DEVELOPMENT AREA
1,8 ha (site 1) , 8 ha (site 2)

INTERVENTION AREA
1,4 ha (site1), about 0,8 ha (site 2 / parking area)

TOPIC
Two poles of extreme difference – an inner urban area and a virgin landscape – are amongst the last land reserves for the future growth of the city. Both developments have to reflect the limited resources of land available for construction.
The inner urban area is about conversion of programs and delicate fill-ins. It deals with an abandoned factory and the void of the central parking area whose adjacent post office and cinema have to be integrated. Whereas site 2 with its unique virgin landscape demands for a visionary extension strategy over a long term.

CONURBATION
Waidhofen is located in the cultural-historic region of the “Eisenstrasse”. The valley of the river Ybbs and the bordering hills strongly limit the areas available for construction. Against the backdrop of a migration from the “South-alpine Hinterland” towards the sprawl area along the East-West traffic routes Waidhofen is not shrinking. Internationally renowned enterprises as well as modernized steel production underline Waidhofen’s productivity which also is present in the extraordinary commitment for contemporary architecture. The strengthening of the economy by hi-tech developments is a main focus for the future growth.

SITE 1 – Inner-urban development / SITE 2 – city extension
Site 1
A parking area is the last large inner urban void to be developed. It is framed by the post office, the cinema, the business school, an innovation centre, private enterprises and one family houses in the east. The “bene” factory (5 minutes walk from the parking area) is a landmark across the river with an alien scale. Its location marks a decisive transition to the still unbuilt land which borders the wooden hills.
Site 2
Located above the valley, in midst a rural setting the site still lacks urban infrastructures. It is very close to the train station/industrial strip and provides an incredible potential for a new development including the organization of basic infrastructure.

PROGRAM
Site 1
The parking space shall be converted into a mixed use complex including a shopping centre with offices and different forms of housing. It also integrates the adjacent post office and cinema. The factory’s program: a university of applied science could attract start-ups focussing on preproduction management (rapid prototyping). Housing can be developed on upper levels. Together with the study area (students’ housing) a new “Campus” for Waidhofen could emerge.
Site 2
Urban scale: a long term strategy shall provide variability and flexibility concerning the ratio of the different uses (housing and commercial uses/small to medium scale). The landscape has to be integrated as a programmatic tool. Architectural intervention: a parking-place for 300 cars in the hills above an existing technology park.

ISSUES

social/functional
Site 1:
Waidhofen’s “central urbanity” shall be enhanced by supplementing and animating existing urban facilities. A productive polarization of uses between factory and parking area includes also a careful development of infrastructure, especially traffic organization.
Site 2:
The specific role of the site seen in the network and structure of the overall city

sensitive
Site 1: the relation to the inner-urban fabric with its conflicts of scale.
Site 2: the integration of the topography and landscape into the future development.

sustainability
Site 1:
The interrelation between the factory’s and the parking area’s development should focus on the deliberate scenario of programs in order to inject a new dynamics in the inner urban area.
Site 2:
How to redefine the relation between nature and city and at the same time to consider the pressure on density due to scarcity of available land?