For some time now the Wieden district has been considering the idea of giving a striking artistic touch to the highly frequented Südtirolerplatz. For this reason a limited competition was organized.
The area in question is located at the traffic interface between the inner Favoritenstraße and Wiedner Gürtel. At this intersection the access route to one of the most central city zones merges with one of Austria’s busiest roads. The densely populated Favoriten district, which extends out to the southernmost outskirts of Vienna, borders on the fourth district which is close to the city center. Seen from the opposite perspective, Südtirolerplatz opens up towards the Gürtel artery, alluding to the routes that connect this square with Vienna’s southern exit roads.
The square becomes wider towards the Gürtel and is intersected diagonally by Favoritenstrasse, the main road lanes being separated by a long green traffic island. Further islands delineate the turnoff lanes in the direction of the Gürtel. The subway and suburban train lines as well as the tracks of the Südbahnhof (southern train station), |
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which is to be readapted during the construction of the future Central Train Station, heighten the significance of this location as one of Vienna’s major traffic and transport nodes. The task defined by the limited competition is to design a sculpture or object which the residents of the district Wieden and passers-by can identify with as something symbolic of this location. The green island located between the lanes, where there is already a foundation slab as well as power and water connections, is ideal as a location for an art project.
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