Zaha Hadid Haus

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Spittelau Viaducts Housing Project by Zaha Hadid Architects, 1994-2006
Spittelauer Lände
Vienna, June 2018

“As part of an initiative undertaken by the City of Vienna to revitalize the Wiener Guertel, a neglected urban hinterland which traditionally marked the ‘dividing line’ between indigenous Viennese and immigrant communities, we designed and constructed the Spittelau Viaducts Housing Project. The development stands at a point where several significant infrastructural elements overlap: The ‘Spittelauer Laende’, one of Vienna’s most important roadways; the Danube Canal, connecting Germany to Hungary, a busy bike path and an unused railway viaduct constructed by Otto Wagner in the 19thcentury. We created a three-part structure, containing apartments, offices and artists’ studios, which effectively weaves like a ribbon through, around and over the arched bays of the disused railway viaduct, which is a protected structure. The new buildings interact with the viaduct in a deliberately playful manner, generating many different exterior and interior spaces and vistas – their impact heightened by the surrounding infrastructure. A number of viaduct arches were converted into bars and restaurants, others transformed to carry a service zone which ultimately melts into the banks of the canal, forming a lively public space. Spittelau Viaducts was conceived to extend Vienna’s social housing provision and as a ‘beacon’ project to attract and inspire further developments in this area. Future plans included the creation of pedestrian and bike connections to the University of Business and Northern Train Station.” (Spittelau Viaducts Housing Project, Zaha Hadid Architects)