Design Studio Die Oase Karmelitermarkt

The Oasis at Karmelitermarkt
The traditional Karmelitermarkt – one of Vienna's oldest markets – is being transformed into a lively marketplace in the heart of Vienna. With over 17,000 visitors every week, a diverse range of products and services, and a history dating back to 1671, it is to be redesigned as a modern, sustainable, and inclusive urban space. The new concept is based on the principles of a lively, livable, and open-use urban space and combines the special flair and historical substance of the Karmelitermarkt.
For more than 350 years, the Karmelitermarkt has been a place of exchange, local shopping, and urban life. Today, it is known for its wide range of products. Especially on Fridays and Saturdays, the farmers' market with around 60 stalls attracts many Viennese and tourists. The interest in healthy and sustainable food, the desire for fair production methods and short transport routes are making marketplaces increasingly important to city dwellers. At the same time, there is a great desire for nearby recreational areas, open spaces, places with creative potential and quiet islands within the urban fabric.
An oasis is to be created at the Karmelitermarkt. Oases are meeting places that serve as venues for the exchange of goods and information. They are also places where community spirit takes centre stage.
Based on research conducted at markets in Vienna, we define criteria that serve as the basis for the design.
In addition to selling goods at fixed stalls, mobile vendors meet their customers mainly on weekends. Regulars and interested visitors looking for authentic places in the city create a colorful mix. 
Organic farmers increasingly use these markets at weekends to sell their regional products, making the markets a meeting place for people who value healthy and sustainable food, but also informal exchanges with neighbors and friends. In fact, only a few market stalls are still used by traders. Catering businesses are increasingly taking over vacant stalls. This results are limited opening hours and visitors who mainly frequent the market during their work breaks and in the evenings. During the day, the market is less busy. Sealed surfaces and parked cars do not enhance the attractiveness of the space. Underground structures prevent the surfaces from being unsealed. Currently, the Karmelitermarkt is a sealed space.
The interest in special foods and the desire for neighborliness should be used to breathe new life into the place and exploit its development potential. 
We are developing proposals on how the temporary free-standing space can also be used during the week and are asking ourselves the following questions.
Do we need more permanent market stalls that create a year-round platform for regional producers, farmers, food co-ops, and small businesses?
Should a new market hall provide space for the sale of food, but also serve to promote marketing and knowledge transfer?
Or do we need a green refuge in urban areas that offers biodiversity gardens, shady islands of calm, and a neighborhood stage, turning this area into a consumption-free retreat?
Should public space become a three-dimensional place that spans multiple floors? Do hanging gardens, pavilions, and spaces for the community make the place attractive?
We will ask ourselves these questions and develop answers.
The market is intended to become an attractive, lively place for the community, for trade, and for the exchange of information.
We are looking for interventions that activate the market in its entire spatial depth – from the basement levels in the underground car parks to the roofs of the market stalls. The aim is to create additional space for marketing and selling food, to make the open spaces between Saturdays attractive for users, and to propose a three-dimensional revitalization of the market area.
The Karmelitermarkt is becoming an innovative 21st-century marketplace that combines tradition and modernity, ecology and urbanity, market life and neighborhood life.

Teaching methods
Based on a spatial analysis of the location and existing conditions, as well as research into selected examples, you will develop a concept for reinterpreting the location and its functions.
As part of a team, you will elaborate planning principles and spatial analyses to record the existing situation and prepare the groundwork. You will develop an innovative and needs-based spatial programme based on the spatial conditions on site. The aim is to create a spatial programme that enables and promotes commerce and recreation, communication, and community interaction. 
You will work out a selected area of the space in detail. The design work is divided into sections and goes through several stages.
The project is being developed using physical models.
The course is an integrative design course for bachelor's and master's students with a focus on scenography, construction, and in-depth landscaping.


Scenario
You will develop a scenario for different users of public space and plan strategies for the multi-layered overlapping use of retail, open space, and communication based on an inviting spatial design.
 
Construction
The structurally relevant support structure for the design is conceived. This can include temporary roofing, platforms, supporting walls, walkways, bridges, or stairs. Structural variants are to be designed and examined, with a focus on issues such as bracing, dimensioning, and assembly. 
 
Open Space
The transformation of public space goes hand in hand with the development of green space. Water management, tree plantings, and protection against heavy rainfall are changing our outdoor spaces, influencing the microclimate, and increasing biodiversity. Green spaces are an integral part of public space. Where many interests collide, equitable distribution plays an important role, because public space should be open to everyone.
 
Work steps

• Research of basic information

• Development of design criteria and concept development

• Development of designs using analog models

• Discussion groups and role-playing

• Lectures and tours

• Excursions

• Presentations and feedback sessions

• Reflection groups

• Workshops

• Small group and individual meetings

 
The market's development is based on broad participation by citizens, local initiatives, and representatives of the city, the market office, and the trade. These representatives contribute a wide range of perspectives. The new Karmelitermarkt will be a place for people to meet, learn, and interact—a piece of living urban culture for all generations. Exchange with different interest groups will be encouraged. This type of collaboration intensifies discussion and promotes a climate of exchange and cooperation. We are looking for committed students who are ready to face the realities of architectural practice and the visions of the future. Getting to know different perspectives and preparing for your future career field will help you gain experiences and explore the professional field for your future.

Consolidation
To gain a consolidated view of the course content, the following courses are offered as part of the designing

• Exercises in the space laboratory LV253.G73 4ects and 

• Excursions LV 253.365 2ects

Exhibition and publication
The projects are presented publicly. A publication documents the projects. Discussions promote debate on the content.