Vienna International Centre
The Vienna International Centre, simply known as VIC or UNO City, is the building complex that hosts U.N. organizations in Vienna.
The idea of building a home for the international organization came from the Prime Minister Bruno Kreisky. The structure of the UNO City was designed by local architect Johann Staber. It was built around 1973 to 1979, just a few blocks north from the river Danube.
The Vienna International Center, which has a total floor area of 230,000 square meters, features six Y-shaped towers, the highest being 120 meters tall with 28 floors. The VIC is home to 5,000 employees from banking, postal, catering, shopping and other business industries. For large conferences, the neighboring Austria Center Vienna can accommodate up to 6,000 people.
Inside the VIC are numerous collections of art and sculptures. Right at the entrance of the place, an amazing 15-foot sculpture by Edwina Sandys can be seen. This sculpture carved from white Carrara, entitled “Woman Free”, was created as part of the 10th anniversary of the Convention of the “Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” held in 1989.
As part of the structure’s Asbestos removal, the Vienna International Center would be opening a new conference building referred to as “C2” in mid-2008. The C2 would be located at the southern part of the UNO City.
The Vienna International Center hosts conferences from several organizations, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) U.N. Office at Vienna (UNOV), Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and The Comprehensive Test Ban Treat Organization (CTBTO).
