Vienna Biennale 2017 Explores 'Care + Repair' Urbanism at Former Nordbahnhof

The Vienna Biennale 2017, under the theme 'Care + Repair', has turned the former Nordbahnhof (North Station) into a public workspace where six international architecture teams are building prototypes to rehabilitate the site. Curated by Angelika Fitz and Elke Krasny, the three-year project focuses on reusing existing resources rather than tabula rasa redevelopment. The area comprises a built block and a future urban nature park, preserving a forty-year-old wild ecosystem. Fitz emphasizes working with what exists across material, cultural, and social levels. A key case study is Rotor/Brussels, known for material circulation projects. For the Biennale, Rotor created a white line demarcating the built and natural zones, and collaborated with the University of Applied Arts Vienna to catalog reusable materials on a software platform. Other initiatives include the 'City Factory: New Work' exhibition by IDRV, featuring 'Demonstrators' like Space Enabler by Paradocks and 'We Make, Give AI. Don’t waste AI' for aluminum recycling. Designer Kathrina Dankl leads a workshop where participants recreate objects in clay to let go of emotional attachments. The 'Team Wien Park' project offers modular wooden spaces for creative collaboration at Naschmarkt. The Biennale runs until October 1, 2017, across multiple venues including MAK, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Kunsthalle Wien, and Architekturzentrum Wien.