DC Towers in Vienna by Dominique Perrault

On Wednesday, February 10, 2010, the construction of a pair of skyscrapers in the Vienna district of Donau-City was started. The project, named "DC Towers," comes from Dominique Perrault, whose Paris office won a competition in 2002 with a proposal for the redevelopment of the Danube waterfront near Reichsbrücke.
The first tower, "DC Tower 1," is being financed by Bank Austria, but the second tower will have to wait another three years for its realization. The 220-meter high tower is expected to become the tallest building in Vienna upon completion. In the first phase, however, a lower building will be constructed, measuring "only" 160 meters.
Perrault's office worked on the concept together with architects Hoffmann und Janz. Their original design Pink Towers, featuring rounded pink protrusions, was ultimately replaced by a broken crystal with sharp edges. In addition to offices and a fifteen-story hotel, a restaurant is planned to be located on the highest floors (57-58), below which loft apartments will be situated. The building will be equipped with energy-efficient elevators and possibly solar panels on the facade.
The almost eight-year delay in construction was initially caused by issues with resolving the facade and other technical details, to which was later added the lengthy search for hesitant tenants. The current investor was eventually motivated to proceed with construction by the favorable prices in the construction industry. The first tower will cost a total of 300 million Euros and is expected to be completed in 2012. The modifications to the ground floor of the skyscraper and its plinth have been entrusted to the Viennese office Ortner & Ortner Baukunst.

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