flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]

Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]

The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.


By BD+C Staff | March 13, 2014

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

Office Buildings | Mar 5, 2015

Goettsch Partners unveils plans for dual office towers in Warsaw

The Mennica Legacy Tower development is divided into a 35-story tower located on the south east side of the site and a 10-story building on the west side.

Hotel Facilities | Mar 4, 2015

Hotel construction pipeline reaches six-year high

After a three-year bottoming formation, the pipeline for hotel construction has posted five consecutive quarters of double-digit year-over-year growth.

BIM and Information Technology | Mar 4, 2015

Why China's CCTV building needed a WiFi retrofit

It took a year-long retrofit to get WiFi transmission issues solved at China's iconic skyscraper.

High-rise Construction | Mar 4, 2015

Must see: Egypt planning 656-foot pyramid skyscraper in Cairo

Zayed Crystal Spark Tower will stand 200 meters tall and will be just a short distance from the pyramids of Giza. 

Transit Facilities | Mar 4, 2015

5+design looks to mountains for Chinese transport hub design

The complex, Diamond Hill, will feature sloping rooflines and a mountain-like silhouette inspired by traditional Chinese landscape paintings.

Energy Efficiency | Mar 4, 2015

DOE launches crowdsourcing website for technology innovators

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched a new crowdsourcing website called the Buildings Crowdsoucing Community to collect and share ideas by innovators for energy-efficient technologies to use in homes and buildings.

Multifamily Housing | Mar 3, 2015

10 kitchen and bath design trends for 2015

From kitchens made for pet lovers to floating vanities, the nation's top kitchen and bath designers identify what's hot for 2015.

Office Buildings | Mar 3, 2015

Former DuPont lab to be converted into business incubator near UPenn campus

The new Pennovation Center will provide collaborative and research spaces for educators, scientists, students, and the private sector.

Sponsored | BIM and Information Technology | Mar 3, 2015

The great debate: Is 3D PDF really BIM?

You can pull apart buildings, cut through floors, and view simulated animation for assembly instructions all within a PDF.

K-12 Schools | Mar 2, 2015

BD+C special report: What it takes to build 21st-century schools

How the latest design, construction, and teaching concepts are being implemented in the next generation of America’s schools.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Warehouses

California bill would limit where distribution centers can be built

A bill that passed the California legislature would limit where distribution centers can be located and impose other rules aimed at reducing air pollution and traffic. Assembly Bill 98 would tighten building standards for new warehouses and ban heavy diesel truck traffic next to sensitive sites including homes, schools, parks and nursing homes.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021