Apartment Building Unibrücke

The names of some cities do not require complex explanations. In the case of the Tyrolean Innsbruck, it is a literal translation of "Bridge over the River Inn". Bridges are meant to connect, yet both Innsbruck's riverbanks have retained their own character. While the right bank of Innsbruck attracts visitors with the historical sites of Emperor Maximilian, the left side has remained sheltered from tourist influxes and offers a quiet place to live on the southern slopes. However, near the University Bridge (Universitätsbrücke), peaceful living cannot be mentioned. At the corner of a busy intersection, local architect Gerhard Manzl designed a split house with two faces. While passersby perceive the building as a white plastered monolith scattered with a number of square windows, residents associate the house with balconies and a wooden atrium. A barrier-free access leads to the inner courtyard clad in vertical slats through an impressive gap that can easily be traversed by bicycle.
The corner of the house facing the busy intersection is cut off at the bottom to clarify traffic and create a larger sidewalk area for pedestrians waiting at the crossings. Simultaneously, a restaurant with a covered stand was created from which the surrounding bustle can be observed.
The entire block diagonally expands and responds to the heterogeneous buildings from the 1960s and 1980s (high-rise, solitaire, terraced, residential, commercial). The structure also carries over some elements (inner courtyards) from the historic center on the opposite bank of the River Inn.
In the ground floor of the building, in addition to the restaurant, there are also covered parking spaces. From the raised atrium, there is direct access to six rentable offices. In the upper floors, there are starter apartments that will satisfy mainly students, although the apartments on the top floor have a balcony and a reasonable size. In the southern part of the property, residents can use a playground located in quiet greenery, which forms a counterpoint to the traffic artery on the opposite side of the house.