A group of real estate experts had an inspiring on-site visit organized by the Academy for Continuing Education at TU Wien. The destination of the excursion was the self-governed housing project "Mauerseglerei" (www.mauerseglerei.at, opens an external URL in a new window), which was led by architect and resident Ralf Aydt. Aydt, not only co-initiator of this housing project, also member of the "Initiative Gemeinsam Bauen und Wohnen" and also author of the book "Modell Nachbarschaften", recently published by Ökom Verlag, presented not only innovative aspects of sustainable living, but also the concrete implementation in practice, as seen in the visited project "Mauerseglerei".

Locally rooted and at the same time part of an Austria-wide network, Aydt's tour reflected the efforts being made to create socio-ecological neighborhoods. The participants not only gained insights into the architecture, organization and self-administration of the housing project, but also benefited from Aydt's profound expertise and experience.

With such practical activities, the Academy for Continuing Education at TU Wien is taking an important step towards offering its students and graduates from the real estate sector insights into future oriented concepts and promoting an open dialogue about (sustainable) housing. In recent years, an increasing number of housing projects or so-called building groups have been created, expanding the range of residential property in Vienna.