Townhouse in Vienna by feld72 Architects
In Margareten, the 5th municipal district of Vienna, a gap that stood vacant for years was filled by feld72 Architects. The new build balances the need for the redensification of the city centre with the sensitive preservation of historic buildings. The eye-catching facade of the Straussengasse site is given a sense of lightness and spatial depth by a glass buffer zone.
In the spirit of sustainable urban regeneration, numerous buildings have recently been renovated to a high standard or supplemented contemporary new builds in Vienna’s 5th municipal district, Margareten. This is also the case in Straussengasse 14, which stood vacant for decades – occupied only by a low half-timbered house on the street side and a workshop building in the courtyard.
feld72 responded to the challenge of city centre densification with a seven-storey new build, which comprises thirteen flats, two retail spaces and two office floors. Each full floor offers three residential units with a protruding wintergarden as a climate buffer facing onto Straussengasse. These can be flexibly opened and closed, thanks to the floor-length sliding elements of the Solarlux Proline S Mega system. They are placed behind a railing made of fine-mesh expanded metal, in front of which a textile curtain made of semi-transparent metal fabric provides movable visibility and sun protection. This enables residents to individually regulate light, indoor climate and privacy. "This design encourages the residents to actively determine their own comfort zone – be it brighter or darker, cooler or warmer, airier or more sheltered," says Peter Zoderer of feld72, describing the design concept.
Sliding system for highest demands
The flexible opening and closing of balcony glazing on high floors is often a structural challenge, especially for flush-mounted façades. This is where the all-glass Proline S Mega sliding system from Solarlux comes into its own: it meets the highest requirements for transparency, structural integrity and design, while providing reliable protection against noise, wind and weather.
The laterally frameless glass panes are fixed at the top and bottom in narrow aluminium profiles, which ensures uniform load transfer and high stability. This design, which includes an integrated anti-lift and anti-drop device, meets all the safety-relevant requirements.
Depending on the width of the apartment, the sliding systems in the Viennese townhouse consist of either four or six elements with a height of 2576 mm and a width of up to 1157 mm. Two or three elements can be moved to the left and right on flat floor tracks to spaciously open up the facade. Sealed-bearing stainless steel carriages with low-maintenance rollers ensure quiet and effortless operation.
