Housing Pragerstrasse
Location: Pragerstrasse, Vienna
Principal works: refurbishment, rooftop extension and garden loft
Principal use: mixed housing
Total floor area: 500m2
Year: 2018- ongoing
Status: phase 1 completed, phase 2 ongoing
Design team: Mark Neuner, Nikolaus Kastinger
In the district of Floridsdorf many construction activities are ongoing. In many cases, renovating the old houses and converting the attic into apartments is a costly affair: Developers are thus forced to make use of the utmost space possible and often see no other way than replacing the old building. So more and more of the historic character is lost for the sake of conventional buildings.
In the middle of this rapidly changing neighborhood stands a small house with a beautiful inner courtyard. The two-story building has been owned for generations by a family, who has decided to renovate and extend it step by step. With all the ambitions given, we developed a concept of ”slow architecture“ which seems to be the only suitable answer.
view from the inner garden 
view from the street
A 100-year old wooden hut is located inside the courtyard and will be slightly extended and turned into a loft. By confining to simple construction methods that can be executed by oneself, the costs can be kept at a very low level and turn the extension affordable.
working model
working model
As a first step, the existing apartments have been renovated and modernised, while always taking care to maintain their characteristics.
section
An architecture that evolves stepwise, adjustable to the current needs and budget by carefully and slowly transforming room by room, floor by floor.
ground floor 
first floor
The spaces in the attic floor have not been transformed to the economically full extent – instead, the old roof shape has been kept and only lifted – now creating a generous top floor, that is used as a loft apartment and even a gallery in the future.
third floor 
gallery 
