Linz Winter Harbour – Living on the Danube

Originally, the Linz winter harbour competition concerned large areas of mixed use along the Danube and on an elongated spit of land parallel to the bank. After several phases of revision, only parts of the winning project remained to be carried out, but the idea of the design and the approach in terms of urban development are still clearly recognisable and comprehensible: between the Danube and the existing Tech-Center, four large – two L-shaped, one point-shaped, and one U-shaped – buildings are erected, their positioning to and among each other creating generous urban spaces corresponding to the existing development. Their sculptural design is expected to ensure a high level of recognisability and identification. The buildings stand upon a slab of differentiated shaping, a “deck” with garage spaces but also public uses such as shops and catering facilities below. By means of folds, ramps and a planting concept that continues on the façade of the office building, public and semi-public spaces of urban ambience are created, that enhance the surroundings of both residents and the office workers in the westernmost building, forging various links to the quays and the Danube. The key parameters for the alignment of the flats in the three eastern buildings are good lighting conditions and view, which is why all are accessed by short exterior corridors, each extending the whole depth of the building and thus ensuring lighting on both sides and cross-ventilation.
All façades are designed to the same standard, including the “fifth façades” of the roofs, with terraces cut in for the topmost flats. Only the office building facing the motorway in the south has a double façade for reasons of noise and wind protection. The flats also have a combination of balconies and recessed balconies, one behind the other, each separated by a sliding glass panel, thus allowing the residents to react individually in all seasons to the extreme climate situation above the water. Large timber rafts moored to the quays complete the range of outdoor facilities, allowing residents to experience this special location hands-on.