Vienna boasts an illustrious architectural history. The architectural present and the future are also looking bright, as this overview of the city’s most thought-provoking construction projects shows.
There is much more to architecture in Vienna than the baroque Schönbrunn Palace, Otto Wagner’s Postsparkasse building or the Loos building on Michaelerplatz. Other architectural gems around the city include Hans Hollein’s Haas Haus, which reflects St. Stephen's Cathedral in its glass facade; the MuseumsQuartier, one of the ten largest arts centers in the world; and the Gasometer towers which were given a new lease of life by star architects Jean Nouvel and Coop Himmelb(l)au. The future also has plenty of cutting-edge architectural highlights in store.
The first floors of a high rise building designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Jean Nouvel are now visible beside the Danube Canal, which borders the historic city center. This multipurpose 19-floor building is located next to Hans Hollein’s Media Tower at the start of Taborstrasse. Built according to designs by Nouvel, the tower’s highlights include a five-star hotel. In fall 2009 construction work will begin on a pair of spectacular skyscrapers (220 and 170 meters high) in the 22nd district‘s Donau City. French architects Dominque Perrault supplied the design for the new DC Towers.
World-famous architects are also involved in creating the new campus for the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, in the 2nd district. The new university facilities at the 90,000 m2 site next to the Messe Wien are scheduled for completion by 2012. Zaha Hadid will provide the inspiration for the Library & Learning Center, while the university faculty buildings are being planned by the United Kingdom’s Peter Cook and CRABstudio Architects in cooperation with Hitoshi Abe from Japan, as well as Spain’s Eduardo Arroyo, NO.MAD Arquitectos and Carme Pinos. Vienna-based BUSarchitektur + Partner is responsible for general planning. Construction will start this fall.
The wait for Vienna’s new central station will be slightly longer than for the new university campus. Building work is due to start in 2010 at the site of what is now Südbahnhof. Parts of the station will become operational in 2012, ahead of completion in 2015. This project has also attracted leading international architects including Renzo Piano who will be designing an office building at the site
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