Urban modern white apartment building, photographed from ground looking up, with glass balconies against a clear blue sky.
City Lofts Wienerberg
Austria
  • Residential
  • Built

The project forms one component of a large new urban development on the area of Wienerberg, Vienna. The scheme for a site on the west side of this area incorporates living and working spaces within an eleven-storey building on a footprint measuring 44 by 22 metres.

In place of the simple stacking of identical layers, the design uses interlocking floors to create spaces of differing heights. The result is an interlaced wickerwork of levels so complex that eight cross sections are required to explain the structure.

Despite a nominal room height of 2.5 metres, this configuration allows lofty living areas of 3.3 metres to the south as well as lower zones of 2.3 metres to the north, designed for sleep and recreation. The differentiated floor heights are of primary importance for the feasibility of the project, for this innovative design results in an additional storey on the north side of the building.

This design permits a multiplicity of dwelling types from bachelor pads to split level apartments, with glazed office units and studios on the north side. The complex interplay of domestic and working spaces is revealed in the dynamic north façade. By contrast, a continuous ribbon of balconies with balustrades screens the apartments on the south side.

Address
Hertha-Firnberg-Straße 10, A-1100 Vienna

Client competition
1999 [1st prize]

Start of planning
1999

Start of construction
04/2002

Completion
05/2004

Floor area
5.313 m²

Site area
2.378 m²

Site area total
4.670 m²

Developed area
977 m²

Converted space
23.971 m³

Apartments
47 (8 levels)
1 Kindergarten (4 groups)
Workspaces (attributed to apartments)

Building Costs Total

(incl. east component by Cuno Brullmann)
€ 12 Million

Costs/m²
€ 1.152 /m²

Project Team
Arnim Dold, Norbert Müller

Artwork
Norbert Brunner, Vienna, Austria

CONSULTANTS

Structural engineering
DI Javurek und Schweiger, Baden, Austria

HVAC
DI Ernst Haustechnik GesmbH & CO KG,
Olbendorf, Austria

Construction physics
DI Hans J. Dworak
Vienna, Austria

Client
Kallco Bauträger GmbH

Photographer
Hertha Hurnaus, Wien

Front view of a multi-story white apartment building with glass balcony railings in an urban skyline.
Modern white and black apartment building with stacked balconies in an urban setting.
White modern apartment building with cantilevered balconies against blue sky.
Corner of a contemporary glass-clad building with cantilevered glass balconies, set against a clear blue sky.
Two schematic diagrams: left with five stacked thick horizontal bars; right with outlined rectangles containing maze patterns.

elevation facade

Blank white canvas with no objects or discernible action
Diagonal-perspective view of a white modern building facade with irregular, staggered rectangular windows against a blue sky.
Two-level architectural floor plan of a multi-unit building; level 04 shows repeated apartments, level 01 contains open areas and utility rooms.

Floor plan level 01
Floor plan level 04

Two-level floor plan drawings of a multi-unit residential building, showing apartments, stair cores, and corridors.

Floor plan level 05
Floor plan level 06

Two-level floor plans for a multi-unit building, floors 07 and 08, showing apartment layouts with walls, doors, and room labels.

Floor plan level 07
Floor plan level 08


Eight architectural building sections labeled A to H, showing stacked floors and interior staircases.

Sections

Sections - sequence

Two timing diagrams on white background; left shows stacked black lines with red segments, right shows zigzag black traces with a red baseline.

longitudinal-principle

Two vertical stacks of numbered black bars with a red baseline, distances 2,50 m, 3,38 m, and 2,38 m.

travers-principle

Minimalist living room with white walls and cabinetry; pink abstract diptych above, black leather sofa, white coffee table, black chair, red rug.

CITY LOFTS WIENERBERG, Austria, 2004

Minimalist living room with black sofa, red shag rug, white coffee table; large window view of city; person standing by balcony door.
Bright white modern hallway with four-panel abstract artwork on the left; glossy white stairs lead to a sunlit room with toys at the far end.
White modern interior with glass-railed staircase, circular pendant light, and four-panel abstract artwork.
White perforated wall panel with circular holes; silhouettes visible through openings in a modern interior with glass door and wooden floor.
Three-panel magazine spread featuring modern apartment buildings: angular balconies, white high-rise with 'Wohnen wie Tetris', and grayscale interior-photo grid.
Two-page architectural spread of a modern residential building with bold black balconies against blue sky and adjacent diagrams.
Architectural collage showing SKIN magazine covers with geometric red-green patterns, blueprint diagrams, and a blue residential building facade.

Related Projects

Tall contemporary high-rise apartment tower with stacked box balconies; urban plaza with trees and street lamps.

BEL & MAIN Vienna

White apartment building with cantilevered balconies set against a blue sky

Baumkirchen Mitte

Modern beige apartment complex with multiple glass balconies around a green courtyard; paved path and a small playground in the foreground.

Sonnwendviertel

Modern four-story office building with a square lattice concrete facade; outdoor cafe seating, pedestrians, and parked cars on an urban street.

Residental Weinfelden

White modern apartment building with staggered balconies framed by large trees on a sunny urban street.

Steigenteschgasse

Modern hospital complex with a glass-walled elevated block atop a platform; dusk, snow-covered loading yard and trucks.

Beam Donaucity