Residential complex at Breitenfurter Strasse 401–413
The residential complex in Breitenfurter Straße 401-413 , also known as " Breitenfurter Fisch ", is located in the south of Vienna in the 23rd district of Liesing . It was built between 1984 and 1987 according to plans by the Luxembourg architect Rob Krier, together with the architect Hedwig Wachberger and the architect Peter Gebhard . An overall concept was developed from three different individual ideas. Between Liesingbach and Breitenfurter Strasse, a post-modern style complex with a fish-shaped floor plan was built that encompasses a total of 324 residential units.
Location description
Most of the facility is located in the Rodaun district of Liesing , but the easternmost parts are already in the centrally located Liesing district . The Breitenfurt fish is not far away from Liesinger Platz. There are numerous infrastructural facilities at this central traffic junction in the south of Vienna.
History / history of origin
The plot of land to be built on was already delimited by the Liesingbach in the south and the Breitenfurter Strasse in the north before construction began, and an aqueduct of the first Viennese spring water pipeline has also crossed this area since 1873. The architects had to respond to these conditions and thus came up with different architectural solutions, which were also based on the traditions of Red Vienna and ultimately also led to a special floor plan.
Building description (architecture)
The entire complex consists of various architectural parts, which together form this special fish-shaped complex. The architects erected a triangular building in the east, which was separated from the rest of the complex by an aqueduct. This is followed by multi-family houses in perimeter block development, a central circular building in the center of the complex and a final rectangular building in the west of the complex. The Breitenfurter Strasse shows references to the traditions of the Viennese municipal housing through its facade color in pink with the turquoise windows, large semi-open and open green areas in the complex and through the design of the complex in perimeter block development. However, it differs greatly from other large residential complexes in Vienna due to the constantly emerging postmodern style elements such as pilasters , columns, cornices and round buildings .
East building
In the triangular east building, which was planned by the architect Robert Krier, two wings converge to form a temple-like rotunda, which, flanked by columns, represents the entrance to the building. This is entirely dedicated to pedagogy and education. In the wing along the Liesingbach there is a kindergarten and in the wing on Breitenfurter Straße there is an educational center. These are the parts that, in contrast to the rest of the system, are located in the Liesing district.
Apartment buildings
The three-storey building, which is closed on the street side, can be entered through large portals and is accessed inside from lined up U-shaped apartment buildings that form small, intimate neighborhoods and open up to a shared courtyard with private gardens and publicly accessible green spaces. These multi-family houses are connected by white, portal-like bridges, which at the same time form walkways and dividing lines between the houses. The sculpture Striding Human Figure by the sculptor Josefine Sokole from 1987 can also be found in an inner courtyard . The so-called perimeter block development , however, was not consistently implemented in a closed construction, but is loosened up by walkways between the U-shaped apartment buildings, over which portal connections extend from Breitenfurter Straße. Above all, the view from the side of the Liesingbach gives a completely different perspective on the complex; because in addition to the risky central building , forward-jumping balconies were designed, which allow a green view over the south of Liesing.
rotunda
The temple-like round building in the center of the complex not only represents the actual entrance, but also takes the position of a central square in the fish-shaped area and was referred to by Robert Krier himself as Camillo-Sitte- Platz. This is designed by the architect with a two-story arcade courtyard on the ground floor, which contrasts with the rest of the building in terms of color. Here you will find a promenade with a shopping area, communal facilities and a day care center. The round arcaded courtyard can be entered through four entrances, all of which have been designed differently. From the point of view of Breitenfurter Straße, a three-aisled portico with access to the central staircase presents itself in front of a rectangular-looking public square, in front of which three different bus routes stop, while on the side of the Liesingbach the rotunda is barely visible through the densely vegetated area. In the center of the rotunda is a large old deciduous tree and facing the main portico on the street side, visitors are greeted by a monumental sculpture by the architect Krier himself. It shows two fragmented male torsos kneeling back to back on a pedestal and bears the title memorial: shadow and light .
Longitudinal rectangular construction
In the narrowest part of the property in the west, Gebhard and Wachberger decided to distance themselves from the block perimeter development and erected a long, rectangular building, a so-called "oblong building". This was placed in the middle of the bottleneck of the property, which leads to significantly more green space from the edge of the building to the property line.
Main work of postmodernism in Vienna
The housing complex is interpreted in the literature in the urban development discourse. In essence, the work was identified as a classic block-like social housing that follows on from the building tradition of Red Vienna. This is particularly evident in the arrangement of the inner courtyards and the apartment buildings. Urban space was divided into public, semi-public and private spaces with nostalgic care. In contrast to this, there are also theses in the literature that classify the residential complex as the main work of postmodernism in Vienna. Reference is made to the neo-traditional use of classical and historical forms of architecture, which were unusual in the history of social housing in Red Vienna. This applies in particular to the coliseum-like arcade courtyard, the rotunda-like connection of the two wings in the east building, as well as columns, pilasters and cornices, which appear again and again in the overall composition.
Florian Urban noted that this new urbanity in the sense of neoclassicism often appeared in combination with conservative political agendas. In turn, it was countered that Robert Krier's approach to the solution contained the classicist elements in order to refer to the Roman-looking aqueduct that runs through the property. As a result, the use of ancient elements would be equivalent to adapting to the relevant building environment. In any case, this residential complex seems to be one of the few in Vienna that combines the architectural elements of the socialist Vienna of the interwar period with stately architecture. The uniformly socialist-looking multi-family houses with the divided semi-public squares are grouped around an imperial temple-like central building, with the space in the central rondeau once again dedicated to art in the socialist tradition.
Web links
- Residential complex at Breitenfurter Strasse 401-413. Wiener Wohnen , accessed on July 22, 2020 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Residential complex at Breitenfurter Strasse 401-413. Wiener Wohnen , accessed on July 22, 2020 .
- ↑ Ursula Kleefisch-Jobst, Rob Krier. A romantic rationalist. Architect and urban planner, in: Ingeborg Flagge (ed.), Vienna 2005.
- ^ Franz Claudius Demblin, Walter Cernek, Innovations for the improvement of the urban environment in Austria, in: Ekistics, 63, Athens 1996, pp. 379-381.
- ^ Urban Florian, New Tenement Style. Residences in the Inner City Since 1970, in: Planning Perspectives: European Spatial Planning, 33, 4, Routledge 2018.
- ^ Ingerid Helsing Almaas, Vienna - A Guide to Contemporary Architecture, Cologne 1996.
Coordinates: 48 ° 8 ′ 19.4 ″ N , 16 ° 16 ′ 16.2 ″ E