DC Tower 1, the tallest tower in Vienna, Austria, is now open. Designed by Dominique Perrault, this tower is one of two; the second is still under construction.
The building contains apartments, a hotel, a restaurant, and offices. But its main feature, aside from its height, is its dramatic folded glass façade.
The second tower will have a similar face, and will be angled in such a way that the two towers will frame views of the city from the Danube river.
“From the start the project offered a site with incredible potential: an open terrain, facing Imperial Vienna, embedded in the geography of the Danube, lying on a plateau on the river’s eastern bank, like a bridgehead to two Viennas.” said design architect Dominique Perrault.
Check out the tower below. All photos courtesy of Dominique Perrault Architecture.
DC 2 will be built with its facade facing that of DC 1.
"Towers floating above the ground are too severe, like architectural objects, objects in themselves. They must land, take root in the soil of cities, in places where their urban substance is found," Perrault said.
The interior of the towers is finished with materials that imitate the slick metal and glass exterior.
The building is intended to retain an industrial feel on the inside as well as the outside.
"The exposed concrete framework is touchable. Stone and metal used in lobbies and circulations contribute to the tower's generous and reassuring physicality," Perrault said.
From inside and on top of the building, visitors can see both The Danube and the entire city.
"The towers function as two pieces of a gigantic monolith that seems to have split into two unequal halves, which then open to create an arch with undulating and shimmering facades that bring the newly created public space to life in the void created there," said Perrault.
The 58-story tower soars above a public plaza in Vienna's Donau City district.
Renderings depict the two DC towers. Courtesy Dominique Perrault Architecture
Related Stories
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
Virtual collaboration helps complete a hospital in 24 months
PinnacleHealth needed a new hospital STAT! This team delivered it in two years, start to finish.
Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015
New arts venue reinvigorates Virginia Tech's campus
The STV-led Building Team creates a world-class performance and arts venue with learning and entrepreneurial dimensions.
BIM and Information Technology | Apr 9, 2015
A carboard box by Google can bring virtual reality to architecture
The global search engine giant has launched a new product, Google Cardboard, that easily allows users to experience virtual reality.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
Multifaced fitness center becomes campus landmark
A sloped running track and open-concept design put this Building Team to the test.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
Nation's first LEED-certified bus depot
A bus garage in Harlem shows that even the most mundane of facilities can strut its environmentally sensitive stuff.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
Setting the bar for port-of-entry design
Whenever you eat a tomato from Mexico, there’s a one-in-three chance it came through this LEED Gold gateway.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
Big D’s billion-dollar baby: New Parkland Hospital Tops the Chart | BD+C
Dallas’s new $1.27 billion public hospital preserves an important civic anchor, Texas-style.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
IPD-driven fusion facility serves science and student life in Chicago
In dire need of modern science labs and a student union, North Park University built both—in the same building.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
‘Prudent, not opulent’ sets the tone for this Catholic hospital
This Building Team stuck with a project for seven years to get a new hospital built for a faithful client.
Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015
9/11 museum triumphs over controversy
The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.
