Workshops Wattens

2nd extension
The Destination Wattens Company for Regional Development, a public/private partnership between the Daniel Swarovski KG and the Market Town Wattens, inaugurated in 2015 in the former Swarovski factory compound “Werk 2”, an international center for founders and start-up companies. The project is named “Werkstaette Wattens”. Due to an increasing demand, in 2017 begun the first adaption, the second one followed in 2019.

The building 6, built in 1906, carries typical elements of early industrial architecture around the turn of the century. Behind a palazzo-like façade with an outside access stair, a central indoor distribution staircase gave way to four “polishing workshops”. Steel beams and cement-vaults carry stairwells and platforms, cast-iron columns and wooden ceilings define the character of the “polishing workshops”. Over the years, the clear structure and the simple spatial sequence had vanished.

The re-conversion of industrial architecture into new office spaces has been achieved first by uncovering original historical elements and bringing back to light spatial arrangements, then by adding clearly distinctive new elements.

General notes
The first extension of buildings 6 and 7 took place in 2017/2018, in 2019 followed the re-conversion of buildings 5 and 6 into office spaces.

Building 6 – Grinding rooms
The re-conversion of building 6 was carried out with a similar approach as for the first re-conversion stage, by freeing original large spaces and bringing them back to original state.
The new office units have been separated with glass walls, each office with a felt-cover box on both sides as retreat area, improving room acoustics.

The grinding room on 1.st floor is divided into several office-groups. The existing cast iron asphalt floor has been sanded, the cast-iron columns have been painted dark grey, ceilings in light-grey, walls have been milled. New glass walls additions with steal profiles and boxes clad in grey felt complement the shades of grey and black, their interplay defines the spatial appearance.
Horizontal structural glass elements provide visual shelter between offices. The lightning system consists in two direct and indirect light beams extending over the whole length. In common areas, light elements have been integrated within existing ceiling beams.

The grinding room on the second floor is used as open-space. Walls, ceilings and columns have been painted white. In this white room with a larch wooden floor, two black felt boxes are placed in order to form rooms for different purposes. An area serving as call centre has been framed by glass walls. Room acoustics are solved by acoustic baffles hanging from the ceiling.