Residential building “In the middle of Gablitz”, Gablitz (AT)

Urban design and concept
Three polygonally shaped, crystalline “erratic blocks” define the new residential quarter and form an unmistakable and identity-creating ensemble along the Gablitzbach. The volumes, polished on all sides, result in well-proportioned building fronts and respond appropriately to their surroundings. The building volumes and their façade edges are precisely geometrically aligned with each other and define a spatially framed, clearly legible neighbourhood centre. The roof, as the fifth façade, is designed as a flat-sloping saddle rising towards the square, which emphasises the crystalline character of the buildings and creates attractive attic flats with elevated living areas.

Building and typology
The compactly organised multi-storey buildings are accessed via a central staircase lit from above. A massive access core serves as bracing and also contains the infrastructure for ancillary rooms and sanitary areas. The 1- to 4-room flats, mostly oriented on several sides, are arranged around the solid core and along the well-lit façades. Loggias cut into the building extend the living-dining area to the outside, creating intimacy and weather-protected outdoor areas usable all year round. A circumferential green buffer offers the private gardens on the ground floor visual protection from the semi-public neighbourhood square.

Façade and materiality
The façade consists of a rear-ventilated solid wood construction with dark glazed larch cladding. Protruding solid wood pilaster strips further define the façade and give the buildings a striking façade structure. As a contrast to the dark façade, the interior areas of the incised balconies and terraces are lined with natural-coloured, light larch. In the interiors, the solid wood walls also remain natural.

Client: Österreichische Bundesforste
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller with FCP Fritsch, Chiari & Partner
Competition: 2022 (2. prize)
Area: 7,220 m²
Capacity: 55 apartments, underground parking

Partners
project control + statics: FCP – Fritsch, Chiari & Partner, Vienna / building services: RHM GmbH, Aspang / electrics: TB Eipeldauer und Partner, Traiskirchen / landscape: DnD Landschaftsplanung, Vienna /// renderings: Dietrich | Untertrifaller