The rough edges of a social function
The Good Shepherd has always been home to a colorful flock of different “sheep”. In its form, you could almost think it is an urban square farm that has shaped its urban field – square farms of the kind often found in Austria’s rural areas and which are often the starting point for village development. Instead of green pastures, however, this farm is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city. What they have in common is that they combine different ways of living and working under one roof. Spring, summer, fall and winter of the year and of life find a structural representation in these four edges. The tasks of a Vierkanthof are composed like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. In the reorientation of the Good Shepherd, Caritas no longer wants to segment according to decades of life, but to ask itself what are the reasons why people will come to the Good Shepherd in future – from Four Seasons to Four Reasons.
The classic Vierkanter was the epitome of coalesced village units or ecclesiastical monastery buildings. This made it necessary to accommodate all the differences in one house. Even the ancient Romans understood this. Their Villa Rustica functioned according to the same principle. Stables, farm buildings, granaries, well huts and much more. – all in one courtyard and can still be seen in group courtyards today. A wide variety of people from different backgrounds found a place here: from the Italian guest workers of the Western Railway to the lords of the manor with all their generations.
The overlapping of different generations and professions has shaped the ecology of the building. In this sense, ecology does not mean the CO2 footprint or the biologically coined term. In this context, it rather means the fruitful and balanced coexistence that makes up a functioning system. People at different stages of their lives fertilized each other, learned from each other, helped each other. As is always the case in the course of history, at some point this trend reversed and society became increasingly segregated. The young moved to the city, special needs were catered for in special facilities and senior centers provided a home for the oldest generation. The ecology drifted apart in its components, into specialization – which brought a lot of good with it! But what fell by the wayside is written between the lines.
While digitalization is often accused of being to blame for everything, it actually has the potential to create an overall picture from the pixels. At the same time, we know that The more digital our world becomes, the more we need “real” spaces and encounters again. What haptics are to materials, undisguised eye contact is to experience. It is therefore crucial in real estate development not only to think in terms of euros perm2, but also to integrate the special features of social interaction. This calculation brings new benefits, which Caritas in particular is able to provide.
What does this mean when applied to the Good Shepherd?
Specialization makes sense, segregation only to a limited extent. The Good Shepherd gathers the pixels of his flock back together so that they form a big picture in the network. People of different origins and backgrounds come together under the Caritas umbrella: students from all over the world, people with disabilities, the silver generation, families in need, people on the run… They create cohesion and community in the building, which can tell the most diverse biographies. This also means that there are no fences between the flocks of sheep, which in the case of such buildings are often wings, towers or corridors. In this house, the stigma of the building section is lifted. No one should recognize a person’s personal problems by their room number. The mix of residents takes into account the positive influences of people from different biographies and stages of life. Experience is valued and the youthful perspective is gladly accepted. Colorful in the sense of social diversity but not in the sense of wholeness – even Pipi Longstocking knows that. Living together also strikes a balance between privacy and society. Those who have a troubled history seek peace and quiet. Those fleeing loneliness seek sociability. The concept of participation is applied where it makes sense. This type of implementation can also be used to help cases that are misplaced in institutions. And also cases for which accommodation, for example in an emergency shelter, could result in a very harsh notch, which they already have due to their emergency situation. They are not forced out of society due to their need and can participate again without stigmatization when they are ready.
The advertising sign
Caritas can accompany people in all decades of their lives. In art and music, the metaphor of the four seasons is often used for this. Even a hotel chain advertises with the name Four Seasons. Segmenting the Good Shepherd according to decades of life runs counter to the concept. Rather, the aim is for people with a similar mindset to meet and get to know each other there. At the same time, people in special situations or circumstances should be offered a positive life situation. So it’s not about the “season” that brings people to the building, it’s about the “reason”. Therefore, the long-established aspect is taken up, and its familiarity is also used and reinterpreted. Thus, the metaphorical advertising sign does not say “Four Seasons” but “Caritas Four Reasons”. This wording and understanding runs through the entire hotel – from gimmicks on the menu to the communication channels.
A clustering of the Four Reasons could look like this:
- Living
- Leisure / Hobby / Society / Community / Encounter
- Accompaniment / support / advice
- Need
Here, neighborhood means community and it is formed along these needs. The community manager and caretaker is the central position in this building. They are the ones who bring the tenants together, plan events, identify and track down needs, notice grievances and find solutions. They are also the “media center” – in a figurative sense. It is also up to them to find the balance of living together at Four Reasons and to develop a feel for it.
The imagined Vierkanthof must once again take on a vital function – for an entire district. As CMb.industries is involved in the development of the area around the Capuchin monastery, it is recommended that dialog be sought here. In this way, the ecology can be further expanded and the “Caritas Four Reasons” can become a formative pulse generator for the entire district.
