Build December 2016

Build Magazine 11 Architecture this marketing risk. There were five people in the group who were really enthusiastic about this experiment. And it turned out that it were this flats with the sloping floors which were rented out first. This principle of participation heralded a new path in residential architecture. We learnt that this deep involvement of future users is the biggest chance for new architecture. All things being considered, the real-estate industry is, as Franz describes it, “a big immobile ship. Change is coming, to be certain, albeit very slowly. But let us first focus on the short-term outlook. “We have to differ in places, with real demand for housing, as is the case in most big cities across Europe. For example, Vienna has to integrate over 40,000 people annually. About 15,000 new flats will be needed each year. There is a robust market, and today you can sell or rent nearly everything that is build – such is the demand. “But, conversely, there are also other places outside of the urban centres, such as mid-sized towns, which have experienced the same strong increases in apartment prices within the last few years. If interest rates rise any further over the space of the next 12 month, this will mean that money will be drawn back from real-estate to instead be refocussed around stock exchange.” Franz anticipates that a small-town bubble situation would be the result of this short-termism, and that could potentially be bad for not only the market, but also on a macro-economic scale. But what will the future bring? Franz believes that BKK-3 will experience a rebound in social housing programmes in response to this squeeze. “Because of the difficult situation faced by tenants everywhere, the governments of these nations have to react now. Within the next few years, public institutions in Germany, France and even in the UK will need to be setting up a great number of new structures in order to be able to support affordable housing.” What does Franz expect BKK-3 will be able to do to contribute to this alleviation of a shortage in housing, and the resulting squeeze on middle- to low-income families? “Of course, we have a lot of dreams floating around as to how we might be able to help,” he says helpfully. “One is to work on futuristic space sculptures. For this to become more than just a vision, it is ideas that we need more than anything; big volumes of ideas, enough to fill a museum, a hangar or a skyscraper.” The next dream that Franz expresses is to support nature with intelligent technical infrastructure and architecture. For example, he points towards a recent study conducted by BKK-3 for Dubai to change the air coolers in buildings from electrical power to natural cold deep-water. “A enormous waste of energy could end with this renewal energy solution,” Franz asserts. “ We are content- driven architects above all else, and we love to discuss the project without always having to stick to a particular, definite form ” “The final dream is more a wish, really, but one that I think still has much more than just an element of truth grounding it. We want to be constantly developing further, and we could also be collaborating with clients, in trust of our ideas.” Company: BKK-3 Architecture Vienna/Hamburg Name: Arch. DI. Franz Sumnitsch Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.bkk-3.com | www.tomtow.com Address: A-1140 Wien, Missindorfstrasse 10/4 Telephone: +43 1 786 93 93 - 0