Wiener Neustadt: Balancing historic architecture with new demands for urban utility

According to Mayor Klaus Schneeberger, the cities of today need density and vertical expansion

Yesterday, authorities in Wiener Neustadt, a town in Austria, announced the development of a megaproject for housing and education. With a population of around 40,000 people, Wiener Neustadt officials plan to construct a massive 50-metre-high apartment complex featuring 500 apartments, a fully equipped large music school and a campus.

The project will also include green space to raise the quality of life in the new complex dubbed ‘Maximilium am Stadtpark’ and contribute to soil unsealing. According to a statement by the city, the complex will be a conceptual bridge between the urbanised and old city centre and the large city park.

Apart from boosting the local housing market with additional supply, Maximilium am Stadtpark will also help to boost the local cultural and educational scene, while livening up the inner city. City officials claim that work on the new complex will start in 2024.

Integrating urban development and heritage

One of the major issues for the Maximilium am Stadtpark was to balance the architectural style of the complex with its surroundings. This is because it features 500 apartments and a footprint of 55,000 square metres on the ground.

Additionally, the plans called for a 60-metre-tall building, however, city officials decided to scale that down to 50 metres so that the local Wiener Neustadt Cathedral will remain the tallest building in the city.

Moreover, as Mayor Klaus Schneeberger explained in a press statement, it will also feature a music campus that can meet the needs of kids from as early as kindergarten level until the end of their education cycle. The building plan also employs various technologies to keep its energy footprint low, emitting less CO2 and keeping bills for future residents low.

Mayor Schneeberger emphasised that the planned complex needs to be adaptable to urban life, having multiple purposes. He explained that because space is scarce, construction is going vertically instead of laterally. At the same time, soil unsealing is a big issue for the city and this is why instead of concrete, the design calls for green spaces around the complex.