CITY OF VIENNA COUNCIL APARTMENT BUILDING
Vienna, 15th District
1987 - 1990
TEXTPHOTOSPLANS
GMMK Foto: Elisabeth Mayr-Keber , Gert M. MAYR-KEBER ZT-GmbH. Wohnbau der Stadt Wien 1987-1990

The determining factors of this project were the position of the site, on a corner facing north, with a long façade to the street and limited possibilities for introducing natural light into the building from the south on the courtyard side, coupled with the fact that the form of the roof of the building next door, plans for which had already been completed, had to be taken over.

A four-element structure was developed containing a total of 18 apartments, each with pared-down ground plans and crosswise of diagonal ventilation. Those facing the courtyard have loggias.

All the different types of apartments have windows with long visual axes. In the case of the apartments facing the courtyard, this is determined by the dimensions of the yard; in the case of those apartments facing the street, by the tapering form of the building and the perspectives provided by the road building line.

In the stairway, the public space of the building which is used by all the residents, the slight angle at which this part of the building stands due to its function is apparent. The access zone thus becomes as it were defined by the geometry that surrounds it. Natural lighting is provided by an unbroken section of glass tile frontage which articulates the façade and together with the lift tower defines the plasticity of the building’s exterior.