GIG - innovation center

For anyone who correctly turns off the highway leading from Klagenfurt to the east, Domenig's administrative building of the Völkermarkt innovation center must appear as if from another world. In the flat landscape, a five-story building rises up among the fields, seemingly leaping from Giger's futuristic drawings. The costs per square meter of office space were likely not the lowest, and the view from the top floor did not seem particularly interesting, yet there was an investor willing to provide Domenig with enough space for realization. He was aware that this architecture would certainly not blend into the gray of industrial halls and administrative boxes of many other impulse centers. A similar path was taken in densely populated parts of Vienna by the association BKK-3.
The innovation center is located at the beginning of the Völkermarkt industrial park and consists of an administrative building connected by a bridge to a production hall. The administrative building is set on a raised platform, artistically (but also locally) separating it from the industrial halls. The administrative building has a dynamic character - a curved steel wing that tapers upwards. The location of the elevator and staircase is arranged on the side in a separate structure. The administrative building consists of a concrete base, on which a glass volume of offices is placed with a cantilevered aluminum structure. The steel structure of the production halls is clad in sheet metal. The bridge connecting both parts is made of a steel truss structure.

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GIG Völkermarkt, located within the Kärnten Technologie GmbH site, is a regional impulse center for young industrial entrepreneurs from southern Carinthia. The forty-hectare industrial park is located east of Klagenfurt, about 1 km from the A2 highway exit. The park is approximately 25 km from the provincial capital and is accessible via the A2 highway within 15 minutes. Therefore, it can be seamlessly utilized as a service center for the main provincial city. The area is completely enclosed, with access via the Völkermarkt-Ost highway exit. Of the total area of 40 ha of the industrial park, approximately 10 ha are inhabited and about 3 ha are dedicated to small entrepreneurs. GIG is a regional service center with tailored services and infrastructure. The offerings range from fully equipped offices to accompanying advisory programs. All these services can also be provided by regional companies. The innovation center was opened in 1995 and was fully occupied by thirteen tenants in 2001.