Architect: Jadric Architektur ZT GMBH
Type: Invited Competition
Program: Townhouse with public ground floor area
Year: 2024
Location: St. Pölten, Österreich
Project Team: Mladen Jadric, Nikolaus Punzengruber, Gabriela Del Rosal, Selina Pick, Charlotte Hemmen, Lamia Hadzic
Visualization: Claudio Anderwald
Project
URBAN NETWORK
The 15-minute city thrives on the degree of density and intensity of landmarks and routes in space. The new project on Sparkassenplatz exemplifies the demand for the densification of urban spaces with maximum proximity and compactness. This concept also aims to create a tactile perception of the city. Residents find self-expression through a dialogical experience of the spaces. The planned elements include: pathways, corridors, porosity and transparency of the spaces on the first floor, and a tactile nature of the materials. The color concept and the use of sgraffito patterns (scratched plaster) represent a new interpretation of the traditional architectural elements of the surroundings.
SPATIAL FORM AND SCALE OF THE INTERVENTION
After the demolition of the existing building, a “city repair” is carried out by placing a precisely formulated volume. The building reacts through its scale to the newly designed Sparkassenplatz in the south and to the height and lighting conditions of Grenzgasse in the west. To the north, the shape and greenery of the facade ensure a seamless continuation of the building fronts, to the east the building opens up to the garden pavilion of the Bishop’s Garden. The design of the openings towards Sparkassenplatz prolongues the principle of the “perforated facade” of the diocese building. The combination of deep loggias and French windows appears both serious and playful.
URBAN ECOSYSTEM AND HABITAT
After analyzing which spatial concepts are essential to improve the quality of inner-city living space, a concept of the “Green Neighborhood” was created: divided into three locations: the New Orangery, the “Bel-Vedere” work/shared office and the “Green Salon” in the middle of the square. The new “Orangery” is a multifunctional place for urban gardening, meditation and reading. Newly designed passages and corridors should seamlessly support important connecting directions: the main square, the pedestrian zone and the Bishop’s Garden.
DESIGN OF THE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
The slightly bent front of the building visually directs the view in two important directions: towards the city passage and towards the traffic-calmed Grenzgasse. The sloping roof shape serves to structure and scale the square and creates a gentle and logical connection to the existing building of the diocese.
