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SERIEN LEHRJAHRE BEI ... • WORKING AT ...

Wien F irst a 12-months internship, then 18 months as a free collaborator at Schenker
Salvi Weber. The chemistry between you and the office seems to be right …
Initially, I had not planned to stay on in Vienna after my traineeship. But I liked the city
Foto: Martin Maidl, Wien alleswirdgut architektur zt gmbh, www.awg.at gramme at TU Dresden but at a different university. After Schenker Salvi Weber had offe-
very much. In addition, I had already been considering not completing my master’s pro-
Weitere Architekturbüros:
red me to continue working in the office parallel to my studies, I decided to stay on in
einszueins architektur, www.einszueins.at
Vienna. Already in 2013, on the occasion of the interview, I found the atmosphere and
the size of the office very pleasant. At the time, I was assured of working on interesting
projects – and the bosses also fulfilled this promise. Although the office had grown con-
siderably during the time between my interview and the start of the traineeship, I was
still allowed to work from the beginning on a variety of projects, in all kinds of planning
stages and on competitions. My level of knowledge regarding architecture and the
organization of an office was thus considerably raised. At any time, the, on average,
young team of Schenker Salvi Weber was very communicative and helpful. This enor-
mously facilitated my start in practical experience.

r Which were these tasks and what were you able to learn in the process?
During my internship and my freelance collaboration, I was mainly working on the Post
am Rochus project in Vienna. This so far largest project of Schenker Salvi Weber is cur-
rently in the phase of being implemented. While I was being familiarized, I got to know
the structure of the project and was able to considerably expand my CAD knowledge. I
worked on this project from the preliminary draft to the detailed planning of the façade.
Particularly impressive were the regular visits to the construction site which showed
how planning is turned into reality. Occasionally, I also contributed to other projects and
competitions. This allowed me further insights into the spectrum of the architectural
practice. What was also essential for me was getting to know the internal office structure
and the architects’ way of working as well as their communication with clients, special-
Axonometrie: Umbau Volksschule Bütze in Wolfurt: Klassenräume ... • Conversion of Volksschule Bütze in ... ist planners and internal planning teams.
... mit Bezug zum Außenraum (Realisierung bis 2018) • ... Wolfurt: classrooms with views of the outdoor space
r Which are the expectations the office has of its employees? Which are the require-
ments one should meet?
Especially important is a certain passion for architecture and strong commitment, since
– as is also the case with studies of architecture – activities outside the regular working
hours can never be excluded. Since the office is organized as an open-plan office, open-
ness and team-minded working are indispensable. Part of this is independent working,
reliability and the ability of communicating in a group. Like in other professional groups
working in teams – this goes without saying. For trainees, what is most important is to
have CAD knowledge and to have completed six semesters if possible. Foreigners should
have knowledge of the German language. Oh yes, and of course one’s stamina is also
again and again tested on the occasion of festivities!

r Schenker Salvi Weber were able to win numerous prizes in competitions for res-
idential construction, in the healthcare-, social- as well as in the educational sector.
Their concepts are convincing. Where do you see the strengths of the office?
I believe that an essential aspect is that the three founding members Michael Salvi,
Thomas Weber and Andres Schenker are very different. For each project, there are a
variety of approaches and ideas which are constantly discussed and revised in the team
Blick ins Büro Schenker Salvi Weber in Wien • View into the Schenker Salvi Weber office in Vienna
until in the end a consistent, convincing concept is established. Yet this is not only the
driving force for working on projects but when it comes to the workflow in the office
which includes the whole team. The office has a curious and rational towards architec-
ture and has already repeatedly been able to convince with clear, strong concepts..

r Vienna is a city with a rich architectural history and a lively architectural scene.
What fascinates you about the Austrian capital?
Vienna is a city with plenty of history and tradition. This is also reflected in the archi-
tecture. The current urban development is strongly oriented on the trend for the next 50
years, and this tendency shows that the Austrian capital is growing very rapidly. Much
new housing space is being created for this which is done in the old districts from the
end of the 19th century with the motto of “soft urban renewal” and, in places away
from the centre, in the form of new buildings. This is very interesting from the aspect of
architecture. I therefore recommend to all: simply come to Vienna, stroll through the city
and notice its very own charm. In summer and winter, Vienna offers numerous attrac-
tive, interesting possibilities and, unlike any other city, manages to currently offer such
a high quality of living without weakening its own strong identity.

050 • AIT 03.2017