The “Lobmeyrhof”, located in the 16th district of Vienna was built from 1898 to 1901 as one of the first large scale social housing projects. It was designated to mark the 50th Jubilee of the reign of Emperor Franz Josef I and is an archetype for the social housing in the so called Red Vienna in the 1920´s and 30´s. The building with originally about 150 apartments and shops in the ground floor has an ample court typical for residential buildings in Vienna. Because of its historic context, the building is listed as a historic landmark. Thanks to the close cooperation between architects and the Federal Monument Office a spectacular intervention of the existing structure was possible.
The building was nearly uninhabited at the start of the refurbishment. Major parts of the building facing the inner yard were demolished, new stairwells and lifts were introduced, thereby gaining an essential increase of usable area. The facades facing the streets were restored to their former glory. Due to the new staircases and lifts, barrier free access to all apartments is now available. In the attic, two new floors with lofts provide additional potential for new housing units. In the ample court, old trees were preserved, contributing to a high quality of living. Now the building offers a total of new and refurbished 175 modern apartments. Since district heating and ventilation with heat recovery has been implemented, the building has a low energy building status.
