InterContinental Vienna

Holabird and Root, an architecture firm that had played a major role in the development of the steel-frame skyscrapers in the United States, was commissioned to design the hotel, and in particular, to create a corporate identity for it.

At the time he was commissioned to prepare and supervise the construction of the InterContinental Hotel, Carl Appel was a well established architect.

Immediately following the Second World War, on account of their sound education and experience, Appel and colleagues such as Erich Boltenstern, Max Fellerer and Oswald Haerdtl played a role in the reconstruction of the city – a task that demanded economical construction methods.

The original design of the hotel envisioned a height of 50 metres, which was however ruled out due to urban planning constraints: firstly, the famed view from the Belvedere Palace to Vienna's historic centre would have been damaged, and secondly, a building of this height would have increased wind and endangering trees in the neighbouring Stadtpark.

In order to accommodate the demanding area requirements (504 hotel rooms, rooms for social events, extensive Building Services installations plus 240 parking spaces), he proposed a T-shaped floor plan and reduced the typical storey height to 2.45 metres.