· Ernst Beneder and Anja Fischer, Vienna
· Dietmar Feichtinger, Paris
·Nicholas Grimshaw, London
·Wilhelm Holzbauer, Vienna
·Heinz Neumann, Vienna
·Gustav Peichl, Vienna
·Paolo Piva, Vienna
· Helmut Richter, Vienna

Because of its site near Vienna’s Ringstraße, the Franz-Josefs-Kai and Vordere Zollamtstraße, which contribute significantly to the city skyline, the new building must be sensitively incorporated into the surrounding structure. The new building will permit an attractive link between the city centre and the historically significant area of the Praterstrasse.

The planning of the new building must include areas for cultural activities. Events should make the site a lively place after office hours in the heart of Vienna. Another condition the competitors had to meet was that the new building should reflect the forward-looking philosophy of the client, and apart from meeting the formal requirements, it should contain all the technical facilities required for current future needs relating to ecology and the economy. A further requirement was that the architects should take into account a high degree of flexibility of the interior, so that rapidly occurring developments in the fields of office organization and telecommunications could be catered for.

The first round with the jury
In a first round with the jury, the projects of Dietmar Feichtinger and Heinz Neumann were rated highest. They were commissioned to develop their projects.

• Arch. Dipl.-Ing. Ferdinand Stracke (Chairman)
• Arch. Dipl.-Ing. Ernst Hoffmann (Deputy Chairman)
• Arch. Mag. Hans Hollein
• Arch. Prof. Josef Paul Kleinhues
• District Mayor Gerhard Kubik
• Planning Director Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Arnold Klotz
• Senator Dipl.-Ing Klaus Vatter
• Director General Herbert Schimetschek
• Chairman of the Management Board Dr. Gottfried Wanitschek
• Komm.-Rat Günther Sallaberger

The decision
In the second round, in April 2000 the majority of the jury voted for the project of Heinz Neumann.They commented on the unique and easily recognizable form. Through the “solitaire” building at the corner of Asperbrückenstraße/Untere Donaustraße a“joint” is created, so that there is a splendid connection between the 1^st and 2^nd Districts. Especially the ground plan shows great economy of space utilisation, and meets the requirement for flexibility.

Building volume (incl. 4 storeys)           

Gross floor area:32,866 m²

Net floor area: 21,126 m²

Gross enclosed space: 125,765 m³

4 storeys and a subterranean mezzanine

21 storeys above ground level

Height: c. 75 m

Heinz Neumann
Heinz Neumann was born in 1941 and studied at the Technical University of Vienna. (Diploma 1967). Even during his studies he gained practical experience in the office of Alvar Aalto and with Erko Virkkunen in Finnland and Jean Serrex in Switzerland. In 1968 we worked in the office of Karl Schwanzer, from 1969-70 he was head of the Building and Office Organisation Department of the Ford works in Vienna, and in 1973 he opened his own office.

Heinz Neumann, working in various partnerships and with his own office "Neumann & Partner", has realised residential, office and industrial buildings, for instance the major refurbishing of the Grand Hotel on Vienna’s Ringstrasse.

Timetable       
Beginning of applications for building permission from the authorities:from June 2000

Planned start:2001

UNIQA Project -
A visual focus on the Danube Canal skyline
The aim of Heinz Neumann´s plan was to create a visual focus as a future symbol of the Danube Canal skyline..
Its silhouette implies concentration on the first section, i.e. the area at the corner Untere Donaustraße/Asperbrückengasse/ Ferdinandstraße. Given that the site is a sensitive issue, the choice of an ellipsoidal plan allows a view from all floors of this high-rise building right across Vienna.

The ellipse spreads out as the height increases, and thus transforms the space outside to space inside and vice versa. The curve associated with the opening relates to all the important points of the opposite bank of the Danube (the confluence of the Wien River by the Urania) and ends in the precise direction of the Ring axis.. The slope selected for the expanding building permits optimum natural lighting for the lower floors, and maintains an appropriate distance from existing buildings.

The very open plan of the ground floor zone creates a generous space, extending the limited space at the crossing Untere Donaustraße - Aspernbrückengasse. The foyer uses a lot of glass, and its interior participates in the life of the surrounding terrain. The boundaries between interior and exterior are flowing.

The façade of the building facing the Danube Canal will be refurbished. An existing glass skin providing protection from noise (improvement of spatial quality) forms an architectonic link for the entire complex.

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