The annual NHMF Study Tour is always a valuable opportunity to learn lessons from European social housing projects and have the chance to explore the sector from a different angle.

This year was no exception. Our objective was to understand the Viennese model of social housing, which is widely held as the world’s gold standard. We were joined by expert representatives from the Austrian Federation of Housing Associations andEurope’s largest public property manager,Wiener Wohnen. Our guides took us through a packed programme of presentations and field trips to explore some of Vienna’s most innovative projects.

During our two-day tour, the group gained a solid understanding of the key principles of Vienna’s limited profit housing associations (GBVs,) including their economic and environmental impact on the city.

With a mission to provide affordable housing for current and future generations and a strong commitment to long-term asset management and social innovation, there were plenty of insights for the group to reflect on and consider how they might be transferred to the UK housing sector.

We look forward to sharing more findings with you at the NHMF Maintenance Conference in January.

In the meantime, you can download this year's report using the link on the left.

Find out more

Vienna Study Tour Report

Our thanks to Gerald Anetzhuber at Wien-Süd for providing the following links:

Wien-Süd’s non-profit housing association

History of 112 years in Social Housing by Wien-Süd

Art in Architecture and how Wien-Süd redefined it