| Ringturm | |
|---|---|
 Ringturm from the Donaukanal | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Office building |
| Type | Skyscraper |
| Town or city | Vienna |
| Country | Austria |
| Coordinates | 48°13′1″N 16°22′13″E / 48.21694°N 16.37028°E |
| Construction started | 1953 |
| Completed | 1955 |
| Opening | 1955 |
| Owner | Vienna Insurance Group |
| Height | 73 m (240 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 23 |
| Floor area | 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Erich Boltenstern |
Ringturm (Ring Tower) is a prominent skyscraper in Vienna, Austria, and is the headquarters of the Vienna Insurance Group. It was built from 1953 to 1955 after a design by Erich Boltenstern at the Schottenring. The tower is 73 m (240 ft) tall, with 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) of office space, and is the second highest building within the Vienna Ringstraße, after the Stephansdom. It is a venue for architecture exhibitions, and is known for being turned into a piece of art annually, wrapped in cloth designed by notable artists including Robert Hammerstiel, Xenia Hausner, Arnulf Rainer and Mihael Milunović.
The Ringturm tower was built from 1953 to 1955 after a design by Erich Boltenstern at the Schottenring, part of the Vienna Ringstraße.[1][2] The tower of 73 m (240 ft) was an innovative project when Vienna was reconstructed after World War II.[3] The building was erected on a property that held the only building of the Schottenring demolished in the war.[2] At 23 floors, it is the second highest building within the Vienna Ringstraße, after the Stephansdom.[1][2] The building has 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) of office space, and is the headquarters of the Vienna Insurance Group. It also houses offices of the Wiener Stadtwerke.[2] The facade and some other parts were reconstructed in 1996.[4]
The name was found by a competition. It was chosen from 6,502 suggestions, including City-Haus, Gutwill-Haus, Haus der Gegenseitigkeit, Hoch-Eck, Neues Hochhaus and Sonnblick-Haus.[2]
On top of the tower is a weather beacon (Wetterleuchtturm) 20 m (66 ft) in height. Its 117 lamps (39 white, red and green) indicate weather predictions for the following day by partly blinking and moving combinations. It is connected to the ZAMG (Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik), the centre for weather forecast on the Hohe Warte. The top has two aircraft warning lights.[2]
Beginning in 1998, architectural exhibitions have been displayed in the entrance hall free of charge. A series Architektur im Ringturm is focused on architecture of Austria, Central Europe and Eastern Europe. Regular television series of the ORF have been produced in the building, including Lebenskünstler with Helmut Zilk[5] and Kabarett im Turm.[6]
Since 2006, the Ringturm has been transformed into a piece of art each summer by being wrapped in cloth designed by prominent artists from Austria and Eastern Europe.[1] The cloth consists of 30 pieces, each 36 m (118 ft) wide and 63 m (207 ft) long.[7]
The projects have included:[1]
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