A workshop space in Vienna, built by people who run workshops

On the eighth and ninth floors of a former bread factory in Vienna's 10th district, the city's rooftops fill the windows. The walls are meant to be written on, and the markers have been tested before you arrive. A yellow fridge full of ice cream is waiting for that moment after lunch when every group runs out of steam.

We're Ingrid and Peter Gerstbach, consultants and facilitators with more than 30 years of combined experience. We've run workshops in other people's rooms from Silicon Valley to London. So we built the Design Thinking Space® to fix what usually goes wrong in them: dried-out markers, stale air, tables that won't move. Teams from A1, Erste Bank, voestalpine and the City of Vienna have worked here.

Two floors, one spiral staircase

You can book both floors or just one. A spiral staircase connects them, so the plenary can meet on one floor and small groups can work on the other. Nobody has to wander the corridors looking for breakout room 3.

The Loft, 8th floor. 150 m² plus a 25 m² open-air atrium, made for work that moves. It has a presentation area with a near-field HD projector, a lounge for small groups, a café corner, three mobile magnetic whiteboards and height-adjustable tables on wheels. It seats up to 40 people for workshops and up to 60 for talks.

The Penthouse, 9th floor. 100 m² plus a 45 m² rooftop terrace. It's calmer and more private, which suits strategy sessions, leadership meetings and evening events. You'll find a 55" touchscreen, lounge seating, deckchairs on the terrace, and a vintage pinball machine nobody expects to find next to a strategy session. It seats up to 25 people.

Included in every booking

Every booking includes writable walls, whiteboards and flipcharts, a projector or touchscreen, a fully stocked facilitation kit, fast Wi-Fi and air conditioning. There's also a CO₂ monitor that turns red before the room turns sluggish. You have the space to yourselves, and someone from our team is on site to keep the day running smoothly.

Food and drinks

Coffee, tea, juice and water are covered by a per-person day rate. You can add morning and afternoon snacks at three levels (Classic, Healthy or Premium), with vegan and vegetarian options. Lunch is delivered straight to the room, and there's beer, wine and sparkling wine for the evening.

Getting here

The address is Absberggasse 27, 1100 Vienna, close to Vienna's main station. Take tram 6 or 11 to Schrankenberggasse, or tram D to Absberggasse. Parking is available in the building's garage when spaces are free.