Heimbau – Gemeinnützige Wohnungsgenossenschaft is a non-profit housing cooperative based in Vienna, Austria, founded in 1953. The organisation originated after a successful small-scale housing project in Vienna’s 19th district by Franz and Anton Braun. Encouraged by this initial effort, the brothers formalised their activities and registered Heimbau in December 1953. At its inception, the cooperative counted just ten members and had assets amounting to 1.1 million Austrian schillings.
Over the following decades, Heimbau steadily expanded. By the late 1980s, its membership had reached approximately 4,000 individuals. Today, the cooperative lists around 10,300 members and operates from its office in Wien-Meidling, the 12th district of Vienna.
Heimbau focuses on the development, construction, management, and preservation of affordable residential housing. These activities are carried out predominantly in Vienna and its environs. The scope of their work includes apartment buildings, tenant housing, and affordable rents. A notable step in their history was the purchase of a fifty-percent share in the Eisenhof housing company in 1981, integrating it as a subsidiary to bolster their resources and capabilities.
Current projects typically involve new apartment complexes and the ongoing management of existing units. Heimbau's organisational structure includes a board, a supervisory council, and general assemblies guiding decisions and community governance. The cooperative’s enduring mission is to maintain accessible and secure housing without profit motives. All facts are based on the organisation’s own disclosures.