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Urban Wildling
Urban Wildling
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Other Projects by smartvoll
Urban Wildling
The „urban wildling“ sees itself as an experiment and counter-design to housing as it is currently built. Although Vienna plays a pioneering role in housing construction, we believe that maintaining the status quo is not enough to address the climatic and demographic challenges of the future.
Because the building industry – as much should be clear by now – has a considerable share of responsibility for climate change: starting with soil sealing, to the enormous sand consumption in cement production and the CO2 emissions in concrete production. The influence of building on the climate will increase in the coming decades if – as demographic studies predict – more and more people live in cities.
Redensification will thus inevitably become necessary and housing close to the city centre will remain in demand. At the same time, it is mainly densely built-up, heavily sealed inner-city areas that suffer from overheating in summer. The development of open spaces is increasingly depriving the city of unsealed areas and green space.
In the dilemma between the desire for good housing for all and the lowest possible climate impact, we should therefore think carefully about what and how we (still) build today. Decisions we make today have a direct impact on the climate of the future. Resources can be conserved, for example, if the lifespan of a building is extended. To make this work in housing, we believe in maximum flexibility of floor plans – because who can say exactly how we will live in 50 years‘ time. So the easier it is to adapt a floor plan to needs, the better. In addition, we are already thinking about future densification. If more living space is needed, we can densify vertically.
Our project should respond to the complex requirements on as many levels as possible: Starting with the building site. Instead of developing a new area, a wasteland in the west of Vienna is being settled. Plants and small creatures have already made themselves at home between the existing railway tracks. Instead of taming this emerging wilderness, we want to give it as much space as possible. The fallow land is also the epitome of urban wilderness, a type of landscape that opens up a space of possibility like no other, and in which not only pioneer plants but also the urban wildling should now settle.
We asked ourselves whether a wasteland can be preserved as a whole and still be densified.
What sounds paradoxical at first glance is made possible by a new type of building with a minimised footprint. The building is elevated by means of a pile, which simultaneously functions as a support structure and supply shaft. The first floor is at a height of a few metres to give nature enough space on the ground and to allow air to circulate under the building. The distance between the ground and the building mass leaves enough space for the urban wilderness. This creates a balance between the redensification and the original ecosystem – the wasteland remains in balance.
How life in cities will be in the future will also depend on how much the climate changes. Climate scenarios for Vienna show an increase in the average temperature of 1.5 degrees in the period from 2021 to 2050 and by a further 3.8 degrees from 2071 to 2100 if we continue as we are doing now. Increased heat episodes and the urban heat island effect will exacerbate the noticeable effects of climate change in the city.
But this is not the only special feature of the building’s structure. The Urban Wildling has no internal circulation, as is usually the case in residential buildings. As a rule, the access corridors and cores form the backbone of a project. In our case, they were torn away from the building and now lie as an exoskeleton on the outer façade. Instead of entering the building via a front door and thus leaving the outside world behind, one moves upwards along the façade. On the modular façade, green elements with porous surfaces – which can serve as habitats and for animals – alternate with large window elements.
Exterior areas leading to the flats are also integrated into the development structure. Instead of a dark corridor, the building is thus given an exterior social interaction space. The residents thus become part of the wilderness and feel that they belong to an entire ecosystem.
In addition to humans, flora and fauna in the city are also struggling with climate change. The loss of biodiversity is closely linked to the climate crisis. Rising temperatures and the loss of habitats are causing immense species loss. This is particularly relevant for urban areas, as biodiversity in the city is often significantly higher than in the surrounding agricultural land. Fertilisers, pesticides and monocultures harm insects and birds. The less over-maintained and the more natural a green space is, the better it is for biodiversity.
But it is not only the animals that would benefit from more urban wilderness. We would also benefit from more green spaces, because they in turn have a positive effect on the urban climate and counteract the urban heat island effect.
The challenges of the future are interconnected and, in our opinion, can only be solved holistically. We see the city as a communal ecosystem consisting of plants, animals and people that can only function sustainably as a cycle.
Because the building industry – as much should be clear by now – has a considerable share of responsibility for climate change: starting with soil sealing, to the enormous sand consumption in cement production and the CO2 emissions in concrete production. The influence of building on the climate will increase in the coming decades if – as demographic studies predict – more and more people live in cities.
Redensification will thus inevitably become necessary and housing close to the city centre will remain in demand. At the same time, it is mainly densely built-up, heavily sealed inner-city areas that suffer from overheating in summer. The development of open spaces is increasingly depriving the city of unsealed areas and green space.
In the dilemma between the desire for good housing for all and the lowest possible climate impact, we should therefore think carefully about what and how we (still) build today. Decisions we make today have a direct impact on the climate of the future. Resources can be conserved, for example, if the lifespan of a building is extended. To make this work in housing, we believe in maximum flexibility of floor plans – because who can say exactly how we will live in 50 years‘ time. So the easier it is to adapt a floor plan to needs, the better. In addition, we are already thinking about future densification. If more living space is needed, we can densify vertically.
Our project should respond to the complex requirements on as many levels as possible: Starting with the building site. Instead of developing a new area, a wasteland in the west of Vienna is being settled. Plants and small creatures have already made themselves at home between the existing railway tracks. Instead of taming this emerging wilderness, we want to give it as much space as possible. The fallow land is also the epitome of urban wilderness, a type of landscape that opens up a space of possibility like no other, and in which not only pioneer plants but also the urban wildling should now settle.
We asked ourselves whether a wasteland can be preserved as a whole and still be densified.
What sounds paradoxical at first glance is made possible by a new type of building with a minimised footprint. The building is elevated by means of a pile, which simultaneously functions as a support structure and supply shaft. The first floor is at a height of a few metres to give nature enough space on the ground and to allow air to circulate under the building. The distance between the ground and the building mass leaves enough space for the urban wilderness. This creates a balance between the redensification and the original ecosystem – the wasteland remains in balance.
How life in cities will be in the future will also depend on how much the climate changes. Climate scenarios for Vienna show an increase in the average temperature of 1.5 degrees in the period from 2021 to 2050 and by a further 3.8 degrees from 2071 to 2100 if we continue as we are doing now. Increased heat episodes and the urban heat island effect will exacerbate the noticeable effects of climate change in the city.
But this is not the only special feature of the building’s structure. The Urban Wildling has no internal circulation, as is usually the case in residential buildings. As a rule, the access corridors and cores form the backbone of a project. In our case, they were torn away from the building and now lie as an exoskeleton on the outer façade. Instead of entering the building via a front door and thus leaving the outside world behind, one moves upwards along the façade. On the modular façade, green elements with porous surfaces – which can serve as habitats and for animals – alternate with large window elements.
Exterior areas leading to the flats are also integrated into the development structure. Instead of a dark corridor, the building is thus given an exterior social interaction space. The residents thus become part of the wilderness and feel that they belong to an entire ecosystem.
In addition to humans, flora and fauna in the city are also struggling with climate change. The loss of biodiversity is closely linked to the climate crisis. Rising temperatures and the loss of habitats are causing immense species loss. This is particularly relevant for urban areas, as biodiversity in the city is often significantly higher than in the surrounding agricultural land. Fertilisers, pesticides and monocultures harm insects and birds. The less over-maintained and the more natural a green space is, the better it is for biodiversity.
But it is not only the animals that would benefit from more urban wilderness. We would also benefit from more green spaces, because they in turn have a positive effect on the urban climate and counteract the urban heat island effect.
The challenges of the future are interconnected and, in our opinion, can only be solved holistically. We see the city as a communal ecosystem consisting of plants, animals and people that can only function sustainably as a cycle.
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