Big is beautiful
Big is beautiful in Graz residential and commercial building is a commitment to high-quality urban densification. The existing, heterogeneous urban space is being spatially reorganised, with plaza-like extensions and a spacious, publicly accessible neighbourhood park. Inside the building itself, a dozen residential terraces can be used communally by all residents of the building. This strengthens neighbourly communication and social interaction
Big is beautiful
- Programme:
South and central section: 198 rental apartments (some subsidized), underground parking garage (133 parking spaces)
North section: Office and commercial space, a kindergarten, a condominium, a villa, underground parking garage (68 parking spaces)
- Size
18.465 m² BGF above ground
- Status
Completion May 2022
- Commissioning
Invited competition 2015, 1st prize
Setting new standards in a diverse environment: Big is beautiful residential and commercial building.
View towards the south from the corner of Reininghausstraße (left) to Handelstraße (right). Central section (left) with flats and communal terraces, northern section (centre and right) with offices, nursery and villa integrated into the complex.
Big is beautiful is located in a heterogeneous environment typical of western Graz. Remnants of Wilhelminian-style buildings, residential buildings from the 1960s, commercial buildings, single-family homes, and allotment gardens create an urban space with little identity. Big is beautiful continues the Wilhelminian-style building tradition and reorganizes the existing urban space.
Building position and open space
Along Reininghausstraße, the length of the development is visually halved by a bend in the building that follows the curved course of Reininghausstraße. Square-like extensions of the street space created by the bend in the building invite people to linger as new urban spaces. The dynamic building height responds to existing buildings on the one hand, while high points set urban accents on the other. On the side of the building facing away from the street is a noise-protected, west-facing neighborhood park with soft landscaping, which is open to all residents of the district.
Apartments
The rental apartments in the central and southern sections, some of which are subsidized, are accessed via a central pergola zone, which is spatially extended by twelve open communal terraces facing Reininghausstraße. In addition, apartments facing the neighborhood park are inserted into the pergola zone, creating small spaces on the roofs of these apartments and private loggias facing the neighborhood park. On the neighborhood park side, private gardens on the ground floor and balconies on the upper floors further expand the private outdoor space available. The apartments facing the street have private soundproof loggias, to which the living room and bedroom are connected.
Step 1: Sound insulation towards the street, orientation of the building towards the neighbourhood park
View towards the north into the neighborhood park. North section (left) with offices and kindergarten, center and south sections (right) with apartments and private loggias or balconies.
View from the corner of Straßganger Straße (left) to Reininghausstraße (right) heading north. South section with communal terraces
Communal terraces on the upper floors extend the pergola area
Communal terraces
Twelve open, differently designed communal terraces along the pergola zone are spread across all floors and can be used by the residents of the building. They offer a variety of communal uses – from sun terraces and games tables to yoga areas and open-air cinema. Office spaces at the top of the north wing are grouped around a four-story atrium and are illuminated on two sides by the façade and the atrium. The municipally funded kindergarten in the Handelstraße wing has spacious outdoor areas in the neighborhood park. A private villa is integrated into the overall complex at the western end of the site.
Site plan
Along the north side, reference is made to the fragments of the Wilhelminian-style city.
The neighborhood park on the west side is open to all residents of the district.
The neighborhood park seamlessly connects to the gardens of the adjacent villa district.
Two-thirds of the apartments have balconies and loggias facing the west-side neighborhood park.
At the southern tip, the interior pergola enclosure becomes visible.
Communal terraces on the upper floors extend the pergola area.
The communal terrace at Südspitz offers views in all directions.
The apartments on the west side (left) are accessed via bridges from the pergola.
Plenty of light falls through the open pergola area onto the lower floors.
Apartments inserted into the pergola zone form loggias on the park side and small spaces on their roofs on the corridor side.
The twelve open communal terraces along the pergola zone are designed differently.
The communal terraces offer a variety of communal uses ...
... from sun terraces and gaming tables to yoga areas and open-air cinemas
Floor-to-ceiling windows create generous visual connections between apartments and outdoor spaces.
Windows facing the pergola allow contact with the neighborhood.
The center of the northern office wing is formed by a four-story atrium ...
... illuminated by a generous glass roof.
The cafeteria offers views of the neighboring Wilhelminian-style buildings.
Transparente Glaswände schaffen Blickbeziehungen zwischen Atrium und Büros.
Floor-to-ceiling windows create visual connections between office workspaces and the surrounding area.
Commitment to high-quality, compact cities: Big is beautiful!
