Walkthrough

1 km2

ANALYSIS

Before analyzing the map of our quadrant in detail, we began everything with a walkthrough. This would give us a primary view into the quadrant. Before focusing on certain aspects, we would need to first identify them. What stuck out the most (perhaps even like a sore thumb) was the large Rheinmetal MAN factory; Vienna’s anchor into the world weapons industry. This was our epicenter. As would be expected from a facility such as that, it was closed off and secluded in privacy. Despite having different facilities and buildings within its ground, for us, looking from the outside in, it was just a large box. While the rest of the warehouses had a more open design, in terms of open gates and less restrictive architecture, they were still closed off.

A strong contributing factor to the Industrialness of the quadrant is a lack of verticality. The main surface area of the quadrant, especially on both sides of Brunner Straße is dominated by manufacturing and warehouse surfaces, which barely reach over 12 meters.

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The Rheinmetall office administration building is by far the tallest building inside the quadrant with a height of approximately 22 meters.

Warehouses - such “No Entry” signs are a common sight in the quadrant.

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A military truck - Rheinmetall doesn‘t take kindly to prying eyes.

In the northern part of the quadrant were the residential areas located, together with narrower streets. The height of the apartments there blocked most sound from the main streets, giving it a kind of isolated feeling. Towards the east side of the quadrant was the

VG hypocenter of the Rheinmetal factory. A remnant from the quadrant’s past – an open field. If we had to select a barrier between the residential and industrial, even though it is not so clear cut, we would select this field. To mention the hidden elephant in the room, prostitution in the area gets its negative reception. The prostitutes gather along Brunner Straße with their white vans, which they use for their work and offer their services. While it is legal and with its laws, it does create an uncomfortable and unsafe atmosphere. Some might say better in an area such as the quadrant, than in a fully residential one and they would have a point. It is a side effect of a desolate nightlife.

We divided the quadrant into three categories for further analysis; main streets, parks, and side streets.

The main streets of the area are Brunner Straße and Perfektstraße. Both are multi-lane streets with many businesses on them. Almost all of these businesses along these two streets have some form of parking lot for their customers – a homage to the auto-dominated cityscape of the quadrant. In terms of street design, both have parking in abundance – on both sides of the street. Trees have also been planted on grassy dividers between the street and the sidewalk.

A white van : a common sight during desolate nights

Empty area - a large barren patch of land at the northeast side of the industrial area.

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WIEN SÜD - one of the few modern apartment complexes within the quadrant.

One of the few dedicated green spaces in the quadrant is the liesing river, which winds its way through the west side of the quadrant. It is a narrow river with elevated banks for flood-control. A seasonal path is present next to the river for pedestrians and cyclists. The riverside does have a quaint feeling of nature, despite being surrounded by an urban landscape. Trees cover both sides and do a good job at masking its urban surroundings.

The side streets of the quadrant are generally within the residential areas, since the large warehouse typology of much of the quadrant doesn’t allow for public side streets. On the Atzgersdorf side of the quadrant, the streets are more urban, in the sense that they do not have much greenery, instead consisting of medium-density 2-3 floor apartments. Towards Erlaa however, the streets are much more green as this area of the quadrant is where most of the single-family dwellings are found.

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Liesing river - The calmness is almost surprising.