Open House Vienna – Viennese Melange of Architecture

For two days in Vienna and the surrounding area, the doors of richly diverse buildings that are not normally accessible to the public will be opened. It will be two days of architecture, but not in a museum, rather an open-air exhibition directly on site in the buildings themselves. There will be the opportunity to discover completely new sides to the city in different, architectural valuable buildings of Vienna during an event that is free of charge and open to everybody on 14 and 15 September 2019.

The Day of Open Buildings: Open House Vienna

Vienna has been a part of Open House since six years now. 35,000 visitors will be expected again this year. Should you stay in one of the five Schick Hotels, you  can easily reach many Open House buildings. They are spread across the entire city: public buildings, housing projects, private houses, educational institutions, offices or manufactoring locations. What do you need to take advantage of the event? A little time and the curiosity to look behind doors which are otherwise closed.

You can find an overview of the Open House buildings here. On the list, you can see the type of building and see when it is open, as some buildings will only be open on one day, though many will be open on both days. Furthermore, you can see if there are guides tours available. Over 200 volunteers will sign up for these two days in order to guide visitors with great enthusiasm and to pass on their knowledge on short guided tours.

Focus on Urban Variety and Plenty of Green Areas

Konrad-Lorenz-Institut ©DieterHenkel

For a vibrant city and a harmonious coexistence, a good mix of diversity is important. That is why this year we are including many building complexes where people not only live but also work and create.

In addition, city planners and architects are increasingly focusing on valuable green areas and excitingly designed open spaces. More and more houses have green roofs or facades, which contribute to a positive, cooling city climate. At the prominent green facade of the MA48 and the green roof terrace of the initiative “grünstattgrau” (green instead of grey), visitors will learn all about the challenges related to this topic.

Topic Trails for “Gemeindebau” and “Urban Production”

Once again this year, Open House has put together 2 Topic Trails, which can be comfortably explored in one day each.

Reumannhof ©DieterHenkel

On the “Urban Production Departure Trail”, discover production companies such as Hut und Stiel, the snail manufacturer Gugumuck, Ottakringer brewery, the vinegar brewery Gegenbauer, the young brewery 100-Blumen Bier and the food bank of Wiener Tafel: a socio-economic business at the Großgrünmarkt.

The unique Viennese “Gemeindebauten” (municipality buildings) celebrate their 100th birthday this year. On this occasion, Open House has organized for the first time the “Gemeindebau Trail”, which leads visitors through the Schöpfwerk, the Sigmund-Freud-Hof, the housing development Schmelz, the Sandleiten-Hof, the Reumann-Hof and the Karl-Seitz-Hof. (All on Saturdays only!)

These are just a few examples from a large and varied selection of 69 buildings. See for yourself – have fun at Open House Vienna.

Open House Worldwide was established in London 1992 and now takes place in 42 cities. The concept was to show to what extent architecture influences our lives and what ideas lie behind the buildings and spaces that we make use of as a matter of course.

Main picture – cut from: Poster Open House Vienna ((Sujet Am Schöpfwerk © The Gentlemen Creatives)