In the second half of the 20th century, industrialised and standardised housing production changed the outward appearance of many European cities dramatically. Prefabricated large-panel structures seemed a highly economical and efficient construction technique to eliminate housing shortages and improve both the quality of housing and the quality of life for the population at large. Since their emergence, however, prefabricated large-panel developments have been subject to growing criticism. Technical concerns have gradually begun to override those of urbanisation, architecture and culture. Structural defects as well as social problems are now considered to be concomitant aspects of prefabricated large-panel developments and have contributed to their negative image. Hence the central question must be: to what extent do the prefabricated large-panel developments of the 1960s to 1980s still meet the requirements of contemporary housing? This volume should contribute to a new discourse between scientific research, economics, architecture, politics and the public at large. The papers focus on five themes: Section A broaches the issue of the development of prefabricated large-panel housing from the initial concept to its realisation, both in the international and the specifically Viennese context. Section B presents the most important typological characteristics as well as the types of buildings and apartments in Viennese and Bratislava large-panel housing projects. The contributions in section C deal with housing culture and lifestyles during the era of prefabricated large-panel housing construction in Vienna and Bratislava. Section D discusses the positive and negative aspects of prefabricated large-panel housing, analyzes experts’ critiques and tenants’ opinions, and describes the research project’s methodology. Section E presents the results of the student competition Prefabricated Housing Estates - Modern Dwellings for Tomorrow, which was part of the research project.
