RSUA study trip to Vienna
12 June 2024
From 6-9 June 2024, the RSUA organised a study trip to Vienna, one of Europe’s leading cities for music, art and architecture.
When he was President, Paul McAlister selected Vienna not just because of its beauty and architectural significance, but as the home of one of the boldest urban design interventions in Europe – the Ringstraße. This grand boulevard, which encircles the historic town centre, linked many of the key sights visited on the study trip.
The itinerary
The trip started on Thursday evening with a visit to Hans Hollein’s postmodernist Hass Haus, the mirrored facade of which both reflects and looks out upon Vienna’s oldest architectural masterpiece, St Stephen’s Cathedral. The group enjoyed a drinks reception, kindly sponsored by Tarkett and Wienerberger, on the top floor of the building amid an atmospheric electrical storm. Here the RSUA group was joined by friends from the Maritime Belfast Trust, who were also on a study trip to the city.
On Friday morning, the group had some self-guided time with a variety of suggested attractions to visit. Some opted to take in the 102-year-old Gasometers, which have been transformed by architects into a new urban complex over the past few decades. Others visited Gleis 21, a new zero-energy co-housing project planned in a participatory manner with the future residents. Others opted for a walking tour to get an overview of the city.
The afternoon included two tours, the first to the 155-year-old Vienna State Opera, where the group was shown the impressive renaissance architecture which had been restored at great expense following near destruction in the second world war. The second of the day’s tours was of the Secession building. This is an art-deco style exhibition hall which was built as an architectural manifesto for a group of rebel Austrian artists, including the painter, Gustav Klimt, whose Beethoven frieze is exhibited in the basement.
On Friday evening, the churches of Vienna threw open their doors for a series of free musical performances. Some of the group also travelled out of the city centre to the Schonbrunn Palace for a free, open-air classical concert.
The Saturday itinerary kicked off with a tour of the Nordbanviertel development area, led by architect Illinca Urziceanu from Querkraft Architekten. The group moved around the central green spaces that tie the apartment blocks together and learned about the social housing policies that have earned Vienna the title of the world’s most liveable city.
In the afternoon, the group entered the Austrian Parliament for a tour of the recently upgraded Greek Revival style building. First wowed by the attention to detail and ornamentation in the older part of the building, the group finished the tour in the more minimal modern parliament chambers and public gallery.
On the final evening of the trip, the group enjoyed another sponsored drinks reception and dinner at cafe restaurant ‘Kaan’. The balmy weather allowed for an outdoor meal in the courtyard outside this Lacaton & Vassal designed building, which is the cornerstone of the Austrian museum of architecture.
Lessons learned from the Vienna study trip
The RSUA is holding a ‘Vienna Reflections’ event on Friday 28th June from 11.30-12.30 at the RSUA office. Former Vice-Mayor of Vienna, Maria Vassilakou, will be joining online and all attendees of the trip will share their experiences and learnings from the visit.
With thanks again to our sponsors:
