Voltastrasse | Stefan Forster

This residential development on Voltastrasse – the result of a selection process won in autumn 2001 – is reminiscent of the large social housing blocks seen in Vienna. Shaped like an elongated “U”, the four- to six-floor complex traces almost the entire outer line of this city block, clearly separating the public space of the street from the private inner courtyard. In the corporeality of the clinker façade, contrasted here with slim railings, there is also a nod to the now gradually disappearing factory buildings of the local area. Details such as the vertical-format windows, generous loggias and the raised ground floor apartments lend an unexpected sophistication to this subsidized housing project. The restrained sculptural effect comes from the distinctive deep-set windows, the incised line of the roof and a few carefully placed projections and recesses on the façade. With only 15 apartments per stairwell and three apartments per floor, the development retains a modest, more friendly scale.