After successful completion of the course, students are able to deal creatively with historical buildings, because all design work on protected structures requires specific expertise and appropriate strategies. This course offers students the opportunity to study the manifold requirements that are needed to conserve, restore, renovate and administrate a historic monument.
House Prost
Waltersdorf is a district of the town of Mattersburg in northern Burgenland. In the second half of the 19th century, this small village, which was not incorporated into the district capital of Mattersburg until 1971, experienced an economic reorientation. The phylloxera crisis triggered an economic crisis in this community, which at that time was heavily dependent on winemaking. The way out of the difficult situation was sought in alternative crops and in the promotion of non-agricultural labour. In the 1870s, two brick factories were established in Walbersdorf, which had a strong influence on the employment culture of the village, especially from the 20th century onwards.
In 1876, the first plant was opened - the Johann Prost brickyard. At the beginning of the 20th century, the factory, which was originally run as a small business with only 6 assistants, experienced a steady upswing and in the 1920s already employed 100 people.
In 1984, Wienerberger Baustoffindustrie AG acquired the brick factory and undertook a modernization of the plant, which triggered a series of demolitions of the historic building fabric. Thus, the residential and commercial building of the Johann Prost brickworks remained the last architectural witness to a brick factory that significantly shaped both the economy of the region and the townscape of Walbersdorf for a century.
This single-story, rectangular building at Berggasse 2 was built around 1900. It is located away from the center of the village. Its ornamented late historicist façade distinguishes it from the rest of the village's buildings, which are dominated by typical stretched and hackneyed farmhouses. At present, the building is in a state of disrepair and is not in use. Its current owner, Betonwerk Koch GmbH, is therefore looking for new functions so that this building can continue to be preserved as a testimony to the industrial history of the village.
This is the central task we are facing with our Design Studio. A conversion of the existing building that is compatible with the preservation of historical monuments, clever structural additions, and an adequate redesign of the surrounding gardens should make this possible.
Excursion: Two one-day trips to Walbersdorf between 12th and 16th April will enable us to work directly on the object. Additional excursions and visits to the region are also planned.
Präsentation video: https://tube1.it.tuwien.ac.at/videos/watch/4d815bdb-7519-4145-9772-64dd616cfb47
Introductory meeting: Tuesday 09.03.2021, 09:00. Prechtlsaal - großer Teil
Course dates: every Tuesday between 9:00 and 13:00, Sem 257 or online
Application via application pool on TISS.
Application procedure: a letter of motivation (approx. half a DIN A4 page) as a part of the portfolio or by e-mail to dimitri.egorov@tuwien.ac.at
This design studio is linked to the course 251.812 "excursion monument preservation".
