The focus was mainly on improving the living standards of the working-class while also creating a sense of community through many common areas.
These are five of Vienna’s most important social housing complexes, each with its own unique design and historical background.
Karl-Marx-Hof
It was designed by architect Karl Ehn and built between 1927 and 1930, during the time of “Red Vienna” and it was part of a broader effort to solve housing shortages and improve urban living standards. It is a great example of early 20th-century social housing, still ongoing today.
Karl-Marx-Hof is one of the longest residential buildings in the world, stretching 1.2 kilometres in total. The complex is made up of a series of connected buildings and has a red brick facade with lots of windows and balconies, meant to create a sense of community and improve natural light and space for the residents.
The building was designed by architect Karl Ehn between 1927 and 1930, during a tough economic period in Vienna. Except from the apartments, the building also has courtyards, playgrounds, a bar, a sports club, and other shared spaces, aimed at creating a sense of community.
You find the building in Heiligenstadt and in one of the building’s laundry rooms, you can enjoy different exhibitions and book guided tours of the complex. Check it out here.
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Alterlaa
Alterlaa is another famous and interestingly shaped large social housing complex in Vienna.
The complex was designed by architect Harry Glück and was built in 1985.
Alterlaa is located in Meidling and it was also developed as part of Vienna’s effort to provide affordable housing while maintaining a high quality of life.
The complex offers green spaces, playgrounds, common rooms, and small stores, which are integrated into the design to improve the living experience for residents.
The complex also has swimming pools on the roof terraces, where residents can swim, relax, and enjoy great views of Vienna and the surroundings.
This unique design of the complex was intended to give residents a sense of living close to nature, despite being in a dense urban area. The terraces are large enough to host small gardens, where residents can grow greenery and enjoy an outdoor space in their own home.
The complex offers 3,200 apartments, and as of 2022, about 9,000 people lived there. The average apartment size is 74.5 square meters.
Hundertwasserhaus
Hundertwasserhaus is one of the artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser most famous architectural creations.
The apartment building is also part of Vienna’s social housing program, holds 52 individual apartments and was designed to provide affordable housing to city residents.
The building is well known for its lively colours, playful shapes, and integration of vegetation into its structure, with more than 200 trees and plants placed on the balconies and roof terraces.
As a visitor, you can only view the building from the outside. However, on the opposite side of the building, you will find Hundertwasser Village, which includes a shopping centre created by Hundertwasser, with a bar and some souvenir shops in typical Hundertwasser style.
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Metzleinstalerhof
Metzleinstalerhof is a well-known social housing complex in Margareten, built in the early 1920s.
It is one of the large-scale public housing projects planned by the Social Democrats as an attempt to improve the living conditions of the working class.
Here the residents can enjoy a central swimming pool, a kindergarten, a library, and many common rooms.
The complex was designed by architect Heinrich Schmid and is made up of buildings arranged around courtyards. The complex also offers laundry rooms and gardens.
The many shared spaces were designed to help residents connect and create a sense of community. The idea was to provide not just affordable homes but also a better quality of life and a lively community.
Today, it still serves as a affordable housing complex and remains a symbol of Vienna’s dedication to social welfare.
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Reumannhof
Next to Metzleinstalerhof, you find Reumannhof, another large social housing complex.
The complex was designed by Hubert Gessner and opened up its door to residents in 1926 offering 460 different apartments. The idea was the same as with Metzleinstelarhof, to create an more comfortable living situation for the working-class where they can also experience a sense o community.
The building offers its residents courtyards, common spaces such as gardens, laundry rooms, sport halls and other facilities.
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