Entwerfen 2 (847226) + Entwerfen 2 (847292)
Oswald Jenewein
Florian Lorenz
Georg Wieser
Mohsen Hajibabaei
Yannick Back
Daniel Klausner
Paul Treichl
Design Studio: Superblock. Superfuture.
Dates: MAR 3 – MAY 7, condensed workshop-style instruction
Questions: Oswald Jenewein, [email protected]
Description:
Architecture plays a crucial role in shaping resilient urban ecosystems and requires new forms of collaboration to address contemporary environmental challenges. This design studio explores the Alpine Superblock as a transformative approach to co-create climate-adaptive urban quarters that prioritize social well-being, ecological performance, and shared public space.
The studio is conducted in close collaboration with Studio LAUT, the practice leading Superblock implementation in Vienna and Innsbruck. Through this partnership, students engage directly with applied planning strategies, policy frameworks, and design intelligence emerging from ongoing Superblock projects.
Focusing on Innsbruck as a case study, students investigate how reorganizing city blocks through reduced vehicular traffic, expanded pedestrian zones, and integrated green infrastructure can mitigate heat islands, improve air quality, and support multispecies urban life. Working with human and artificial intelligence as cooperative agents, students develop adaptive architectural interventions that activate public space, strengthen the ecological and social fabric of the city, and reimagine the future of climate-responsive urban quarters.
Course environment:
Students work collaboratively in groups, with 15 participants from the University of Texas at Arlington and 15 from the University of Innsbruck.
Alpinestudio International Program:
The Alpinestudio International Program is the global campus of the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Innsbruck, focusing on climate-resilient cities in the Central Alpine Region. In 2026, the program theme aims to address the question: How can architecture act as a change agent for urban climates?