Designed by Neumann and Partners and measuring a rather modest, as far as towers go, 75m in height this is one of several new tower developments that have appeared along the Danube Canal in recent years. The group have sparked heated debate due to their proximity to Vienna's historical centre; which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. However despite this they have been built regardless with the added consequence that with each new winning tower design the height restrictions are generally deliberately broken and approved by the city planners giving the existing towers the automatic right to extend upwards and new higher buildings to be planned.
Vienna's river front has a communist, slightly tired feel to it with little in the way of historic content, therefore what to build has been difficult with little existing context with which to relate. The result is that default, rather nondescript international hightech modern has been settled upon as a solution, occasional and vague overtures are made to the surroundings through built form and cladding treatments but the function of the buildings as gateways to Vienna's second district is citied as the primary justification for their form and height. One wonders how many 'gateways' the district really needs however.
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