KISKA opens new design studio

Austrian brand management and design company KISKA has moved its design studio into a modern new building in Salzburg, Austria, just a few meters from its former location. The new headquarters boasts state-of-the-art workstations and has been built to enable the firm to prepare for expansion and new challenges in the years to come.

Designed by Hofbauer architects, the 4700m² building was built in just one and a half years. The aim of the new facility is to act as a hub of creativity, providing the more than 100 international specialists that work there an ideal environment in which to develop innovative design and strategy solutions.

The transportation department has enough room to facilitate the simultaneous development of three motorcycles and three automobiles from the concept sketch phase to complete prototypes. Thanks to a unique allocation of space, designers and model makers work side by side, enabling an unparalleled level of cross-cultural influence on the design and modeling processes while saving valuable time. The facility's fully automated three-axis milling machine can produce a 1:1 automobile model in just one and a half days.

"With our new building, we are paving the way to new dimensions, new creativity and a successful future for our company," says Gerald Kiska, CEO of KISKA. "From the amount of available space to the technical equipment, with this infrastructure - which is one of a kind in Europe - a new age of creativity has begun for us as well."

The reason for the move was the substantial company expansion that has occurred in recent years. With an expected 15 percent increase in turnover and 21 new clients, in 2009 KISKA looks set to record its most successful operating period in its 19-year history.

By Eric Gallina