- It is now exactly five years since we moved into our new offices at Bloch-Bauer-Promenade 21, 1100 Vienna. What are your feelings about these 5 years? Have all your ideas and plans been realised?
We moved into our new office in September 2018. A lot has changed since then. Both globally and in terms of our group or company. We now have significantly more employees than before, we are established in Germany and have built two important pillars with our additional locations in Berlin and Frankfurt. We have also strengthened the first level of management by appointing David Krestan and Vanessa Platzdasch to the Management Board. So I am happy and positive about the way things are going. All my ideas and plans can never be realised because they are sometimes too demanding. During these five years, we have also had to solve problems with Corona and the development of prices and interest rates, which have been among the most difficult in my professional career. One event, however, has overshadowed everything else in those five years: The birth of my daughter Leonie.
- How long did it take to plan and implement the project? Is there a moment that stands out in your memory?
We implemented this project quickly and rigorously after the site search was completed. We started planning in mid-2015 and got everything up and running in just over 3 years. That is an incredibly short time to develop, plan, build and commission a site. There are several moments that stand out in my mind. But the most important moment was the signing of the financing agreement, because we also own our land.
- Was the location of the company always planned to be in the Sonnwendviertel or were there other possibilities considered at the time of planning? What was the deciding factor in the choice of location?
There were several considerations for the location of the new site. In the end, there were options in the 2nd, 10th and 19th districts. The optimal public transport connection, the development possibilities and the economic efficiency spoke in favour of the location Hauptbahnhof / Sonnwendviertel. These were the decisive factors.
- During the planning phase of the office, the Sonnwendviertel was still in the process of being built and was, in a sense, a “big construction site”. How do you see the area now? It has certainly been exciting to see it “live” from the windows, as a new neighbourhood emerges that reflects contemporary architecture.
It has indeed been a huge construction site. When we moved into our premises in September 2018, there was only one other completed project apart from ours. Everything else was a construction site or an abandoned space. In August 2023, the last building site was completed. The development is now complete. It can now be said that the development has been successful overall, as it is a really lively area. Especially on warm summer evenings. You can also see how much the open space has been accepted.
- In the last five years, not only has the location of the company changed, but there have also been many changes in the company. How would you reflect on what has happened in the company over the past five years and what are your wishes and ideas for the coming years?
I have already answered your question about the past five years and my perspective on them in the first question. As far as the future is concerned, we will continue on our path with a goal-oriented approach. We still have a lot of work to do. In particular, we need to position ourselves on the market as an integrated general planner and expand our position in German-speaking countries. When the time is right, we will tell you in detail what measures we will take. I don’t believe in talking a lot and not doing much. The secret of success is to start …