Gasometer

The Gasometers in Vienna are four massive brick cylinders standing in the Simmering district. Built between 1896 and 1899 as part of the city’s gas works, they once stored town gas for street lamps and later for homes. Each held 90,000 cubic metres of gas inside a telescopic holder beneath a red-brick shell. After serving the city for decades, they closed in 1985 when natural gas replaced town gas. The Gasometers were saved from demolition and transformed into a mixed-use complex. In 1995, architects Jean Nouvel, Coop Himmelblau, Manfred Wehdorn and Wilhelm Holzbauer were chosen to redesign them. The interiors now hold apartments, offices, shops and cultural spaces, while the brick exteriors remain intact. A skybridge links the shopping levels of all four towers, creating a continuous indoor route. Inside, visitors find a music hall, a cinema, a student dormitory and a municipal archive. Around 800 apartments occupy the upper floors, with two-thirds inside the historic walls. The lower levels house shops and entertainment, making the Gasometers a lively place to walk through. The preserved brick facades and modern additions create a striking contrast of old and new.