With HELIO TOWER, BUWOG has already completed its second extraordinary residential tower in 2022. Developed together with BEHF Architects and with a name inspired by the sun god Helios, the tower is approximately 110 metres high, has over 400 residential units and is a central element of the urban development area “The Marks” on the former site of the MGC Plaza in Vienna’s 3rd district.

The official handover of the keys took place on 14 November 2022 in the presence of District Manager Erich Hohenberger and Municipal Council member Marcus Schober. The new residents can look forward to modern, brightly lit apartments with high ceilings, a marvellous quality of amenities and their own private areas in the form of glassed-in loggias and balconies with fantastic views over the nearby Prater and the Danube Canal all the way to St. Stephan’s Cathedral and the Leitha mountains in the east. Of the 401 residential units, 173 are rentals under the Vienna Housing Initiative.

BUWOG Managing Director Andreas Holler on the project: “The combination of privately financed condominiums and rental apartments under the Vienna Housing Initiative will also ensure a favourable demographic mix featuring residents from every age group and in a variety of family situations. This will make the tower even more attractive, especially for urban target groups who appreciate the proximity to the centre, the modern mobility solutions comprising a bicycle arcade and mobility station and the direct proximity to the event hall under construction nearby.”

District Manager Erich Hohenberger adds: “With its unique concept, HELIO TOWER is a distinctive feature in the new district and also ensures that living ‘in a high-rise’ is enabled for a broad section of the populace.”

In keeping with BUWOG's digitalisation offensive, the HELIO TOWER apartments are being handed over entirely on a digital basis.

Well thought-out architecture and sustainability in practice

One of three high-rise buildings, HELIO TOWER was built at Döblerhofstraße 10 on a base that includes meeting, recreational and supply facilities. The brainchild of the Viennese architectural firm BEHF, the architecture of the residential tower is a strong example of new qualities for housing and living. HELIO TOWER stands out as a particularly elegant and discreet structure beside the towers adjacent to it. As a result of a second external glass façade that can be opened, open areas which are protected from the wind and can therefore be used at all times have been created at lofty heights. With a depth of around 60 cm and loggias up to 3.60 m wide, this “skin” provides room for plants, seating units and deck chairs, expands the residential space and redefines the quality of living in the tower.

With a substantial share of subsidised apartments, HELIO TOWER is unusual among the residential towers currently under construction in Vienna. Of the total of 401 residential units of 38 to 120 sqm, 228 are condominiums on upper floors 16 to 33. The 173 rental apartments under the Vienna Housing Initiative are being built from the 1st to the 15th floor. “Our tower demonstrates what BUWOG stands for: We develop attractive apartments in prime locations for various target groups, focusing on social sustainability and state-of-the-art residential comfort,” Andreas Holler says.

Municipal Council member Marcus Schober on BUWOG’s modern tower project: “A key success factor of the Viennese housing model has always been that Vienna builds for every need. However, there has always been and still is sufficient scope for innovation and for new projects. In this sense, I’m highly pleased that HELIO TOWER is a genuine enrichment for our city of Vienna and that the first residents can now move in.”
 

Mobility concept and modern art make the residential tower one-of-a-kind

During the construction of HELIO TOWER, special emphasis was not only placed on social sustainability; developing a sustainable mobility concept was also a priority. In what for Austria is a unique bicycle arcade, there is space for 2,000 bicycles site-wide. A car-sharing model with electric cars and city bikes as well as electric cargo bikes also ensure a readily available offer of environmentally friendly mobility across the site. In addition, up to 27 charging stations featuring smart load management are available in the BUWOG car park area alone.

HELIO TOWER’s entrance area also offers residents and visitors quite a special experience: in the spacious and open foyer, several works by Austrian artist Anouk Lamm Anouk, developed especially for the residential tower, will soon be on display.