The Gleis 21 building group project in Vienna is a recipient of the Detail Award 2022. Markus Zilker of Einzueins Architektur describes the unconventional participatory planning process for the residential building.
Interview: Sandra Hofmneister
Architecture is often reduced to matters of aesthetics or sustainability; is that a mistake?
Built architecture reflects the processes, organizational structures, and values shared by everyone involved in its planning. That makes it much more complex than some might think. If we implement a project together based on mutual trust, this is also reflected in the result.
Gleis 21 has over 30 residential units. What exactly does participation mean in this project?
It all started with a vision shared by 22 adults – we launched this project with them before we secured the plot of land. We held an initial workshop where we agreed on basic goals and values. The idea was to live with a sense of solidarity inside and outside, build sustainability and foster social encounters, also in the neighbourhood at large. This first phase of the vision is what distinguishes all participatory processes from traditional real estate development. Everything after that attempts to implement common ideas and goals using participatory methods. We then applied jointly to a tender issued by the City of Vienna and the Austrian Federal Railway for a plot of land explicitly targeted at building groups (Baugruppe). Throughout the design and construction process, our vision was the guiding star for everyone involved.
Though it might sound simple at first, it was probably quite a challenge managing all the stakeholders and their different ideas for the design.
All in all, it was a gruelling, exciting, and rewarding process. On the one hand, there was the group as the client. On the other hand, there was a non-profit developer cooperating with the founding group, professionals handling the contracts, etc. We could implement complex, sustainable decisions thanks to intensive and transparent communication.
Moderating such processes is not part of the classic technical expertise of architecture firms.
True; it requires a greatly expanded understanding of the role. Strictly speaking, we had three roles in Gleis 21. Besides classic project planning, we designed the participation processes, and, together with the developer, we handled the project management, including all technical and business issues.
Gleis 21, Vienna, photo: Hertha Hurnaus
Is each floor plan at Gleis 21 different?
In recent years, we have often asked ourselves how individual floor plans should be. At Gleis 21, each apartment is different and designed for its specific users. Our trick with building group projects is to think in terms of simple basic structures and empty halls. Here, we had a 60 × 12 m building with access along an outdoor walkway. Except for the middle zone, the building is column-free, which allows a lot of flexibility for the floor plans. Participation also means individualization, which has both advantages and disadvantages. In our experience, up to 3,000 additional working hours are needed to accompany participatory processes over a project duration of about three years. That’s quite a lot. We could ensure that the project would survive economically through a corresponding contract with the building group.
There are different common areas in the apartment building; can you describe them?
The discussion about commercial and community spaces is an essential part of participatory planning, and it is often more complex than apartment floor plans. Common areas were also a requirement: the competition sold the land at an affordable price but stipulated that the housing development had to give something to the city and neighbourhood in return. So the ground floor and the two sunken courtyards at Gleis 21 have a strong public character; the spaces are welcoming and lively. They include a cultural space plus a café and a music school run by an artist collective. A laundry room, craft workshop, and art studio are available for the residential community. On the roof are a communal kitchen, game room, and library, where the Gleis 21 association has an office, plus a sauna and yoga room.
Was the association founded by the residents?
Yes, it’s a special format in Austria. The association owns the building. It was our client
and purchased the building from the developer. But none of the residents owns their
apartment. The principle is similar to a cooperative, which is based on shared owner-
ship, self-management, and Moderating such processes is not part of the classic technical expertise of architecture firms. True; it requires a greatly expanded understanding of the role. Strictly speaking, we had three roles in Gleis 21. Besides classic project planning, we designed the participation processes, and, together with the developer, we handled the project management, including all technical and business issues.
Is participatory building also a matter of budget?
How much equity did residents have to invest?Most needed equity to join, around € 500 per square metre of floor space. If residents move out, they get that money back. On top of that is a monthly user fee of about € 11 per square metre, which is well below rents on the open housing market. A solidarity fund, financed by the community treasury, provides four apartments for refugees.
Are projects like Gleis 21 a way out of the housing shortage?
Community housing projects can be one solution. But there are even more radical initiatives, like the Mietshäuser Syndikat in Germany. I think we need a lot of answers to the housing question. At its core, it is about taking housing out of the capital market.
Gleis 21 won the Detail Award 2022 – and also received the newly established New European Bauhaus Award. What do prizes mean to your team?I think awards always bring an obligation to be more involved in politics and to take concrete actions. What we are currently accomplishing in architecture is not enough. We must become much more effective if we want comprehensive social and ecological transformation.
Full Version and German language version: DETAIL 12.2022