Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland

Every year, over 12,000 employees from various airlines complete their apprenticeships, further vocational advancement or professional training as pilots or flight attendants in the new 11,000 square meter building with offices and training facilities. The fundamental question for the design of this work environment was: How do you plan the unplannable? Not only are the internal structures of many companies undergoing transformation, but the conditions and demands in the world of work are also constantly changing.

To create the necessary degree of flexibility, the client disregarded the existing organisational structures and concentrated on an analysis of the requirements posed by work processes and locations. Employees were consulted and involved in workshops. They even had the opportunity to create a 1:33 scale model of their own office concept. This made it possible to effectively organise the diverse and complex needs of both office and training areas in a coordinated manner.

A precise number of permanent workstations was not specified, as this changes on a daily basis. Employees can decide whether they want to perform their current task in a team workspace, in the cafeteria, at home, or in a so-called 'home zone' at the office. Every member of the company is treated the same: neither executives nor personnel in sensitive areas like HR have a personal workspace. The open office concept and the Dancing Walls – Vitra’s mobile partition element – make it possible to adapt interior spaces to varying needs without the help of technicians, facility managers or external support services, thus giving each individual the choice of an optimal setup.