Horst & Isolde - A successive Odyssey next to the Vienna State Opera

How about nature taking back the city? Starting at a vibrant spot at the innermost heart of Vienna. The place around the State Opera gets torridly hot in summer with people franticly walking back and forth never calming down. What could it look like, to create here a piece of nature in the middle of the city. The idea for an ecologically inspired design is based on these questions. In order to simulate succesion, the main focus lies on the planting scheme. The selection of trees is related to natural habitats. As in nature, they are arranged in small groups and representstages of repopulation: pioneer-, transitional- and climax species. From an ecological point of view, they improve air quality and thermal microclimate and can provide a habitat for smaller animals in the city. From a design point of view, they also break up the urban structure, playfully add light and shadow and have a calming effect. The redesign around the opera creates subspaces as areas for a stopover and some rest, but also allows for fast crossing along open passages. These areas are differentiated by varied surfaces (rough, decelerating self binding gravel and smooth concrete pavement). The respect for nature in all its pristineness conveyes the overall design.