TrIIIple, Vienna, Austria

Dedicated to TrIIIple

TrIIIple has transformed the Vienna skyline forever. The three high-rise buildings are not only the pride of the city but also of the Schindler elevator installation specialists.

It is 4.45 a.m. and Mario Schlaffer is having a cup of coffee with his wife at home in Burgenland. He then gets in his car and drives 110 kilometers to Vienna. It is the same routine every day. He is one of Schindler’s chief elevator installa­tion engineers and has worked for the company for 33 years. Mario Schlaffer explains: “My employer gives me the recognition I am looking for when I do something exceptional.”

His colleague Gerhard Taschwer has worked for Schindler for 30 years. Together with Installations Manager Stephan Weickenmaier and a young team, the two chief installation engineers have installed 13 Schindler 5500 elevators in TrIIIple’s three towers. The elevators are equipped with the Schindler PORT system, which reduces waiting times by up to 25% and lowers energy consumption by up to 40%.

“Tall structures like the TrIIIple towers never fail to inspire me. With our training and experience, and thanks to great teamwork, we master any tasks set for us!” says Mario Schlaffer with a little pride.

Schindler deployed one of its newest innovations while working on TrIIIple – Schindler R.I.S.E. This robot carries out difficult, dusty work on behalf of the installation engineers –­drilling holes for the elevator guides and fitting anchor bolts.

“We are glad that we don’t have to perform that part of the work,” says Gerhard Taschwer with a laugh. He explains that while Schindler R.I.S.E is not necessarily quicker than experienced professionals, it does achieve a higher degree of precision and doesn’t get tired. The robot can also detect the presence of iron in the concrete and avoid it when drilling.

The Schindler team completed the installation of the elevators ahead of schedule despite the corona­virus pandemic, the highly complex nature of the project, and global shortages of raw materials. The reason for this is clear, according to Daniel Reisenberger, CEO of Schindler Austria: “We have a dedicated team that doesn’t allow problems to escalate. Employees stay with us for a long time. That means that we also retain their expertise, which is one of the reasons why Schindler Austria is so successful.”

TrIIIple, which is located in Vienna’s 3rd district, is within walking distance of the cosmopolitan city center, the green spaces of Prater Park, and the famous Danube. The architecturally remarkable TrIIIple towers stand at just over 100 meters. They were built between fall 2017 and fall 2021 at a cost of EUR 360 million.

The southern tower has 670 micro-­apartments spread across 33 floors that have been leased to students and young professionals. Residents who want to buy their own apartments live in the two towers to the north. This group of high-rise buildings close to the Danube Canal is supplemented by the Austro Tower –136-meter tall, 38 floors, and the fifth-tallest building in Austria. Schindler supplied it with state-of-the-art Schindler 7 000 elevators.

TrIIIple was named the “Best Tall Resi­dential Building” by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). It received this award for excellence primarily in recognition of its climate-­neutral heating and cooling system, which uses water from the Danube and wind power rather than fossil fuels.

This is fully in line with Schindler’s ambitions. The company has set itself ambitious climate targets. To achieve them, Schindler is converting its fleet to electric vehicles and offering more digital service solutions that reduce the need for on-site maintenance.

Mario Schlaffer may soon also make the 110-kilometer journey to his home in Burgenland in an electric vehicle and spend the journey contemplating how he can resolve the next challenging task on his list.

Before finally laying down his tools for the day, his colleague Gerhard Taschwer says: “When I see the three towers, I feel very proud. I don’t know how many elevators I have installed in my lifetime, but I will never forget the ones in TrIIIple.”