Accommodating some 13,000 residents and providing 20,000 jobs, an educational campus, and Vienna's largest green space of the last four decades, the Sonnwendviertel quarter is one of the most important urban development projects in the Austrian capital since the turn of the millennium, and not just because of its convenient location. Construction is now largely complete. The Metropolitan, financed by a private investor and designed by Delugan Meissl and Architektur Consult, is the final structure, marking the entrance to the new neighbourhood. The 20-floor structure stands on a wedge-shaped site next to the tracks of Vienna's main train station. The opposite side to the southwest is bordered by one of the quarter's most important access roads.
In Delugan Meissl's earlier residential buildings, the balconies and windows often feature abstract, Tetris-like forms. They continue this principle at the Metropolitan. What appears at first glance to be a purely ornamental facade has a practical purpose. The apartments on the northeast side fan out with triangular bay windows and balconies to reduce exposure to the railroad tracks and draw in the southern sun. On the southwest side, horizontal balcony slabs and vertical side walls make the facade seem almost calligraphic. On this side, a small forecourt separates the Metropolitan from the neighbouring hotel. The building bends inward to accommodate the shape of the plot, which also makes it appear less massive when seen from the front.
The upper floors hold no fewer than 370 one- to four-room rental apartments ranging in size from 30 to 83 m². They are accessed from the middle of the building along two V-shaped main corridors. The smallest studios face north and are arranged in a ring around the service core. They have a pass-through bathroom, a narrow pass-through kitchen, and a compact bedroom and living/dining area. On the south side are somewhat larger and more conventionally cut two-room dwellings. Two commercial units occupy the ground floor. The Metropolitan also provides a variety of tenant facilities on the first three upper floors facing the railway, including a co-working space and fitness room with an outdoor area. The communal roof terrace offers expansive views across the heart of Vienna.
