OeAD student guesthouse Gasgasse

According to the plans of architect Martin Kohlbauer, Heimbau constructed a student guesthouse in Gasgasse, near Westbahnhof, which aims to promote international student exchange. The project, designed in an extremely compact manner, received a nomination for the State Prize for Architecture & Sustainability for its energy efficiency. The OeAD guesthouse offers high-quality apartments to international students, providing a total of 194 accommodation places. The project is part of a residential complex that harmoniously integrates into the urban landscape on the former postal site. The north-facing access corridors create a well-lit buffer space between the railway tracks and the south-facing apartments. In collaboration with Schöberl & Pöll, Vasko+Partner were responsible for the sophisticated building services in the OeAD guesthouse, which demanded Passive House standards and controlled residential ventilation with heat recovery.

Comprehensive monitoring of indoor air parameters and energy consumption, along with optimized material selection and comprehensive chemical management in the interior, ensures good indoor air quality. "The architectural challenge in this project was the 22-meter depth of the building, which needed to be maximized while also orienting the apartments only to the south due to the railway tracks. I developed a floor plan structure that includes two rows of guest rooms arranged one behind the other. The incorporation of atriums provides a correspondingly homely character and an attractive play of light. The building essentially forms the centerpiece of the grand urban development 'Postareal am Westbahnhof,' comprising 275 apartments and the striking 215-meter-long building along the tracks," explains Martin Kohlbauer. The façade structure was adapted to the entire residential quarter.