Old building monitoring in Hietzing: 302 houses checked - small defects discovered

Old building monitoring in Hietzing: 302 houses checked - small defects discovered

As part of the “Old Building Protection Offensive” initiative, specialists from the City of Vienna are currently traveling in the Hietzing district to examine the condition of historical buildings. This measure aims to protect old buildings that are worth protecting from imminent decay. Such controls have been underway in several districts of Vienna for a year in order to protect valuable living space that is at risk from deliberate dilapidation.

In the past, many old houses were intentionally brought into a condition considered “economically condemnable” so that they could be legally demolished. In order to counteract this trend, the city administration and the responsible authorities have launched the “Old Building Protection Offensive”. Fortunately, a total of around 4,300 buildings throughout Vienna have already been checked.

Review of the Wilhelminian style houses in Hietzing

When the inspections began in Hietzing in October, a total of 302 houses were inspected. The teams, which consist of employees from MA 37 – Construction Police and the “Immediate Measures Group”, documented the condition of the Wilhelminian style houses. During the inspections, no complaints were found in 249 of the buildings inspected, although there were minor structural and fire safety deficiencies in 53 properties.

The predominant defects were mostly small in nature. This often involved damage to the facade, such as wear and tear on decorative elements, damage to the plaster or glazing. No particularly serious defects were found and no building was considered to be in serious disrepair. This is a positive sign for the preservation of the building substance in the district.

Continuation of controls

Deputy district leader Marcel Höckner (SPÖ) welcomes the measures and the rapid implementation of the initiative in Hietzing. “We have many old and valuable buildings in the district and it is important to preserve them,” said Höckner. He emphasized that not only aesthetics must be valued, but access to affordable housing should also be maintained.

The “Old Building Protection Offensive” will continue in Hietzing, with further inspection dates already planned for November 27th and the beginning of January. The mobile operations center of the Vienna City Service will be present on these dates and will provide advice to both residents and experts. The times for the inspections are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

However, the responsibility does not end with the controls. The building police will continue to pay attention to the buildings inspected even after the inspections. As Gerhard Cech, head of the construction police, explained, all defects identified must be systematically followed up. The legal framework and deadlines are clearly structured so that potential problems can be addressed promptly.

If defects are not remedied quickly enough, this can become more expensive in the long term as the structural substance is further damaged by neglect. Cech emphasizes that it is important to take the new regulations seriously in order to safeguard the heritage and quality of life in Vienna. The initiative has already shown initial success and will continue to be actively pursued to preserve the city's beautiful historic buildings.