Climate-resilient retrofitting of existing municipal housing in Vienna

Since 2019, the research initiative Retrofit Wien, a collaboration between PlanSinn (Wolfgang Gerlich), and Department of Urban Design, TU Wien (Andreas Hofer) and MIA (Andrea Überbacher), works on the sustainable transformation of existing urban areas. With respect to this, the term “retrofitting” does not only refer to the retrofitting of a single or several buildings, but includes the upgrading and sustainable transformation of surrounding urban space, open space and the upgrade of social and ecological infrastructures. The primary aim of the initiative is an in-depth urban planning analysis of Vienna’s post-war modernist municipal housing neighborhoods. In small scale research projects and in research-led teaching at TU Wien, Department of Urban Design (Forschungsbereich Städtebau), trend-setting suggestions for architectural, ecological and social transformation are developed to develop a circular and climate adaptive city. The designs and solutions are developed together with students and with strong support of key-stakeholders of the local and strategic level.

Selection of projects:

Urban Design Studio „Retrofit Gemeindebau 3.0“ (2023/2024, currently on-going)

Based on four selected locations, ideas are being developed for the retrofitting and climate-adaptive and sustainable modernisation of existing municipal housing in Vienna’s Brigittenau district Lecturer: Andreas Hofer, Wolfgang Gerlich, Andreas Überbacher.

Further Informations:

https://tiss.tuwien.ac.at/course/courseDetails.xhtml?dswid=9722&dsrid=157&courseNr=260841&semester=2023W

Lecture „Retrofit_Vienna: Nachrüstung von Bestandsquartieren – Kreislaufwirtschaft im Städtebau“ (Überbacher, Hofer, Gerlich), Workshop Kreislaufwirtschafts-Scan Muthgasse, 2023

Urban Design Studio “Retrofit_20B_Lände NordWest” (2021/2022)

TU Wien Forschungsbereich Städtebau. Lecturer: Andreas Hofer, Andrea Überbacher, Wolfgang Gerlich. Focus on climate adaptation, biodiversity, energy, spatial justice. With friendly support of 14 Viennese institutions and key stakeholders. Project results available under: https://retrofit.bestewebsite.at

Lecture „Retrofit_LABsVienna: Ressourcenschonende Nachrüstung von städtischen Wohnquartieren“ (Überbacher, Hofer, Gerlich), Blickpunkt Forschung Kreislaufwirtschaft, TU Wien, TheSky, 2021.

Research project: “Retrofit_LABsVienna: Digitales Online Modul” (2020/2021), funded by the city goverment Vienna, MA7.

The Research project tries to develope specific fields of action, requirements and starting points within a digital online dialogue module, to achieve a trans- and interdisciplinary process design for the transformation and retrofitting of municipal housing districts in Vienna. This was developed together with local knowledge carriers, including 14 Viennese institutions and key stakeholders. Team: Andreas Überbacher, Andreas Hofer, Wolfgang Gerlich. Institutional setting research project: Forschungsbereich Städtebau TU Wien.