An architectural eye-catcher with loads of domestic comfort and a creative culinary ground floor concept that promises great dining and also acts as a revitalizer for the neighborhood — it’s The Blend! Where is it? Right at the most exciting spot, in the 10th district of Vienna, right behind the Central Railway Station.
The project is in the heart of Favoriten, not far from the new Vienna Main Station and the Favoritenstraße Shopping Area. It stretches across three entire streets: Dampfgasse, Jagdgasse, and Hasengasse. Three unbelievably calm one-way avenues in the midst of a very lively district.
Why "Impulse Times 10"?
The name in German is G’mischter Block, a play on words with the traditional Viennese G’mischter Satz field blend wine that can be tasted there and a reference to the blend of different uses that can be found with the building and the blending effect of its connections to the surrounding neighborhood.
The project has been steadily and strategically planned over the course of more than three years in an intense dialogue with future users, the district council, and the experts of the City of Vienna Building and Planning Departments. The result is a highly consensual process. This makes a harmonious coexistence within the building and with the neighborhood possible, both now during the planning process and even more so once the project has been completed. And it creates a new neighborhood meeting place.
facts & figures
The Blend, which will be built in the coming years, boasts modern and appealing architecture. The formerly uninviting walls of the old hunting garage will be transformed into a welcoming building with a lively first floor and greenery. A versatile utilisation is also planned for the 1st floor with offices or ordinations and a childcare facility. The residential units are located on the 2nd floor and above: equipped with state-of-the-art technology, well-designed floor plans and individual outdoor areas. Generous window openings bring plenty of daylight into the rooms. High-quality and durable materials ensure a pleasant living environment. The green facades and the natural surroundings in the inner courtyard have a calming effect and have an excellent impact on the indoor and microclimate. A communal room, playgrounds and terraces in the sheltered inner courtyard are available for neighborly interaction. A special highlight is the roof garden for communal use, which invites you to actively garden in raised beds, stargaze and relax.
The utilisation of the first floor zone by the "handverlesen" store is particularly special. The concept - loosely based on Mayor Ludwig's idea of the "Supergreißler" - presents and distributes exquisite regional delicacies - paired with regular events based around these products: i.e. cooking evenings, tastings and presentations in a spacious event room with a show kitchen at a high culinary level. A bar with a cozy lounge area rounds off the hand-picked ensemble.
It is a place where the regional - the Grätzl is celebrated and which enlivens and enriches it. To ensure that the neighborhood also benefits from this, these rooms will be available externally for events, seminars or celebrations.
The Blend is a multi-layered urban sculpture whose building masses are layered and three-dimensionally interwoven. At the corner, the striking structure, which is slightly set back in the light grey base zone, is accentuated by a 2-storey V-shaped column that emphasizes the entrance area of the store.
A band of greenery with a variety of plants and grasses visually separates the commercial areas on the ground floor from the offices and residential units above, on whose facade the interplay of the projecting plant troughs continues. This sophisticated yet simple greening system structures the facade and reduces heat radiation in summer. The intensively greened flat roofs and shady tree islands in the inner courtyard also have a positive influence on the microclimate.
In order to make the heating, cooling and hot water supply as ecological as possible and not be dependent on fossil energy sources, a heat pump is being installed in combination with geothermal energy. The underfloor heating installed on all floors thus functions as cooling in summer. In the attic apartments, the flat roofs are additionally cooled via concrete core activation, which means that there is no need for air conditioning split units and recoolers on the roof. All waste heat, including that from the chiller required to operate the ground floor premises, is sent to the geothermal probe field. This recharges it in summer and allows a greater efficiency in winter. With this energy system an active contribution can be made to prevent the city from heating up. It also ensures that the ongoing energy and operating costs for future users are kept low. A photovoltaic system also ensures cost-effective operation of the heat pump and the power supply for the common areas (lighting, elevator, e-charging stations, etc.).
The property was purchased in 2017 and an agreement to change the zoning was reached together with the district authorities and the neighboring residents, which became legally binding in September 2020: “In the earliest development phases, intensive dialogue with the owners in the building was initiated and continued in an ongoing process. The constructive collaboration that has resulted springs from the fact that all owners now support the existing development proposal and see their interests in it being supported. Of course, this dialogue will be continued and further synergies sought. This healthy cooperation will also be continued throughout the construction phase and once operation begins.” (Klaus Wolfinger, Project Coordinator, The Blend)
The application for a building permit was submitted in December 2020. Construction began in summer 2022 and the roof was completed in September 2023.
IBA_Vienna 2022 was the first International Building Exhibition to take place in Vienna with the aim of developing pioneering solutions to the challenges of our time. The focus is on the topic of "new social housing". Urban, housing and social policy instruments and strategies are to be linked in a new way. The IBA_Vienna looks at projects in new and existing buildings that also contribute to strengthening social cohesion in the city. Our project was also included!
In addition, the Blend is part of the City of Vienna's WieNeu+ neighborhood renewal program, which aims to upgrade neighborhoods and make them fit for the future and climate in order to ensure a high quality of life for future generations.
Architecture: t-hoch-n Architektur
Kindergarten design: Büro Luckabauer
Restaurant design: TB PlanQuadrat Ingenieurbüro
Cost control, tendering and billing, site supervision: Klösch & Riedler GmbH
Structural engineering: gmeiner haferl ZT GmbH
Building physics, electrics and heating design (+ tendering & billing and site supervision): InPlan Ingenieure GmbH
Fire safety: ADSUM - Ingenieurbüro für Brandschutz
Surveying: Vermessung Angst ZT GmbH
Geology: 3P Geotechnik
Ground-floor restaurant: Verein Handverlesen
3,646 m² residential floor space + 911 m² private open-air spaces (loggias, balconies, terraces, private gardens)
75 apartments with 1-3 rooms, sizes range from 31-69 m², all with outdoor areas (5x type A-, 54x type B-, 16x type C-apartments)
1 indoor communal/youth playroom with integrated kitchen measuring 81 m², 292 m² of open space for general use (playground for kids and teens, terrace, roof garden with raised beds, seating and panoramic views)
Features: High-quality floors in the living room, bathroom and toilet area, modern fitted kitchens, contemporary sanitary facilities with showers or bathtubs, windows with sun protection, elevator, storage rooms, and much more.
4 commercial units for rent with a commerial space area of 1,996 m² and 261 m² of open-air space:
864 m² shop locations on the ground floor: Warehouse for gourmet goods from regional producers and their distribution throughout Vienna using CO2-neutral cargo bikes, multifunctional event room for max. 120 people, bar with lounge area, show kitchen
510 m² childcare (ground floor + first upper floor) for 3 groups with separate outdoor area in front
614 m² for 2 offices/ordinations on the 1st upper floor
1.726 m² total site area
2 buildings and 2 addresses (Hasengasse 10-12 and Dampfgasse 9-11) with shared access in the basement (bright stairwells with their own elevator and barrier-free access to all units)
293 m² public open space: roof garden, playground for kids and teens, terrace
In the basement (underground parking garage) 35 car parking spaces, with retrofittable e-charging stations, 124 bicycle parking spaces, 21 rentable storage rooms, 2 stroller storage rooms, 1 room with parcel boxes
End of 2021 the project The Blend was awarded gold pre-certification by the Austrian Sustainable Building Council. This emphasizes the high quality of the building implementation in all relevant sustainability aspects (ecological, economic, socio-cultural, functional, and technical qualities as well as location and process qualities), with location quality receiving the highest rating of 90.8%.
Environmentally conscious and energy-efficient construction and compliance with the highest quality requirements in accordance with klimaaktiv criteria are at the forefront of planning and construction. In June 2022, the Blend also received the klimaaktiv Bronze (planning) award for commitment to climate protection. We are delighted!
neighborhood
There is probably no area currently more exciting than Favoriten, which stretches out behind the new Main Station. Nowhere in Vienna will you find more modern and exciting architecture, or more urban and population development. It is diverse and in a state of change. Modernism meets with the local color of the old worker’s quarter, Kurt Tichy’s ice cream shop, the Amalia Swimming Pool, and the Viktor Adler Market with its offshoot, the “crier’s” farmer’s market on Leibnizgasse.
At the same time, old art and cultural memorials such as Belvedere Castle and the Military History Museum can be found here. The 21er Haus exhibits modern art, and the area around the Anker Bread Factory, much deeper in Favoriten, makes another strong statement with the Ostlicht & Anzengruber Galleries and others.
And — despite being so urban and excellently connected by the traffic hub of the main railway station — there are still many wonderful green areas: the Botanical Gardens, the newly designed Helmut Zilk Park, the Schweizergarten, the Wienerberg Lakes, the Bohemian Prater, and the Löwygrube...
Favoriten polarizes... That much is clear. And for those who love it, this is the perfect place to come home to!
Your request
Thank you for your interest in our project "The Blend".
Please provide your information to contact us:
Anna Zillner, MSc 
