Pier 22

Luxury for All!
Pier 22, formerly known as Sunken City, is a modern and multifaceted public space within a natural park landscape. Architecturally and atmospherically, a new centre on the Danube Island is being created. Thanks to its excellent connection to the U-Bahn, it functions as a citywide, connective place.
The program of Pier 22 focuses on a new quality of public space: high amenity value, free public offerings, robust yet high-quality materials, and a wide range of possible uses. The result is a year-round recreational landscape for Mind, Soul and Body — inclusive architecture that democratizes luxury through amenities that are elsewhere often reserved for exclusive club members.

Previously, retaining walls divided the area into narrow corridors that were difficult to cross; large surfaces were sealed and accessible only through consumption. As part of Pier 22, these structures were removed. In their place, green slopes, terraced platforms, and low-barrier cross-connections now link the island path, waterfront, sports areas, recreational zones, and bathing areas. Where needed, dry-stone walls replace concrete edges, creating openings for vegetation and wildlife.

SOUL
A Waterfront Promenade for strolling and lingering
An extensive bathing landscape with a long promenade brings a sense of holiday to the city and invites visitors to stroll along the water. Improving access to the river was central: seating steps lead down to shallow areas suitable for children, while large larchwood decks offer generous sunbathing surfaces. A circular platform appears to hover above the water.
Green islands and suspended nets add further spatial qualities for the diverse needs of Danube visitors, complemented by public showers.

Curved paths create fluid connections between the upper path and the riverbank, turning the slopes into a lively recreational landscape. Yellow bathing platforms, scattered like confetti across the hillside, mark places for sitting, lying and relaxing. Generous picnic areas with individual tables and a long, curved communal table in soft pastel tones allow even large groups to gather comfortably.
Where necessary, dry stone walls replaced concrete edges, providing niches for vegetation and wildlife.

Returning to the Original Vegetation
Planting with year-round grasses, native perennials and new, resilient trees reconnects the site to the river’s floodplain landscape. Vegetation along the riverbank and across the slopes provides shade, improves the microclimate and strengthens biodiversity.
The Park-Working area offers outdoor workspaces furnished in soft pastel tones. Curved balconies extend over the promenade, shaded by pergolas and opening views to the Danube. Public Wi-Fi, good lighting and free lockers create a true alternative to overheated indoor spaces — spontaneous, free and open to all.

BODY
Future Fitness Zone – An Outdoor Gym with River View
The Future Fitness Zone forms a sports landscape with a red rubber surface. Robust fitness equipment and custom-designed furniture align with the colour palette, while the shade of large trees creates comfortable training conditions, especially in the afternoon, with views of the water and the lighthouse.
Several stations feature adjustable resistance; many are accessible even for wheelchair users. The entire area is barrier-free and supplemented by lockers and water fountains — offering a real alternative to a traditional gym membership.

Multifunctional Sports Field – A sheltered activity space for the whole year
Directly adjacent, the Multifunctional Sports Field continues the colour and material of the Future Fitness zone. A waterproof roof shields from the rain and extends the season into colder months. A transparent net encloses the playing field without obstructing views of the Danube or the Viennese skyline. Colour-coordinated waiting benches define the field edges.
PV panels locally generate electricity for the lighting, allowing evening use throughout the year.

BUILDINGS
Outdoor Café
Downstream, the seasonal Outdoor Café — a solid brick building — marks the endpoint of the first construction phase. Its façade of Rauris natural stone continues across the terrace as polygonal stone slabs. A partially waterproof shading roof rests on a single large stone column, framing the terrace with views across the bathing landscape and the Danube. Public toilets, a drinking fountain and lockers are directly connected, providing essential infrastructure.

Pier 22 Café and Inselrestaurant
The two year-round gastronomic venues serve as key infrastructure points and are deliberately located outside the flood zone. Both buildings are solid timber constructions with colour-stained larch façades. Their building technology follows a low-tech approach: sensor-controlled roof lights enable natural ventilation, while PV panels generate on-site electricity.
Continuous natural stone flooring links interior and exterior spaces. Curved pergolas made of timber slats and slender steel beams create shaded transition zones to the terraces. Rounded glass façades open the interiors generously toward the Danube and the newly designed spaces for Body, Mind and Soul.

Thus, Pier 22 has become an open, robust and inclusive public space that strengthens the Danube Island as a place for everyone and expands its role as one of the city‘s central recreational areas.