Living by the ford.

Green living in an urban environment.

The quarter to be built in the Rohrbach district of Dornbirn is located on the north-western edge of the city, surrounded by green connections and green spaces. Important lines of sight lead to the Firstgebirge, Pfänder and Bödele Mountains emphasizing the high quality of life in this quarter of the “garden city Dornbirn”. The quarter is particularly appealing as it offers green living in an otherwise urban environment. Four villa-like, solitary building volumes with an almost square floor plan are positioned playfully at this green entrance to the city of Dornbirn. These are in close proximity to one another. Slightly offset in certain places, they fit naturally into the surrounding townscape. The chosen positioning of the new sequence of houses creates varied room sequences with views and perspectives, paired with eventful outdoor areas that contain three “generation spaces” as a meeting point for all residents. An ideal place for cultivating neighborly relations. (Pergolas)

The 4 houses follow the building typology of the space.

On the one hand, the eastern settlement structure, which runs parallel to Rohrbacherstrasse, is being developed further, while on the other hand, the new ensemble is scaled as a response for the north-facing residential buildings in the north. The new building volumes are compact in design, yet create a pleasant lightness with their appearance despite their volume and feature a wide variety of shapes from different perspectives.

The floor plans are clearly structured for allowing access to eight apartments each. Due to their compactness, they enable a central, exciting development and ideal alignment for lighting in the living rooms and bedrooms. Additionally, they maintain the principle of order of the four living levels through a flexible combination of the different types of apartments.

The typology of the micro-apartments is based on the larger villas. Access for six apartments is provided via a spacious atrium-like entrance. A covered loggia is assigned to each of the micro-apartments. The materiality deliberately breaks with that of the other structures. The prefabricated timber construction and the timber facades create a diversity in the quarter that is effective both outside and inside.

Green space – a symbol of relaxation.

The urban and typological conception of the development creates differentiated open spaces. The surrounding landscape consists mainly of green spaces and recreational areas. The typology of the building interlocks the existing structure with the new, harmoniously integrated quarter without creating any public barriers. Following the jury’s recommendation, optimal adjustment was provided for the private spaces. As a result of this, the garden dimensions are now much better suited for sales requirements, while the more generous open space areas (see further pictograms) can be subdivided into public and semi-public areas.

Connections – Optimized orientation.

With its public character, Rohrbacherstraße connects the new quarter towards the east and west. In order to further differentiate this public character, as recommended by the jury, the visitor parking spaces are being moved to the street and expanded at the entrances to the quarter. This creates interesting meeting areas at the intersections between the parking lots and the sidewalks. The sidewalks in the quarter are harmoniously integrated into these “bays”. High-quality floor coverings (e.g. water-permeable cobblestones or hardened green areas) and tree lines give these meeting areas their public character. The public space generates atmosphere. As a further improvement measure, the northern east-west connection will be designed exclusively as a pedestrian play street that is safe for children (from the entrance to the underground car park). There are various games on offer along this play street, which creates a further “link” to the northern residential complex.

Quality through perforation.

Sometimes linear, sometimes organic path forms meander past the clear structures. These are flanked by semi-public green spaces and lounges that act as filters and mediators to the private gardens. As an analogy to the lively roof landscape of the quarter, the ground floor zone of the building is invigorated and further differentiated with its organic design. The stronger perforation creates footpaths and lines of sight through and into the individual structures. When looking at the gardens from the individual floors, each is perceived as sculptural, harmonious and interesting. The access points inside the individual buildings thus become even more open and friendlier, while the public area benefits from the even greater permeability.