (2025) of an existing apartment in an apartment complex built in the 1960s in Vienna. The increasing demand for housing at the time led to the continuous construction of housing estates, especially in the outer districts. A characteristic of such buildings is the cheap and quick type of construction.

BWM Architects Explores Musical Heritage For Austria Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 04:30:00 +0000

BWM Designers & Architects has just completed the design for the Austrian Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Titled "Austria. Composing the Future," the pavilion reimagines the expo's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," through a music lens, suggesting a future that is not only designed but also composed. In collaboration with facts and fiction, the pavilion and exhibition embark on a journey through Austria's musical heritage and witness its transition into the future. The 900 square meters pavilion is located between the pavilions of Switzerland and Ukraine in the section "Empowering Lives."

Urban Green Island / OpenFields

Hadir Al Koshta — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The Summerstage, located in Vienna's Museum Quarter, redefines public space as an evolving platform that adapts to both social and climatic conditions. More than just a stage for performances, it is an inclusive urban island, transforming a previously overlooked transit zone into a welcoming and versatile environment. It serves as a resting place for the homeless, a vibrant gathering spot for diverse communities, and a stage for events ranging from Pride performances and DJ sets to philosophical discussions and literary readings. By fostering coexistence, it challenges conventional urban design, encouraging shared experiences across different social groups.

The Austrian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale to Focus on Migration and Affordable Housing

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 07:30:00 +0000

What defines good housing and a good living environment? What political framework is needed to create them? How can we design socially equitable, affordable housing? And what strategies lead to the best results? These are the questions guiding Lorenzo Romito, Sabine Pollak, and Michael Obrist's proposal for the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. The building, designed by Josef Hoffmann and inaugurated in 1934, will become an interactive space with the opening of the "Agency for Better Living", an exhibition dedicated to exploring the new political dimension of the fundamental right to housing. The proposal takes as its starting point a comparison of social housing models in Vienna and Rome, creating a space for sharing ideas on better living for all.

The Most Liveable Cities in the World in 2024: Discover Top Quality of Life Locations Globally

Maria-Cristina Florian — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 06:30:00 +0000

The pursuit of an ideal city has long been a topic of debate among architects and urban planners. In addition to aesthetic identity and cultural heritage, the quality of life in every city represents perhaps the most important marker in this pursuit. This year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist, has released its Global Liveability Index 2024, highlighting the cities that excel in this ongoing quest. For the third consecutive year, Vienna ranked as the most liveable city in the world. European cities Copenhagen, Zurich, and Geneva also rank high, attributed to their smaller populations, which contribute to lower crime rates and less congestion. In comparison with the 2023 ranking, the numbers for North American and Australian cities have been dragged down by the ongoing housing crisis.

Hotel Welt Wien / Baukooperative

Andreas Luco — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Hotel Welt Wien was designed with the aim of bringing the spirit of the "Wiener Werkstätte" into the present. The building, a turn-of-the-century tenement, is located at a prominent corner in Vienna's 12th district. The design emphasizes respecting tradition while incorporating modern design, reinterpreting historical style elements in a contemporary way.

Willi Resetarits Educational Facility / Kronaus Mitterer Architekten ZT GmbH

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Elevating Education: A sustainable campus in Vienna - The northernmost district of Vienna, Floridsdorf, has a new architectural highlight: the educational campus on Hinaysgasse, designed by "Kronaus Mitterer Architekten". The campus was named after the famous Viennese singer Willi Resetarits and it combines kindergarten, elementary school, high school, music school, and a youth center under one roof, impressing with its innovative architecture and sustainable construction.

Straußengasse 14 / feld72

Anna Dumitru — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0000

For decades, an unusual vacant lot in the Straußengasse shaped the cityscape of Vienna. The challenge was to find a suitable solution for the immense pressure of urban densification while appropriately considering the existing structure.

World Tourism Day 2024: 30 Architecture City Guides to Celebrate Urban Fabrics from Around the World

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Tourism, as an urban and architectural phenomenon, has grown to encompass more than just sightseeing; it engages visitors with the social, cultural, and economic narratives that cities tell through their built environments. In celebration of World Tourism Day 2024, this collection of city guides highlights the role of architecture in shaping the urban tourism experience. Today, cities around the world stand as testaments to human ingenuity, historical preservation, and modern innovation. In fact, each city's versatile architecture offers a window into a city's identity, drawing millions of visitors each year who seek to understand how these spaces shape everyday life and collective memory.

Architecture in Focus: 16 Global Events between September and December 2024

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 07:30:00 +0000

As the architectural landscape continues to evolve in response to pressing global challenges, events such as biennales, design weeks, and fairs play an instrumental role in shaping the profession's future. These gatherings facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas, the exploration of sustainable practices, and the fostering of collaboration among architects, designers, and urban planners. They serve not only as platforms for showcasing cutting-edge designs but also as forums for critical dialogue about the built environment's impact on society and the planet.

Contemporary Architecture and the Modern City

Gerhard W. Mayer — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

Nordbahnhof Residential High-Rise / Franz&Sue

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 02:00:00 +0000

On the site of the former North Railway Station in Vienna’s second district, we have realized our first residential high-rise. By 2025, a new urban quarter with six high-rises as defining cornerstones will be completed here. Part of the former industrial wasteland is preserved as a large, urban wilderness – the “Freie Mitte” (Free Centre). In exchange, the residential towers around its perimeter reach metropolitan heights.