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PRESS RELEASE
A home for people and machines
Vienna/Waidhofen an der Ybbs, 06/03/2014:The new operating site for the transport technology company Prangl in Zettling in Austrian Styria shows that comfort and functionality can go hand in hand.Both the architecture and the interior design follow strict guidelines which are practical and still allow enough space to accommodate splashes of colour and oases for contemplation.
What does a Hollywood star, a tunnel construction worker and a crane driver at a dizzy height have in common? They have all had the pleasure of playing with equipment hired from the Austrian company Prangl. “Bruce Willis was a nice guy,” says Christian Prangl with a certain sense of understatement. The junior head of Prangl Gesellschaft m.b.H. provided the crew filming Die Hard 5 with part of its fleet of machinery and vehicles, including mobile cranes, work platforms and low-loading trucks. The film includes three minutes of footage showing one of Prangl’s golden yellow 95-ton telescopic cranes.
“I never would have thought that we would make it to Hollywood one day. It really can happen so quickly.”
Founded in 1965, Prangl was selected as Lower Austria’s best family-owned company in 2009. Today the second generation is leading the company. Its day-to-day business involves lifting and moving different loads, known as lifting, access and transport technology. This includes constructing film sets and temporary stages, assembling single-family houses and wind turbines, and hiring out machinery and manpower. Prangl has a total of twenty sites located in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria with its head office in Brunn am Gebirge in Austria.
Powerful machines criss-cross the area, with a yellow crane here and a semi-trailer there in golden yellow with blue stripes, and a couple of truck drivers in yellow shirts on the side returning from their shift. The corporate design is unmistakable. There is something grey flashing in the background just across the street, between the shoulder-high tyres of the intimidating vehicles. A glassy ground floor building withpillars askew at the entrance, above a rectangular UFO shape with horizontal slats extending wide. The new site in Styrian Zettling was completed in May 2013 and is something of an architectural prototype for further refurbishments and new builds to follow in future years.
An eye-catcher both inside and outside
“The major part of the new Prangl operation consists of workshops and warehouses of various sizes spread across the 40,000 square metre area,” explains Christian Mascha from the Viennese architectural firm Mascha & Seethaler Architekten. “The logistical specifications for the warehouses and petrol stations were very strict. Functionality is key for those buildings, and the architectural design has to make way for logistics processes.” Nevertheless: simple trapezoidal sheet metal, yellow roller shutters and a few deliberately placed stripes leave no doubt about the owners of the company premises.
However, the main role is played by the office and staff buildings. The unusual construction of the upper floor with wide projection and surrounded in glass is an eye catcher which is visible for miles around. “It was clear to us from the start that we would have to raise the central building up somewhat,” explains the architect Christian Mascha. “This allows us to give the employees a 360-degree view over the large and heavy fleet of vehicles.” It almost seems as though the interiors, which have been equipped with various types of furniture from Bene, form a cosy counterpart to the rough world outside characterised by mud and lubricating oil. “The view and openness are absolute,” says the architect, pointing to the motorway located nearby that can be clearly seen from the first floor. “However, you must remember that a certain intimacy and introversion is required, since ultimately the employees spend a large part of their day in these areas.”
Rapid and easy change
The floor is covered with anthracite-coloured carpet tiles. The raised floor, which houses a large part of the installation, allows the office layout to be modified quickly and easily. While the waiting areas and lounges are colourfully decorated in yellow and spring-green and fitted with Bene PARCS Wing Chairs designed by PearsonLloyd, the offices have a warmer feel more in tune with nature. The team office with a total of 40 desks is equipped with Bene workstations and tables for formal and informal meetings. Both the table panels between the individual face-to-face desks and the carcass of the Bene cabinets are clad in light coco-coloured melamine. Spring-green notice boards and colour-coordinated mobile pedestals set a refreshing tone. The seating consists of black swivel chairs from the B_Run range.
“The important thing for us was that we didn’t overdo Prangl’s highly characteristic corporate design,“ explains Christian Mascha. “Having Prangl yellow everywhere would have been too much. That’s why we decided to leave the CI colour to the logo on the front and the company vehicles and to have a more varied theme in the interior. This resulted in a warm and tasteful ambience.” The harmonious surface conceals calculations made to the nearest millimetre: The office layout follows the exact specifications of Managing Director Christian Prangl; who had the office at the old location assessed and scrupulously evaluated for improvement possibilities in terms of functionality and environment.
Wellbeing under the gingko tree
It seems that the employees are happy with their new office. Some look out at the landscape while others enjoy the calming view of the relaxing and contemplative atrium. White gravel and dark Bangkirai wood from sustainable forests provide some Asian flair. However, the stage in this oasis from the noise and hectic activity belongs to the six-metre high gingko tree, which can be seen from all over thanks to the open and transparent construction of the offices.
“As the head of a company with more than 650 employees across Europe it is very important to me for our employees to feel comfortable at their place of work,” explains Managing Director Christian Prangl. “Bene’s range of office furniture meets this desire from a spatial point of view, since on the one hand the line is simple and functional, while on the other there are a few pieces that can be used time and again as striking, colourful and cheerful eye catchers. This helps to make the day-to-day work routine a little more relaxed.” Prangl pauses for a moment. “I have already seen a lot of businesses of colleagues in the industry, but I’ve never seen a building like this, and this type of office design is extraordinary in this sector.”
While the normal office workstations are located on the highly visible upper floor, the base of the building houses the reception and conference area. Glass ceilings, wooden panelling, mobile partition walls and a front made of glass-fibre reinforced concrete open up the area. The workshop offices, bathrooms and bedrooms of the shift drivers are behind, just out of public view. The world here is slightly more rugged and down-to-earth. The carpets are replaced by grey eco-rubber and dry functionality with the bright signature yellow prevail here instead of spring green and wood. Architect Christian Mascha puts it this way: “Each space must suit the people who use it. If everyone feels comfortable and understood then I would say that the workplace design is perfect.”
Quotations
“At a company like Prangl the primary focus has to be on functionality. Everything has to fit into place there. Working with Mascha & Seethaler and Bene we managed to meet this pragmatic requirement with a sense of ease and poetry.” Christian Prangl, Managing Director
“Bene’s product range is very comprehensive and lets you provide a highly individual response to the client’s design and functional requirements with the individual furniture series.” Architect Christian Mascha
“We decided on Bene because the cost/performance ratio was right here. There is an equal focus on functionality and aesthetics, diversity and quality of the workmanship.” Christian Prangl, Managing Director
Facts & figures
Property: 41,300 m2
Office building gross floor surface: 2,000 m2
Workshops gross floor surface: 2,100 m2
Warehouses gross floor surface: 9,100 m2
Total gross floor surface: 13,200 m2
Metal structure: 160 tons
Facade trapezoidal sheet metal: 22,000 m2
Workstations: 40
Bene products:
Tables: T7 Workstation, Bene T-Meeting, M_COM Table
Chairs: B_Run, B_Side
Cabinets: KX Programme and BENE L Drawer pedestals
Upholstered furniture PARCS Wing Chairs
Outdoor furniture: Spun Chair from Magis
About Bene
The Bene Group, a globally active company with its head office and production facilities in Waidhofen an der Ybbs/Austria, employs 1,172 people at more than 80 locations in 35 countries around the world (as of: 31 October 2013). Bene defines the office as a living space and its concepts, products and services turn this philosophy into reality. Development, design and production along with consulting and sales are united under one roof. Bene represents futuristic office concepts as the Austrian market leader and international market player.
For questions and more information:
Bene AG Public Relations: Belinda Flach, Désirée Schellerer
Neutorgasse 4-8, 1010 Vienna, Austria, Tel.: +43-1-534-26-1239
E-mail: , Internet:
© Bene AG, No charge for printing. Specimen copy requested.
1 / 4COMPANY: BENE AG LEGAL FORM: LIMITED COMPANY HEADQUARTERED IN: WAIDHOFEN/YBBS COMMERCIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: 89102 H PLACE OF JURISDICTION: LANDESGERICHT ST. PÖLTEN DPR: 0006203