A building complex for eight religious communities: In the Seestadt Aspern, an unusual meeting place is to be created with the Campus of Religions – but there is no specific date for the start of construction.
DONAUSTADT. A campus of religions is to be built north of the lake, in the immediate vicinity of the subway. On 10,000 square meters there will be sacred buildings of the eight participating religious communities, which will be erected under one roof. A shared space also offers space for interreligious exchange. The property belongs to the City of Vienna and is left to the “Campus der Religionen” association.
The architectural competition for the campus has now been completed, and the project by the Burtscher-Durig ZT GmbH architectural office in Vienna emerged victorious from the 44 submissions. However, project manager Harald Gnilsen does not yet know when construction can begin: “Now further planning has to be made and questions of financing have to be clarified.” Each religious community has to pay for the construction of its facility itself, the required money must now come together. “But with the draft everyone now has a concrete picture in their head with which they can advance the idea”, Gnilsen is satisfied and adds: “The project is unique in the world and the understanding of the religious communities among each other has already increased in the planning phase.”
The Austrian Buddhist Religious Community, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church AB, the Islamic Faith Community in Austria, the New Apostolic Church Austria, the Sikh Religious Community Austria, the Greco-Oriental Metropolis and the Jewish Community of Vienna are involved.
In addition to the sacred buildings erected by the individual communities, there is also an educational institution, the Church of Education University Vienna / Krems (KPH).
Eight religious communities and a place for exchange
In the winning design, the buildings of the religious communities are grouped like a pavilion around an urban square that rises gently and is shaded by trees and a pergola. The square is organized on several levels with open spaces, alleys, seating steps, water areas, entrances and gardens.
The religious buildings each have roof gardens that can be reached and used via ramps built into the outer skin. Individual walls of the building are green. The roof gardens of the religious buildings are intended as gardens of retreat and reflection. A connection between the different gardens also enables walking through the individual areas.
2,500 students move to Seestadt
A pergola will act as a common roof and provide shade for the square and the green roof terraces in the greatest heat. This pergola, bent several times, also connects the KPH educational building with the religious buildings of the religious communities. KPH is a private educational institution for initial, advanced and advanced training for teachers at primary and secondary levels. It is run under ecumenical sponsorship by different Christian churches. The current location in Strebersdorf will in future be located in the new building in Seestadt and offer around 2,500 students a new learning environment.
More info: Campus of Religions website
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