37 Favorite Spring in Vienna/Austria

Favorite Spring, Quellenstraße 22, 1100 Vienna, Austria
Picture: © Christian Henninger

Favoriten has always been a popular district among migrants because of its central location and low rents. After World War II, much-needed workers flocked to Austria via special agreements, and many of them settled in Favoriten. Many Viennese left Favoriten over the decades and the district was increasingly labeled as a “problem district”. Due to the City of Vienna’s efforts a positive change has already taken place to which architecture also made an important contribution. Through high-quality buildings that strive for a social mix, the area has become more attractive for other segments of the population.

The ambition was to further contribute to this social mixing with the project “Favorite Spring”. The building – which was constructed around 1900 – was completely run down after more than 100 years of neglect. The entire house was renovated from top to bottom whilst taking care of former residents and focusing on the conservation of the historical building. An attic extension of three new floors was added to create highly needed new usable floor space and to ensure densification without consuming more space in an already densely built area. With the addition of the top floors, focus was not only on luxurious penthouse apartments, but also on renovating the core of the entire building and creating affordable apartments for students, families and senior citizens whilst making the visual design concept tangible throughout the building.

An important core theme was to incorporate the large green space, which is located across the street of the property, into the project. However, only one side of the corner building faced the green space, which is why the attic extension was turned towards the park and the sun. This allows for unobstructed views of the greenery and more natural daylight from every apartment on the top floors. High-quality construction materials were used, the façade was newly insulated with ETICS, new windows, doors and central district heating were installed. All measures ensure low energy requirements and resulted in a reduction of heating demand by 81 % and a carbon dioxide (CO2) saving of 65 tons per year.