If you deliver electricity, gas and heating to around two million people, 230.000 businesses and industrial facilities, and 4,500 farms in the Greater Vienna area, one thing is certain: the completely redesigned Wien Energie head office, to be opened in 2020, will be a sustainable gem and energize its employees in a natural, open and tangible space.
Great views over the city
Wiener Energie commissioned the architects of Schenker Salvi Weber after they won their special design competition in 2018. In the spatial plans, the architects of Schenker Salvi Weber have tried to maximize the utility of the existing architecture, elevate its usability whilst adding to the atmosphere.
‘Within the old offices of Wien Energie, the employees couldn’t enjoy the great view over the city due to the high balustrades of the windows. The pathways were not clearly arranged, the lighting deficient and the overall atmosphere was not very communicative.’
The architectural team enlarged the window openings and opened the office floors to turn them into an open landscape. They chose a warm and haptical materialization as well as a cheerful color palette: ‘The organizing office furniture is floating over the ground to demonstrate a floating and generous space. The wooden oak fins around the core guarantee best acoustic properties,’ the architects explain.
‘A communicative office landscape with privacy areas and meeting rooms for concentrated work.’
Flourishing Rombo office parks
The interior of the new Wien Energie HQ is styled with many natural elements: wood, carpet, textiles – ideal acoustics and a warm color scheme. Combined with the diamond shaped Cascando Rombo planters, seats and tables and Cascando’s scrumhocker Pully, the architects aim to achieve a flexible kit comprised of working clusters, creative cubicles and wardrobe areas.
Rombo planters and seating elements together form little office parks in the new set-up, while Pully hockers allow employees to quickly sit together and arrange an informal meeting place. Beneficial designs to the communicative office landscape of Wien Energie, with a profound mix of intimate privacy areas and meeting rooms for concentrated work. Accessible working areas that will surely bring out the energy to do great work.
