KOMET COMPETITION

LOCATION: VIENNA, AUSTRIA

DATE: 2004

PROGRAM: OFFICE, HOTEL, RETAIL

SIZE: 30,000 SM

The competition requested a highrise development in a sensitive residential area near a transportation hub and the exposed Vienna River. In this project, the program was distributed over the entire site in order to

reduce the overall height and massing of the buildings. Four towers of different heights contain hotel and offices over continuous retail space on the lower floors. Traffic is pushed to the perimeter of the site and a public plaza provides a bridge over the sunken riverbed and railroad tracks connecting the two sides of the city.

This project serves as a critque of the current strategy of creating single purpose, highrise development in Vienna. The design proposes a more coherent and far reachng solution for urban planning. It takes advantage of the growth of this district as a unique opportunity to reorganize the urban fabric, both new and old. This project challenges the given program to create a new landmark of more complex and multivalent buildings and urban spaces rather than a singular, symbolic highrise building.

CLIENT: City of Vienna

DESIGN TEAM: Mark Mack, Roland Hagmuler, Carlos Florez, Jason Marshall