Believe in Urban “Miracles”!
The expectations for the new Campus for Vienna’s University of Economics and Business went beyond merely putting together an ensemble of new constructions concentrated in one plot. Reinventing the educational landscape was the first step towards, from the architectural standpoint, encouraging a new multicultural and cosmopolitan substructure. As the director of the Masterplan, I had the job of deciding the rules of the game in what constituted a fascinating symbiosis between the highest level of designed architecture and the highest ecological standards. Therefore, internationally renowned architecture and award of a Green Building certificate were the “sine qua non” conditions for the development of the integral Masterplan, for an area in which it was hoped that a change in paradigms would be created both for students as well as educators and even neighbors in the surrounding areas. I am referring to a place where real human communication could take place in harmony with the environment, leaving its mark on everyday life, and where the goal was for learning and research at the campus to be much more than just an obligatory exercise. It is for these reasons that we created multiple discovery paths and meeting squares within the University Park for the purpose of fostering everyday academic life.
Working together as a team with Vasko & Partners Engineers, who were co-responsible for the Executive Project, we had to resolve the issue of how to preserve radically different kinds of architecture as well as integrating educational concepts despite having a moderate budget. Intensive teamwork undertaken with various groups from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) as well as with the National Real Estate Company (whose German initials are BIG.), allowed us as project designers to achieve a harmonization of the various innovative architectonic proposals submitted by internationally renowned superstars whilst incorporating the wishes of the WU academic community.
Creating an awareness of the fact that the almost 30.000 guests could improve a neighborhood of 100.000 inhabitants was the objective of the intense joint work undertaken with the city of Vienna and the project team, as well as with all of the municipalities involved. As an urbanist, I am convinced that the complementary integration of several small steps taken in public administration as well as within the University created synergies which threw a spotlight on Prater Park as well as the Leopoldstadt district which allowed for the rise of new neighborhood cohesion and participatory activities.
Dr. Mag.Arch.Arq.Laura P. Spinadel, BUSarchitektur
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