In 2007, the company departure wirtschaft, kunst und kultur gmbh commissioned uma to compile a potential analysis of Viennese architecture in an international context.

The goal of this analysis was to specify the notion of innovation in the field of architecture, to give examples of innovative architecture, and to create a catalogue of requirements which could be used as a basis for further funding decisions by departure. Our findings relied on literature and internet research as well as on interviews and discussions with experts in the field of architecture.

We identified several types of projects on the basis of the various forms of innovation in architecture, of the chronology within the building process, of the value chain traversed during the construction and usage of a building and of possible types of collaboration in architecture.

The identified project fields related to architectural innovation (leaving out purely conceptual tasks) can be grouped into three areas: communication and consulting; combination of planning, construction and usage, and technological innovation.

On the occasion of a call (focus: architecture by departure in May 2008) and based on the potential analysis, uma published a white paper, which listed all innovation fields for which departure expects submissions. It contained a short introduction to the notion of innovation in general and more specifically applied to architecture, followed by definitions of construction tasks (living/room plans/architecture, public space/infrastructure/city construction, cultural architecture/museums, recreational and touristic architecture) and of cross-sectional matters (sustainability/energy efficiency, participation/construction groups/barrier-free construction, digital design techniques, virtual worlds).

Hopefully, this white paper will be the source of many great ideas, or at least will encourage people to continue their work on ideas which are not yet quite ripe.