LOVE architecture and urbanism

The Doninpark project was developed as an eight-story residential, office and retail building, located in the 22nd district in Vienna, directly behind the “Kagraner Platz” subway stop. In terms of urban planning, this location is characterized be enormous leaps in scale: to the east lies a dense, urban area with extensive infrastructure, while the area to the west has a more suburban feel, with numerous single-family and multi-family dwellings and sports fields.

For this reason, the leap in scale also became the central design idea. The window openings and alcoves, which seem to be almost randomly placed, create a façade that is “scaleless”, just like the surrounding area. This makes it almost impossible for the viewer to capture the true dimensions of the building at first sight and effectively masks the true size and expanse of the building. However, the size and expanse were essentially imposed, since the building exactly meets the requirements of Vienna’s master urban plan. One could thus say that the city of Vienna designed the building, and the building thus displays a kind of radical pragmatism (i.e. one does exactly what one is allowed to do).

The ground floor of the building houses a shopping zone that faces the subway stop, while the first and second floors feature office space and a gym. The third floor upwards is residential quarters. The apartments are oriented towards the east or west and can be accessed via a central aisle. Each residential unit is equipped with a balcony, loggia or alcove. The loggias are on the east side, thereby creating a distance to the street space.

Gross floor area
15.000 m²

Start of planning
January 2010

Start of construction
February 2011

Completion
June 2013

Photography
Jasmin Schuller