Graz (AT

PROJECT SCALE — S – architecture + context LOCATION — Puchstraße, Graz, Styria POPULATION — 292,269 inhab. STRATEGIC SITE — 30 ha

PROJECT SITE — 2 ha SITE PROPOSED BY — City of Graz & Developer P41 OWNER OF THE SITE — Developer P41 POST-COMPETITION PHASE — Architectural implementation

Dipl.Ing. Eva-Maria Benedikt — Head of Urban Development and Zoning Unit, Urban Planning department, City of Graz

1. WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE SITE MUTATION? The aim is to develop an attractive and centrally located commercial location. The accessibility by means of soft mobility as well as the location between two watercourses provide excellent conditions for this. In any case, local use is to be intensified, with the aim to reduce sealed surfaces and increase green spaces and mixed use. All in all, the aim is to create an offer for companies in an urban location with excellent connections and an attractive environment, but also to improve the infrastructure for the adjacent residential district and for the leisure area along the river Mur.

2. HOW CAN THE SITE BE INTEGRATED IN THE ISSUES OF PRODUCTIVE CITIES? HOW DO YOU CONSIDER THE PRODUCTIVITY ISSUE?

Graz is a growing city with no outward growth in terms of area. An important factor here is to keep and to value attractive commercial space, because a growing population will also require growing jobs. The present area is part of a continuous commercial and industrial belt along the river Mur. An enormous quality can be found here both in terms of possible emissions —as no disturbances are to be expected— and in terms of accessibility, due to its location on one of the city’s most important cycle routes. The central goal of Graz’s urban development is to implement the idea of a city of short distances, which requires productivity even in central areas and a good network of different uses.

3. HAVE YOU ALREADY DEFINED A SPECIFIC PROCESS FOR THE URBAN AND/OR ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE AFTER EUROPAN COMPETITION?

The architectural implementation will be done by the owner. No further sovereign planning is required at the present location. In continuation of the cooperation between the location partners, the City of Graz will provide support during the planning phase. The strategic objectives will be further processed on different levels. Individual measures, such as the improvement of passages and the networking of the same, will be incorporated into sovereign planning.