New housing typologies for commuter regions in northern Burgenland, Austria

Master design / ideas competition for architecture students at the Vienna University of Technology, 2011

Competition and exhibition sponsored by Neue Eisenstädter Gemeinnützige Bau-, Wohn- und Siedlungsgesellschaft m.b.H.

Wild growth in nature is becoming less and less common, but is increasing in advancing civilization. Around historic core cities, a patchwork of urban and landscape fields is emerging, growing into new types of urban cultural landscapes. Despite the disadvantages in increased individual traffic and land consumption, many people live in the rural regions around the core cities. What alternatives are there to single-family homes? Why might future rural commuters be better off living in a denser form of housing than in the usual Styrofoam houses? Strategic answers were sought to the unchecked urban sprawl and the social uprooting of commuter families. Residential prototypes were developed with approx. 12 residential units, which can be multiplied, react to different external parameters, and provoke new tendencies of living in the countryside.

Future: Living in the Countryside?

Photo: © Michael Wallraff