Voest Visitor's Catwalk Linz : Architecture Information

voest visitor's catwalk, Linz, Austria 2006 Caramel Architekten with fritz stiper photo : dietmar tollerian + caramel Visitor platforms for voestalpine Formerly part of Austria's nationalized industries, the voestalpine group had to struggle for some to time to shake off the image of the past that was associated with low profitability, lack of flexibility, commodity production and damage to the environment. Following a thorough restructuring process, voestalpine turned into one of Austria's leading industrial enterprises with extensive international activities. In addition to making high-quality steel, voestalpine now also engages in downstream processing and manufacture of finished high-quality steel products, as well as processing of other materials. Environmental protection has become part of the company's philosophy. With a view to giving visitors - from school children to business partners - some "hands-on" experience of the activities in the company's plants, voestalpine has invited tenders for the development and production of visitor platforms that will be capable of installation in all its plants. The winning proposal was submitted by Caramel. photos : dietmar tollerian + caramel Caramel has developed a standard module that serves as the basic building block for each platform. The modules are symmetrical in shape and can be freely combined to adjust the size and shape of individual platforms to the local requirements and provide the desired perspectives for visitors. The prefabricated, standard-size modules can be easily transported by lorry and assembled on site. The platforms, which are in the colours of the company logo, are then placed (floor-mounted or suspended from above) at the selected locations. Each module may be fitted with stepped-level sitting/standing space (with indirect lighting) to accommodate several rows of visitors and ensure an equally full view for those in the back. After a presentation via a wall-mounted flat screen, the glass panels are switched from matte to clear, and visitors can look directly at the work processes going on around them. Voest Visitor's Catwalk, Linz images / information from Caramel Architekten