Am Grünanger in Liebenau, Graz, Austria, 60 city-owned apartments were handed over to residents on 14 April 2023. The project retained the settlement’s village-like character while adding new homes to the area. 2
The apartments are arranged across 13 low-energy buildings in four car-free courtyard clusters. They range in size from 46 to 67 square metres, and the buildings have photovoltaic systems and a district-heating connection. The project also includes 69 newly planted trees. 2
Gardens and shared outdoor space were central to the design: the courtyards include a communal garden house with a terrace and planting boxes for residents. The project’s general planner was Hohensinn Architektur ZT GmbH, selected through an architecture competition; architect Karlheinz Boiger described the design approach. Construction was carried out by Granit GmbH over two years. 2
The development was delivered by the City of Graz’s housing operation, Wohnen Graz. The city’s account places the project within the history of a settlement once stigmatised as a “barracks settlement”: around the turn of the millennium, plans to demolish it were opposed by housing councillor Ernest Kaltenegger, his successor Elke Kahr, and local people and initiatives. 2