Atelier Thomas Pucher's winning District Two Plus proposal in Vienna

Atelier Thomas Pucher from Austria recently won the Viertel Zwei Plus ideas competition, where participants designed proposals for the new expansion of Viertel Zwei — or District Two — in Vienna. The new expansion, titled Viertel Zwei Plus, will add to the existing office and working quarters and will be a new district for work, play, and everyday living.

When the winning team's proposal is complete, the project will have a total floor area of ​​23,500m²  and an urban mix of built and green spaces.

Read more about it below.

Project description:

"The site is the meeting place of different urban moods, green areas and built areas, the historic part and the modern city – it is a dynamic instance of the modern patchwork city. The design should accommodate this unique situation and turn it into an exciting architecture."

"Our design loosely arranges round-structured buildings to open countless lines   of sight between the adjacent districts. The result is an urban porosity and design that is a host between the neighbourhoods."

"The round shape of the houses grants each apartment several view directions. Each apartment is a 'Corner Flat' with optimal exposure.  A ring of different terraces such as French balconies, raised beds, terraces and two-story loggias surround the apartments, and maximize the residential quality of the zone."

URBAN POROSITY

"MACRO-NEIGHBORHOODS - Our planning opens countless lines of sight between the adjacent  districts as a way of bringing together the neighbourhoods in a macro sense. The result is a porous urban intervention that acts as a moderator or host between the neighbourhoods.

MICRO-NEIGHBORHOODS - The surrounding sites are diverse and consistently pleasant. The  round shape of the buildings have a small ground floor area, no sharp angles interrupts the sightlines, and they aggregate as a permeable block. This creates not only a unique form, but also an atmosphere that actively   interplays with the surrounding districts and neighbourhoods."

STRUCTURE:

"BELVEDERE - From each of the houses one has views in all directions, and the diversity of the surroundings gets incorporated into the interior of the district.

EXTROVERTED - The round shape of the houses grants each apartment multiple viewing angles. Each apartment is a 'Corner Flat' with optimal exposure.

INTROVERTED - The encircling balconies form intimate, protected niches. They are a buffer zone that smoothly transitions interior life with exterior life but with control and privacy.

FLIPPER - The free space between the buildings is a semi-public space for children, residents and visitors. It is a place without predetermined axes and where various attractions scatter the landscape between the houses, and that invites you almost to explore the area."

SUPERPOSITION

"A GREEN RIVERA STACKED - The Prater is one of city’s natural showpieces. It flows through our site, but the number of trees becomes less dense. Our buildings are nestled in among the trees like beautiful stones in this Green River.

SOCIO-NEURAL STRUCTURE - The majority of the site is left as clean field conditions with only a few defined paths. It permits spontaneous paths as people follow their own inclinations. As undefined paths begin to emerge over time, they interface with the defined paths to map out the real network and connections, the 'socio-neural' structure, of the different neighbourhoods.

A STACKED LANDSCAPE - The individual houses must be understood as superimposed villas.  Each apartment has surrounding terraces that offer ample space for people to make it completely their own unit and plant their own greenery. Along with the effect of the corner-unit, the apartment is felt as a house in the park."

BUILDING FORM

"SFUMATO - Fixed positioned facades are combined with the round and shifting terraces, and be––gin to blur the defined   outlines of the buildings with a “sfumato” effect.

POCKET PARADISE - A ring of different terraces such as French balconies, raised beds, terraces and two-story loggias surround the   apartments, and maximizes the residential quality of the zone.

ENHANCED VIEWS - The solid balcony balustrade is lowered to be a 45cm band, with the additional height for a guard rail achieved by a 1m hand rail. This allows for unobstructed views of the landscape while sitting."

Project details:

Year: 2014 - 2016
Area: 23.500 m²
Team: Thomas Pucher, Erich Ranegger, Robert Lamprecht, Marko Acimovic, Nemanja Kocic, Alberto Blanco- Vincente, Patrick Hemetsberger, Hannes Stöffler, Dominik Zach, Monika Kowaluk.
Project Leader: Robert Lamprecht
Renderings: Lukas Gać
Client: IC Projektentwicklung

More project images in the gallery below.