Vienna International Centre
| Vienna International Centre | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Office, conference, used by approx. 5000 employees of international organizations |
| Location | Donaustadt, Vienna, Austria |
| Coordinates | 48°14′05″N 16°25′01″E / 48.23472°N 16.41694°E |
| Current tenants | United Nations Office at Vienna |
| Construction started | 1973 |
| Completed | 1979 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 127 m (417 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 28 (building A) |
| Floor area | 230,000 m2 (2,480,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Johann Staber |
| Website | |
| unvienna.org | |
The Vienna International Centre[1] (VIC) is the campus and building complex hosting the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV; in German: Büro der Vereinten Nationen in Wien). As colloquially also known as UNO City, the VIC is only the one part of it. The other one is the Austria Center Vienna[2] (ACV).
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The VIC, designed by Austrian architect Johann Staber, was built between 1973 and 1979 just north of the river Danube. The initial idea of setting up an international organization in Vienna came from the Chancellor of Austria Dr. Bruno Kreisky.
Six Y-shaped office towers surround a cylindrical conference building for a total floor area of 230,000 square metres. The highest tower stands 127 metres tall, enclosing 28 floors.
About 5,000 people work at the VIC, which also offers catering and shopping facilities and a post office (postal code 1400 Wien). Two banks (Bank Austria and United Nations Federal Credit Union offices), travel agents and other commercial services have offices on the premises.
The VIC is an extraterritorial area, exempt from the jurisdiction of local law.[citation needed]
Complementing the ongoing asbestos removal works in the VIC, a new conference building has been put into service in 2009. This facility, previously designated “C2”, now termed “M Building”, was constructed over the existing parking deck near the southern perimeter of the campus.
The M building is hosting all conferences while the C building, where the VIC conference facilities were originally located, is undergoing renovation from 2009-2013. Both buildings will later be used for meetings. Larger conferences can be accommodated in the neighbouring Austria Center Vienna[3] (ACV), a separate conference and exhibition centre with a capacity of 6,000, which is with the VIC campus part of the UNO-City. The ACV has an indoor link to the VIC buildings.
[edit] Organizations
A major UN site along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, the VIC hosts several organizations:
- Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO; German: Organisation des Vertrags über das umfassende Verbot von Nuklearversuchen)
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA; German: Internationale Atomenergieorganisation, IAEO)
- United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL; German: Kommission der Vereinten Nationen für internationales Handelsrecht)
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO; German: Organisation der Vereinten Nationen für industrielle Entwicklung)
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; German: Büro der Vereinten Nationen für Drogen- und Verbrechensbekämpfung)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR; German: Hoher Flüchtlingskommissar der Vereinten Nationen)
- United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA; German: Büro der Vereinten Nationen für Weltraumfragen)
- International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR; German: Internationale Kommission zum Schutz der Donau)
Three other notable international organizations headquartered in Vienna, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), occupy facilities outside the VIC.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The official name uses British spelling (Centre), following UN conventions.
- ^ In contrast to the VIC, the ACV officially uses American spelling (Center).
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vienna International Centre |
- Visitors Service UNIS at the VIC
- Additional conference building to be completed in 2008
- Austria Center Vienna
- United Nations Office at Vienna
Coordinates: 48°14′05″N 16°25′01″E / 48.23472°N 16.41694°E
