GBS Group Design Project 2024

A central aspect of the GBS Summer University is the group project work, which students work on continuously in small groups in the final week and present at the end of the three-week program. This year's project with the title “Developing new sustainable residential buildings in the east of the city of Vienna close to the river Danube” was led by architect Georg Reinberg (Architekturbüro Reinberg ZT GmbH) and Karin Stieldorf (Vienna University of Technology).

The international students were divided into groups of 7-8 people, with the emphasis on ensuring that all disciplines (architecture, engineering, planning, etc.) were represented by at least one student. The planning area is located next to the Schillerwasser - a part of the Old Danube - and in the surrounding of the Danube Island recreational area.

With special respect to the area the site is located in, the students were asked to use wood as the central building material in their designs. Solid timber elements were to be preferred over glued panels and should be visible from both the inside and the outside. Wood components that are exposed to the weather should be installed in a way that makes them easily replaceable. In addition, an effective greening should be involved and shading should be provided for common areas and paths.

These are just some of the sustainability criteria, that the students needed to fulfill in the design task. With this in mind the participants were given a tour at the building site. This gave them an insight into the dimensions and proportions of the area before the integrated planning process could begin.

In addition to floor plans in various scales, the students were also required to provide visualizations for a precise understanding of the architecture and the atmosphere of the building as well as a concept for the energy supply.

After finalizing their designs, the results were presented by the respective groups on the final day of the GBS Summer University and evaluated by a jury.