Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries: the new way of working is here to stay

Exactly 30 years ago, in February of 1994, the Group moved into its current headquarters, on Rennweg in Vienna. The in-house project “DNA – The New Way of Working” (DNA = "Das neue Arbeiten") was completed successfully just in time for this anniversary.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the new company headquarters had already taken place in August of 1990, and the topping-out ceremony was celebrated 23 months later. Following the interior construction and design of the offices in 1993, the Austrian Lotteries were able to move into the new building in February of 1994, along with other tenants at the time.

Over the last 30 years, the company continued to grow steadily and, since Casinos Austria moved in in 2006, the Rennweg site has also become the current headquarters of the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group, with around 780 employees at the head office.

This also involved an ongoing process of change in the corporate culture. Over the last two years, this was supported by a complete architectural redesign of the office space.

DNA – The New Way of Working (DNA – Das neue Arbeiten) 

Starting in 2020, initial experiences from the Covid period have already been incorporated into the project. A shared-desk concept was developed in joint workshops between employees and management, which instead of traditional office space offers both multifunctional open spaces, for example areas featuring height-adjustable desks, and special areas such as the Playzone, the Gallery Café and a library. The office has become a place of interaction, and the new spatial concepts and working models create an opportunity to offer employees and the company more flexibility. After two years of remodelling, the move to the last redesigned floor was celebrated at the end of 2023.  

This means that all employees in the offices of the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries Group headquarters have the option of working on site or in hybrid mode from their home office with their colleagues at any time.

Erwin van Lambaart, Director General of the Casinos Austria and Austrian Lotteries: “Our working world has changed dramatically in recent years. We wanted to make use of this experience, and we’ve created a major change here in a short space of time. As a Group, we want to continue to prove that we put people at the centre of everything we do. This can be seen in our secure gaming offering, our commitment to our society and in particular our focus on optimum working conditions and a good work-life balance for all our employees.”

A total of 200 employees were actively involved in the process and were able to influence project areas such as acoustics, mobility, the shared-desk philosophy, activity-based work and even the furniture, colours and furnishings in communal areas such as the kitchens on each floor.

Sustainable site development thanks to CO2 reduction

A strong sustainable side effect of the project is also the reduction in floor space, which in future will lead to a CO2 reduction of 72 tonnes. In addition, the entire office lighting was converted to LED lighting with motion detectors, resulting in energy savings of 61 percent. In order to avoid waste, electronic devices were donated to the “PCs for all” (“PCs für alle”) non-profit organisation, and discarded furniture was offered to employees at reduced prices via an in-house furniture bazaar. The funds raised were donated to various social organisations.