The Austrian region of Vorarlberg plans create 500 non-profit apartments per year until 2019. This year’s ambitious program will be expanded by an additional 150 apartments. On September 12, 2016 the ground-breaking ceremony for the first residential project from this special program took place in Feldkirch. Affordable housing for everyone remains the primary objective of the provincial housing subsidies.
The residential complex on Feldkirch’s Heldenstraße includes 17 apartments with a floor space of almost 1,200 square meters. The adjoining building will house bicycles, push-chairs, and all the rubbish and recycling facilities. Each apartment has a balcony or a ground floor terrace. The outdoor area consists of a spacious green zone, with a child and toddler playground and vegetable gardens, as well as a parking place. The residence is located in the immediate surroundings of the recreational area “Ardetzenberg”, and is well connected by public transport.
This special program is a model for the future of housing funding. The aim is to build three-storey houses that can be built in modular construction, which ensures reduced planning costs, easier structures and faster implementation. Certain compromises in quality – like accessibility only on the ground floor and the abstinence of basement, underground parking and elevator – are knowingly accepted in order to offer cheaper housing.