Silo

By showing the reuse of a vacant concrete silo in Raasdorf near Vienna (built in 1962, concrete construction), the aim is to demonstrate that the large amount of gray energy contained in these buildings can be used. At the same time, the project is intended as a counter-proposal to urban sprawl by demonstrating that dense forms of housing are also possible in the countryside. It also addresses the issues of food and renewable energy production. The silo as a building is a symbol of the agricultural industry and is hereby intended to test and accommodate new, innovative forms of production.

Due to the proximity to Vienna and the high demand for real estate in the region, the decision was made to convert the vacant silo tower into a residential building. 13 floors can be built within it, almost like a small skyscraper in the countryside. One aim is to preserve the structure of the silo as far as possible and to incorporate its special features into the design. At the same time, the building is intended to be an experiment that attempts to combine living with various other uses, in particular vertical farming. A leitmotif for the design is the question: How do people want to live in rural areas? The instinctive answer to this: in a house with a garden, because the garden is what the city cannot offer its inhabitants due to its density. The concrete is partially cut open to create an inhabitable floor plan and sufficient lighting. Using the principle of addition, the living space is extended by an outer layer. The new shell adds a multi-coded infrastructure for water, energy (solar panels) and food supply as well as shading to the existing structure. The outer skin functions like a greenhouse. This gives the residents spacious, two story high private “hanging gardens” in which they can grow their own vegetables using hydroponic systems. This semi-outdoor area can also be seen as an extended, accessible living space. By creating an unheated thermal intermediate zone, there is no need for insulation and the original surface of the concrete remains visible. In addition to the silo tower itself, its surrounding is also incorporated into the design process. The adjacent green spaces are being redesigned and repurposed, as are the neighboring buildings, which now serve as a collectively used cultural and social space for residents, neighbors and visitors.