CB21- Erdberg Tower Vienna | Coop Himmelb(l)au

The TownTown-project marks the eastbound portal of Vienna as the main element of an urban development zone. In terms of accessibility the location directly at the metro station U3 as well as near the interchange of the airport freeway and the south-eastern tangent freeway integrates the project conveniently in the town, and while respecting the urban planning standards it forms the basis for the development of an iconic architectural form. The Company Building 21, together with the already existing Company Building 03, forms an ensemble of contradicting forms and attitudes. The CB 21 was conceived as a soft dynamic form that rises above the piazza level up to 121 m. The sculptural building is self-consciously breaking the orthogonality of the whole ensemble. As a consequence of its rotated position at the end of a 300m long piazza it opens the space – for an extension of the public area via a bridge crossing small alley to the adjoining properties. In that landscaped area are planned a 200 m² pavilion-like café, a generous perron as well as a barrier-free vertical connection between the alley and the piazza level. The newly established alley obtains a walking distance connection to the metro station U3 “Erdberg” through a ramp. In the interplay between the constraints of technical, architectural, physical, aesthetic and economic requirements the design of the façade is not yet finalized. An essential creative requirement thereby is to maintain the soft building shape as an architectural concept, using façade elements which are highly performative in terms of building physics, with the proportion of transparent elements at about 60% of the façade over the whole building. This development process is not yet completed, the final articulation will be worked out in the next planning steps. In the urban context the Company Building 21 and the existing Company Building 03 form a memorable configuration of contradictory yet complementary formal attitudes.