Sargfabrik

Sargfabrik,

village within a city

N u s h rat Ja han Ra n i a S Ba ig

(2008 - 0053) (2008 - 0054)

Excursion Under the sup ervi s i o n o f Joe rg B a umei s ter Ann eta W inte r Term 2011-1 2 Urban p l a nni ng and A r c h i t e c t u ra l De s i g n Germ an U ni versi ty o f Te c h n o l o g y

Ta b l e o f c o n t e n t

History

5

Urban Layout

6

Ty p o l o g y

7

Characteristics

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Conclusion

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Sargfabrik, 1994-1996 Austria.

4

History

Sargfabrik is located in Goldschlagstrasse 169, 1140 Vienna.

In the 80s, J u l i u s M a s c h n e r & S ö h n e , was the largest coffin manufacturer in the region. The building is located within a residential block.

Accommodation was expensive and mainly catered to single childless families. Unsatisfied by the living condition, twenty residents of Sargfabrik (coffin factory) took it upon them to find a housing solution that would be flexible and would satisfy their living needs. After ten years of initiatives by the community, in 1987 an association, “Verein fuer Integrative Lebensgestaltung” (Association of the integration of lifestyles) began the project of Sargfabrik along with BKK architects and the inhabitants. Their aim : -create a housing scheme that would satisfy heterogeneous lifestyles and cultures, people of different age and family structures.

- Flexible housing catering to different activities.

- Ecologically friendly design which would consume minimal energy, usage of solar energy to their benefit.

- Cultural center that would boost community spirit and promote shared services in order to save space.

The old coffin factory 5

Urban layout

Sargfabrik is an example of urban renewal. The area is divided into neighbouhood blocks. Sargfabrik is located in one such block. There is a large graveyard nearby.

Its typology is similar to the integrated living, including people of different ages and lifestyles.

Upon first sight the “Sargfabrik� stands out from its surroundings due to its very shiny orange facade in the midst of the monotonous surrounding buildings.

Although seen from the street it is unsentimental and sober it provides a clear contrast to the mainly grey office blocks and industrial buildings of the 14th district

6

Ty p o l o g y

The housing scheme was designed by a group of young group of architects, B K K - 2 . Communal activity was the main focus of their design and the complete housing scheme revolves around it.

The structure of the coffin factory was not very stable and the architects decided to demolish it completely. The new block in Sargfabrik is a completely new structure with the exception of the chimney. It took ten years to plan and three years to be completed and was finally opened in 1996.

The new building was a multi-storey maisonette building. This allowed the architects to create rooms with various height. Bedrooms were up to 2.25m in height, while the halls were 5m in height. The units are 4.8m wide and each had an individual balcony overlooking the courtyard. The units were placed in rows and are accessed from an external corridor. There are large windows facing southward.

At the entrance of Sargfabrik, arrangement was made for communal an activity that was accessible by the residents and non-residents of Sargfabrik.

The housing units were place inside the block. This created two levels of privacy and outsiders could easily interact with the residents without entering the housing units.

There is a wide choices of apartments for different family arrangements.

ground floor

Plot boundary

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Built up space including entrances to the housing units

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ground floor

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a.Corridoors.

ground floor

d. Public space

ground floor

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b. Balconies

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ground floor

ground floor

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c. green roofs

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e. Total semi-public space

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Diagrams outlining different typologies of acess and public spaces 8

The whole of Sargfabrik has a flat roof with the exception of the facade facing the street, which has a sloped roof in order to achieve visual equity to the rest of the blocks. The roofs were either dotted with solar panels, or vegetation. This was higly ecological and formed a private outdoor space for the families.

The open spaces in Sargfabrik were in the form of courtyards. Each had a communal function that would enable people to interact eg- swimming pool, gardens.

These courtyards were semi-public and could be used by all residents of Sargfabrik.

Open space ground floor

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The materials used in the construction of Sargfabrik was re-inforced concrete and glass. The inner walls could be arranged as per the wish of the resident.

Built-up space Pathways Open space

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1

a

b

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c

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b

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a. communal space (public bath, seminar rooms, theatre, caferestaurants ) b. residential block c. courtyard

ground floor

plan

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1

ground floor

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b

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section 1–1

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c

a. b. c. d.

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section 2–2

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connecting corridoor space split-type housing old chimney balconies

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Characteristics

While walking on the 14th district of Vienna, Sargfabrik is a bright orange building that is hard to miss. Apart from the shiny orange, the outer facade copies the sloped roof and looks homogenous to the rest of the facing facades.

However on the inside the building has a richness of unusual details making both the infrastructure and architecture interesting.

The atmosphere is expressive and rich with large surface fountains splashing. You can hear the merry cries of children and the rustling of old trees. The staircase on the outside gives it a southern European flair. It has narrow pathways and numerous doors leading directly into the open air giving it the impression of a town or village inside the city. It is considered not as dwellings but as an open communication and meeting place that represents the urban life in the future and continues to provide high level of housing satisfaction

12

The project is based primarily on close cooperation between non-profit association composed of residents and the Municipality of Vienna that offered a public subsidy. In 1989 the association purchased and renovated the space. Today they manage it like a retiree.

They have allocated accommodation to its members with 5 year leases in rent controlled lease. It is Austria’s biggest residential and cultural project conceived by the residents themselves.

It represents the objectives of its residents, whose vision is a communal way of life that goes beyond living as an individual. The design and construction of the Sargfabrik was done by the Architectural office BKK-2. It is still organized as a cooperative. The inhabitants do not own their apartments, but have a share in the whole project.

Public bath

Corridoor space 13

To achieve their aim it was registered as a hostel so that many of the regulations in building applicable to housing units do not count. This meant they defined the system as a dorm and therefore could manage to be more cost effective, reduce room sizes and reduce car park from one parking space for each apartment to one car park for every 10 households and also secure public funding. Three of the required parking spaces are used for car sharing and the rest are used by bicycles. The reduction in parking allowed room for many communal services like the swimming area.

Another area where the building codes were creatively maneuvered is strongly illustrated by differing ceiling heights in the apartments. The mandatory requirement is a height of 2.5 meters.

For the bedrooms and bathrooms the ceiling was reduced to 2.26 meters and defined as storage spaces while the living room was increased to 5m to outweigh be calculation and satisfy the law. The reduction in parking allowed room for many communal services like the swimming area. Another area where the building codes were creatively maneuvred is strongly illustrated by differing ceiling heights in the apartments. The mandatory requirement is a height of 2.5 meters. For the bedrooms and bathrooms the ceiling was reduced to 2.26 meters and defined as storage spaces while the living room was increased to 5m to outweigh be calculation and satisfy the law.

Inner courtyard 14

Under one roof they created 73 to 112 apartments, varied spatial sequences and different types of housing and variety of other common uses like the Association office which organizes cultural life of the factory and property management, a function hall for 240 people, a kindergarten, a Laundromat, seminar rooms, a restaurant, a coffee house, guesthouse, a collective kitchen, a jazz house, a library and a Turkish bath with a swimming pool.

Entrance- communcal area 15

Conclusion The Social housing project is not just a social housing model; it is a way of life. A way of life that integrates different lifestyles, ages and social backgrounds, from singles to families.

The apartments all of which overlook the internal courtyard are home to 150 adults and 60 teens and children. It also integrates people with disabilities and other socially excluded groups and energy saving schemes through use of alternate forms of heating and e n e r g y. E a c h a p a r t m e n t a l s o c o n s i s t s of necessary healthcare services, kitchen that open into the living room and a balcony overlooking the internal courtyard. All of this and the luxurious roof garden create a landscape of communication and pleasure. It represents a radical experiment in subsidized housing initiatives.

Green roof 16

Bibliography

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http://www.sargfabrik.at/ (07.09.11)

- http://www.urban-reuse.eu/?pageID=casi_internazionali&cID=sarg (07.09.11) - http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1258911 (07.09.11) - http://blog.net6as.hu/?p=32 (07.09.11) - Google images (07.09.11) - Google earth (07.09.11) - http://www.add-home.eu/docs/FGM_Vienna_Sargfabrik_ADDHOME.pdf (07.09.11) - http://www.taz.de/1/archiv/archiv/?dig=2003%2F08%2F20%2Fa0137 (07.09.11)