“Aspern – Seestadt” urban development area Vienna, Austria

Various issues crop up, as has often been seen in the past, in finding the right method for constructing new urban districts. Far too often, problem neighbourhoods are created with higher rates of criminality and consequently a poor quality of life. Hardly better is the creation of pure dormitory towns which are like ghost towns during the day. Many city administrations throughout the world are faced with the chal- lenge of preventing such negative developments. The city of Vienna has for these reasons chosen a new path in urban development. A town within the city is being built with large open public spaces and short distances for its inhabitants. The buildings have between 5 to 8 storeys with local supplies at ground floor level. This urban development is particularly characterised by a mixture of uses for the buildings. The other main emphasis is on sustainability – Smart City is the buzzword – the utilisation of passive house standards for buildings as well as afford- ability and social sustainability. One part of the “Seestadt” buildings has been erected using a construction method with precast concrete components. Building with precast features, amongst other things, short construction times, just-in-time site logistics as well as low noise and dust pollution. The method is ideal for implementing big projects. In the case of Seestadt, another positive aspect concerning trans- porting the precast can be added to this. Railway tracks run to the construction site and Mischek Systembau, the firm erecting the precast buildings, also possesses a railway connection. This makes it possible to arrange transport in a very sustainable way.

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