Page 294 - Beyond Decommissioning

Experience and lessons learned 275

centers. At the core of Silja Tillner’s concept was not only how to deal with the her-
itage of Otto Wagner but also how to deal with the coexistence of public space and
heavy traffic. While the general concept incorporates many different aspects, what
follows is specific to the redevelopment of the viaduct arches.
To oppose the marginalized nature of the G€ urtel, the new open-space design of the
arches aimed to increase utilization and populate the area, a form of social control. The
G€ urtel’s arches were transformed into spaces of culture and entertainment; the city’s
youth could enjoy music clubs and a lively nightlife, while residential districts were
relieved from noise and other inconveniences. The arch tenants both appreciated the
unique atmosphere of the old brick vaults of the viaduct and took part in the creation of
the new image. When the reconstruction of the railway viaduct was completed in the
early 2000s, the arches below the elevated train line were left open. Over time when
the city expanded to engulf the G€ urtel, the arches were incorporated into the under-
ground network and new office spaces were created (Fig. 6.55).
The arches were closed off behind transparent facades and leased to entrepreneurs
(Fig. 6.56). A complete historical overview and project details of the G€ urtel redevel-
opment are given in (Tillner 2011).
A disused railway viaduct near Scilla, Italy was recently the focus of a redevelop-
ment contest: one pretty unique proposal consisted of creating a spaceship-like resi-
dential settlement, dubbed an “inverted high-rise”. While the concept of homes in the
sky, accessible only from the road above, may appear somehow weird, elevated prom-
enades and roof parking have been a common redevelopment strategy worldwide in
the last few decades (see the New York High Line in Section 6.7.5.1). The architects

Fig. 6.55 Building on top of dismissed railway bridge, Spittelau, Vienna, Austria.
Photo by M. Laraia, 2013.