Russmedia

Twenty years on
More than eight different media brands operate under the umbrella Russmedia at the publishing company’s HQ in Schwarzach in the west of Austria. The building – locally known as ‘Vorarlberger Medienhaus’ – was originally constructed in 1996 by Ernst Giselbrecht + Partner, the same architects that were commissioned with its recent re-design. The aim was to create contemporary workplaces for 450 employees while reflecting the new, flat organizational structures within the company. The brief meant to fundamentally reconsider the interior, leading to profound changes in its spatial set-up.

Opening up
Exploring ways of enhancing communication between colleagues of different media brands and particularly between the print and digital departments became a priority in the re-design process. Subsequently, glass walls were removed and corridors turned into meeting zones, with the whole space opening up. Workplaces are designed to facilitate and encourage co-operations to suit a variety of project team constellations. Separate areas for meetings, conversations and phone calls provide for privacy where required. The generous, light-filled entrance hall welcomes visitors with an elegantly curved desk, sculptural seating and a column overgrown with plants, reaching over three floors.