Gasometer
Trademark
UnclaimedThe Vienna Gasometers are four historic gas-holder structures in Simmering that were converted into a mixed-use residential, commercial, cultural, and entertainment complex.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Gasometer is the commonly used name for the Vienna Gasometers, a group of four monumental former gas-holder houses in Vienna’s 11th district, Simmering. The structures were built between 1896 and 1899 as part of the municipal gas works established after Vienna assumed responsibility for its gas supply from the English firm Inter Continental Gas Association. Each building enclosed a telescopic gas holder with a capacity of approximately 90,000 cubic metres. The holders served as balancing and storage infrastructure for town gas, which was produced from coal and distributed through the city network. The four buildings were conceived as functional industrial infrastructure but were given imposing red-brick cylindrical shells. Each structure is approximately 70 metres high and 60 metres in diameter. Their technical role changed as Vienna moved from coal gas to natural gas between 1969 and 1978. Once the city’s energy system no longer required the holders, the gasometers were retired in the mid-1980s. The original internal gas-holder mechanisms were subsequently removed, while the protected brick façades and selected roof elements were retained. The site entered a new phase in the 1990s, when Vienna sought proposals for the adaptive reuse of the four monuments. The redevelopment was assigned to four architectural teams: Jean Nouvel for Gasometer A, Coop Himmelblau for Gasometer B, Manfred Wehdorn for Gasometer C, and Wilhelm Holzbauer for Gasometer D. Rather than treating the buildings as a single uniform complex, the project gave each gasometer a distinct interior and architectural expression while preserving the historic exterior walls. Completed principally between 1999 and 2001, the conversion organized the buildings into vertical mixed-use zones. Residential accommodation occupies upper levels, offices and workspaces are located in middle sections, and shopping, entertainment, and other public uses are concentrated near the lower levels. Skybridges connect the commercial areas of the four structures. The completed complex includes approximately 800 apartments, student accommodation, offices, retail facilities, cultural venues, a cinema, a music venue, and archival functions. The site is also associated with a substantial resident community and has become a recognizable destination for visitors interested in industrial heritage, architecture, and urban regeneration. The Gasometers represent a transition from industrial utility to heritage-led urban development. Their continued identity depends on the combination of preserved nineteenth-century masonry, contemporary interior architecture, residential use, and public programming. The complex is not a conventional consumer brand or a single operating corporation; it functions more as a place identity and destination brand for a landmark redevelopment in Vienna. Its international visibility was also increased by its appearance in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights. Today, the Gasometers remain active as a residential and commercial complex, cultural venue, architectural landmark, and tourist attraction.
History
The Vienna Gasometers originated in the expansion of Vienna’s municipal gas infrastructure at the end of the nineteenth century. Before the city developed its own facilities, town-gas supply had been provided under contracts involving the English Inter Continental Gas Association. When those arrangements expired, Vienna undertook to manage its gas requirements through municipal works. Four gas-holder houses were constructed in Simmering between 1896 and 1899, close to the Gaswerk Simmering complex. Each gasometer consisted of a large cylindrical telescopic gas holder set in a water basin and enclosed by a monumental red-brick building. The holders had a storage volume of about 90,000 cubic metres each. Coal was dry-distilled to produce town gas, which was stored before being distributed around Vienna. Initially, gas was used primarily for street lighting; by 1910, it was also being supplied for cooking and domestic heating. The buildings remained important components of Vienna’s gas system for much of the twentieth century. Their role declined after the city began converting from coal gas to natural gas, a process that took place broadly between 1969 and 1978. The gasometers were no longer needed for their original purpose and were shut down during the 1980s. The structures were subsequently emptied of most of their industrial machinery. Their historic brick outer walls were preserved because of their architectural and heritage value. In 1995, Vienna sought ideas for the future of the protected monuments. A proposal to create hotels and facilities connected with a planned World Expo involving Vienna and Budapest was not selected. Instead, the chosen scheme pursued a mixed-use conversion led by four architects. Jean Nouvel designed Gasometer A, Coop Himmelblau designed Gasometer B, Manfred Wehdorn designed Gasometer C, and Wilhelm Holzbauer designed Gasometer D. The work retained the distinctive exterior shells while inserting new structures and circulation systems inside them. The conversion was completed between 1999 and 2001. Each gasometer was divided into residential, commercial, and public zones. Apartments were placed toward the upper portions, offices and workspaces occupied intermediate areas, and shopping and entertainment facilities were arranged near the ground floors. Skybridges linked the shopping levels, helping create a unified destination from the four separate buildings. The resulting complex included roughly 800 apartments, student housing, offices, retail areas, a cinema, a music venue, and archival and other cultural functions. The formal opening took place on 30 October 2001, although residents had begun moving into parts of the complex earlier that year. The redevelopment established the Gasometers as an example of industrial-heritage adaptive reuse. They continued to serve practical urban purposes while also becoming an architectural attraction and tourist destination. Their public profile was reinforced by their appearance in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights, which used the distinctive structures as part of its visual setting. The modern Gasometer identity is therefore based on continuity and transformation. The complex preserves the visible nineteenth-century shells but no longer performs its original energy-storage function. Instead, it combines housing, work, commerce, entertainment, culture, and tourism in a prominent Vienna landmark. Because the name refers primarily to a place and architectural ensemble rather than a centralized commercial company, ownership, executive leadership, and consolidated financial information are not established in the available reference material.
- 2001
Mixed-use complex opens
[1]The redeveloped Gasometers open as a combination of residential, office, shopping, entertainment, and cultural facilities.
- 1999
Redevelopment work advances
[1]The selected architectural teams undertake the conversion of the four former industrial structures.
- 1995
Adaptive-reuse competition
[1]Vienna invites proposals for the redevelopment and revitalization of the protected monuments.
- 1985
Industrial operation ends
[1]The gasometers are retired after the city’s energy system has moved to natural gas.
- 1969
Conversion to natural gas begins
[1]Vienna starts transitioning away from coal-derived town gas, reducing the operational role of the gas holders.
- 1910
Domestic gas use expands
[1]Vienna begins introducing town gas for cooking and household heating in addition to earlier lighting uses.
- 1899
Four gasometers completed
[1]The four cylindrical gas-holder structures are completed and used to store town gas for Vienna.
- 1896
Construction begins
[1]Vienna begins building four gas-holder houses in Simmering as part of its municipal gas works.
Products and positioning
A landmark adaptive-reuse destination combining protected industrial architecture with housing, retail, offices, culture, entertainment, and tourism.
Adaptive-reuse building · 2001
Gasometer A
The first of the four redeveloped gasometers, designed by Jean Nouvel. Its preserved nineteenth-century brick shell contains modern residential, commercial, and public-use spaces as part of the larger mixed-use complex.
Adaptive-reuse building · 2001
Gasometer B
The second gasometer, redesigned by Coop Himmelblau. The project inserts contemporary architectural elements within the retained historic cylindrical façade and contributes to the complex’s housing, office, and public functions.
Adaptive-reuse building · 2001
Gasometer C
Gasometer C was redesigned by Manfred Wehdorn. It forms part of the four-building redevelopment and combines preserved industrial heritage with new interior spaces for residential, commercial, and other uses.
Adaptive-reuse building · 2001
Gasometer D
The fourth building, designed by Wilhelm Holzbauer, retains the historic brick exterior while accommodating contemporary mixed-use functions within the former gas-holder volume.
Mixed-use destination · 2001
Gasometer complex
The connected complex provides apartments, student accommodation, offices, shopping areas, entertainment, cinema, music, archival facilities, and cultural uses. Its skybridges connect the commercial levels of the four buildings.
Brand decisions
2001
Open the redeveloped Gasometer complexStrategyBackground
The former gas-storage buildings had been redesigned by four architectural teams while their protected exterior walls were preserved.
Action taken
Vienna opened the converted buildings as a vertically integrated mixed-use destination with housing, offices, retail, entertainment, and cultural functions.
Aftermath
The Gasometers became an active residential and commercial complex as well as an architectural and tourism landmark.
1995
Select adaptive reuse rather than demolitionStrategyBackground
After the gasometers had lost their industrial function, Vienna needed to determine how to preserve and reuse the protected structures.
Action taken
The city solicited redevelopment concepts and selected a mixed-use approach that retained the brick façades while inserting new residential, commercial, and cultural spaces.
Aftermath
The decision produced the contemporary Gasometer complex and established the site as a prominent example of industrial-heritage regeneration.
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