Heumarkt project operator: “Starting construction before the end of 2028 is unrealistic”

UNESCO has removed Vienna from its list of endangered World Heritage sites, but the decision does not amount to final approval for the controversial Heumarkt project. Several issues remain unresolved, despite the World Heritage Committee’s recent ruling that the planned tower meets the organization’s criteria.

The redevelopment plan includes demolishing and rebuilding the Hotel InterContinental and adding a 50-meter tower inside Vienna’s World Heritage zone. The UNESCO decision specifically refers to a height of 49.95 meters for the new building.

The ruling, adopted at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan, South Korea, came as a major surprise to many observers. The Heumarkt project, including the residential tower planned by investor Michael Tojner’s WertInvest, led to Vienna’s placement on the endangered list in 2017. The city remained there for nine years.

The operator now says that construction starting before the end of 2028 is unrealistic. UNESCO’s decision has changed the project’s international heritage status, but it has not settled all the remaining questions surrounding the development.

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Starting construction before the end of 2028 is unrealistic.