For several decades from the end of the 19th century, a type of public baths known in Vienna as ‘Tröpferlbad’ were the only way for the city’s residents to keep themselves clean. Today, there is less focus on hygiene: “coolspots” are intended to improve the quality of life in the city on hot days. Airship.01 in the MuseumsQuartier Vienna, photo: Waldhör KG

For several decades from the end of the 19th century, a type of public baths known in Vienna as ‘Tröpferlbad’ were the only way for the city’s residents to keep themselves clean. Today, there is less focus on hygiene: “coolspots” are intended to improve the quality of life in the city on hot days. Airship.01 in the MuseumsQuartier Vienna, photo: Waldhör KG

Tröpferlbad 2.0
“Coolspots” as cool urban oases

How is it possible to plan, develop and implement “cool retreats” in the heart of the city? This is currently being investigated and tested by Green4Cities GmbH in cooperation with the Breathe Earth Collective, and in collaboration with the City of Vienna and numerous partners*, in the project Tröpferlbad 2.0.

“Coolspots” are cooling-optimised outdoor spaces which have a noticeably lower temperature on hot days. These mobile spaces, constructed from lightweight elements, should have a modular and flexible design and are intended for use throughout the urban area, adapted to the location in question. The open spaces, where the city’s residents can recover from high temperatures, will be equipped with “green” and “blue” infrastructure. Shading elements, fans and spray mist systems support the plants with evapotranspiration and help to cool the air in a natural way.

Technical, ecological and social aspects of the concept are being explored within the framework of this application-oriented research project. To ensure climate effectiveness, microclimatic simulations are carried out using GREENPASS®. Findings on the microclimate, the materials used, the provision of energy and user behaviour are collected and analysed. Participation measures for ensuring public involvement are also being developed and tested.

Initial prototypes will be implemented on the basis of these findings. In the medium term, the City of Vienna wants to create a network of cool urban oases distributed across the entire city.

Airship.01

This mobile art installation is a prototype for a cooling-optimised urban open space. The forest oasis cleans the air, cools the urban space and produces fresh oxygen for visitors. The installation was developed in 2016 by the Breathe Earth Collective on behalf of Österreich Werbung as a further development of the award-winning Expo pavilion “Breathe Austria” in Milan.

* Project partners
Green4Cities GmbH, Breathe Earth Collective, City of Vienna (MA 18, MA 20, MA 22, MA 25 and KBI), Austrian Society for Environment and Technology, Urban Innovation Vienna GmbH, Rockets Holding GmbH, Wien Energie GmbH, Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH, Die Treiber e.U.
 

 

  • Airship.01 , MuseumsQuartier Vienna (until 15 September 2019), Home to 12 trees and 200 shrubs, the pavilion is open to the sky and equipped with a reflective outer membrane, fans and a spray mist system, photo: Waldhör KG
    Airship.01 , MuseumsQuartier Vienna (until 15 September 2019), Home to 12 trees and 200 shrubs, the pavilion is open to the sky and equipped with a reflective outer membrane, fans and a spray mist system, photo: Waldhör KG