PSLA Architekten

Description

As a limited quantitative resource, urban land must be efficiently re-used through qualitative densification. The Neubaugasse townhouse project thus proposes a fundamental reconfiguration of architectural typologies, incorporating the unbuilt as an integral part of the built structure by means of a critical articulation of the entire arsenal of architectural elements. Situated in a narrow courtyard in Vienna’s historic centre, the project is conceived as a hybrid genesis of house and garden. The building is 4.6 metres wide and 24 metres long, divided into a grid of 20 square fields whose spatial manipulation in section results in myriad openings, spatial intersections and terraces, providing daylight, air and panoramic views. The section organises the functions of the house as a series of interlocked spaces rather than rooms with doors. The building has a net area of 165 square metres on 12 levels, and 16 different room heights. South-facing glazing elements were placed flush with the 15-centimetre-thick concrete façade to maximise the usable space inside. The 132-square-metre cascading gardens are conceived as retention roofs, featuring trees, water-retaining plants, lawns, and vertical green spaces, and contributing to a cooling effect on the microclimate of the house and courtyard. The terraces are situated on 11 levels, cascading down from 12 to 3.4 metres, and are connected to the ground-level garden and to one another by a series of straight steel stairs.