The Urban Living Lab Circular Economy in Construction Vienna, commissioned by the Municipal Department of Construction and Technology, Resource Conservation and Sustainability Unit of the City of Vienna, is entering the next project phase.
On March 18, 2025, the kick-off for the research phase of the Urban Living Lab Circular Construction Vienna took place. Together with around 70 students, their lecturers, and stakeholders from the circular economy community, we were able to organize an afternoon of introduction, co-creation, and networking in the former workshopspaces at Vienna’s Nordwestbahnhof station.
During the research phase, key questions from the previous practical check workshops are addressed in an academic context and examined experimentally. In collaboration with the Vienna University of Technology and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, students develop innovative designs, creative ideas, and relevant research perspectives for a sustainable, circular transformation of the construction industry as part of their semester projects. The results are presented publicly and serve as impetus for further development steps.
Students and their lecturers presented their plans for the 2025 academic summer semester at the event. Stakeholders from the circular economy community were also invited to attend the presentation of the academic projects.
As part of university courses, student groups will examine various aspects of the circular economy in construction until the end of June 2025. The focus will be on issues relating to resource use, the transformation of existing buildings, and the social dimension of circular construction.
The mid-term presentation will take place on May 6, 2025, and the presentation of the final results is scheduled for June 24, 2025.
MIA GmbH was commissioned by the City of Vienna (Magistrate’s Office – Buildings and Technology Division) to develop the concept, methodological content, and implementation of the Urban Living Lab.
The “Urban Living Lab Circular Construction Vienna” project is being carried out as part of the “DoTank Circular City Vienna 2020-2030” program and funded by the City of Vienna’s internal innovation management department, administered by the Department of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Statistics (MA23).
For further information: https://viecycle.wien.gv.at