Linz is an industrial city known for its steel production. During the Second World War arms were produced on a large scale, employing a lot of people. Housing production boomed with the garden city concept serving as a role model used paradigmatically throughout the city for entire quarters. The E16 site derives from that era, displaying a coherent ensemble within a lush green setting; its buildings mainly date back to 1938, mixed in are some later additions with higher density. Its unique position – five minutes away from the train station and in close proximity to the centre – lifts the site above the city due to its topography. An idyllic place to live, however, the building’s floor plans are outdated, and parking extensively consumes public space.

The E16 site unifies crucial questions on contemporary living within an existing urban fabric asking for the quality of space to be enhanced by re-densification. Seemingly a paradox, an answer to the question on how to expand from within will be at the core of resilient cities striving to co-exist with our planet.