Huge potential – this is how new life should move into old attics

There are tens of thousands of attics in Styria that are fallow and unused for a dusty existence – with a “revolution in housing construction” these are now to become living space for Styrians. Without further sealing the ground, it was built quickly with a new conveyor system and innovative timber construction.

Housing Councilor Hans Seitinger (ÖVP) has done his arithmetic problem: “There are 400,000 buildings in Styria, 340,000 of them are inhabited, most of them could use the attic. That results in a gigantic area in which all the townspeople of Upper Styria could be accommodated. ”In Graz alone there would be 36,000 people who could get a new home high up,“ from single units to social housing and exclusive penthouse ”. There are several birds that Seitinger catches with one stone. As is well known, the demand for living space is increasing enormously, “this could be met by existing but so far unused space. Without further sealing the ground – we need the green spaces! Simply by what is already there. ”And this inventory obviously needs renovation, which is in the millions anyway. Scientists from Graz University of Technology have scrutinized 45 historic roofs in the state capital. The result: “82 percent of them will have to be repaired within the next five years,” says wood construction expert Gerhard Schickhofer. At the same time, you should also convert the interior into living space and create something “clever”. According to the planners, not even the monument protection should be bothered by it – because the shell doesn’t change. The TU experts did not invent the “Faltwerk” solution, but perfected it – the possible span also corresponds exactly to the classic attic. In this way, living space is created very quickly using finished modules. Seitinger has attractive incentives to start the engine: On the one hand, homeowners can apply to build a prototype of such an attic for themselves. On the other hand, the funding program offers financial treats. Seitinger: “Property developers and municipalities will probably approach us now.”
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