Smart flat / reuse of vacant space, Vienna
together with strukteur / Juliane Seidl
For several years the former painter's shop in a typical Viennese old-town street had stood empty.
The ground floor, raised by a few steps, has an impressive ceiling height of 4.5 m once the suspended ceiling was removed. By inserting two raw wood-based boxes and a mezzanine in the entrance area, the usable area was increased from 42m² to 75m² while the generous ceiling heights were preserved in feel; transparent net installations and circulation areas of transparent plastic grating, alternating with scorched OSB exposed ceilings, create an interplay of “cosy” retreats and extra-high spaces.
A “house within a house”: minimalist, economical and borrowing from camper-van construction, it offers space for a family while suggesting possible answers to the pressing questions of vacancy, densification and the shortage of inner-city housing.
