In 2018, the City of Vienna and City of Vancouver signed a Memorandum of Cooperation that would see the two cities share knowledge and advance innovation in low-carbon affordable housing. Specifically, the agreement commits the cities to:
…share insights on innovative new building approaches, effective market transformation programs, and research associated with different building approaches and standards…
The City of Vienna (population 1.9 million) is a world leader in innovative high-performance social housing solutions. Each city’s green building program leaders will compare notes on solutions and approaches, and each will build a building named after its counterpart. While there is a Vienna House in Vancouver, there will also be a Vancouver House in Vienna.
Vancouver House will consist of 107 rental units, a kindergarten, 12 units for assisted living, and 11 units for single parents, all in a hybrid wooden structure. Passive House level performance is required under the base building code in Vienna, so the building will be exceptionally energy efficient and low-emissions.