The Aachen Technology Center offers 19,000 m² of new concepts for offices and storage space. The focus here is on modern workspaces and digital conference and meeting rooms. In addition to the space, the TZA also offers support for a work-life balance for their community. Their goal is to make TZA a vibrant place and enrich Aachen with an attractive city brand.
I would be very happy if you could introduce yourself briefly.
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My name is Julia Hesse and I am the Managing Director of TZA. As an engineer with a degree in architecture and a postgraduate degree in asset management (IREBS), I have been part of the Stadtmarken family for 12 years.
How did you come to start the TZA?
Founded in 1992, TZA is an important hub for technology-oriented startups and established companies in Aachen. It offers space and services to support the growth and technological advancements of its tenants. Since its acquisition in December 2019 by Stadtmarken GmbH , TZA has strengthened its focus on tenant orientation and all-round service, offering its tenants a modern environment to successfully implement their innovations and business plans.
What can I rent from you?
We offer a wide range of rental options, from mailboxes to several thousand square feet of space. Our goal is to find the right solution for every business by offering a variety of spaces such as halls, offices and coworking boxes. We also understand that young companies are in a constant state of change, so we offer them special conditions to help them grow.
What did your first steps look like to integrate workplace booking and flex desks?
Since the technology center already had conference rooms, we were able to digitize them through anny . The integration of coworking spaces took place in 2021, after the required spaces were completed. Since then, the coworking spaces have been in operation and are very popular.
A special feature is our multi-tenant approach: In addition to external tenants, the TZA is also home to permanent tenants who have permanent offices at the TZA. Just like the external tenants, they have the option of booking conference rooms via anny . This allows us to exploit the full potential of our premises.
What is the TZA community?
New. Ambitious. Experienced. Established. The TZA forms The Urban Village. Due to the diversity of over 70 tenants, it draws on an incredibly large wealth of knowledge. With their expertise and innovative spirit, they foster a strong sense of community and create synergies between different industries. Our new TZA app connects renters to strengthen the internal community and emphasize the Urban Village feel. We also offer benefits such as discounts to other companies or services like car washing and hairdressing to improve and facilitate the daily work of our renters.
How do you feel about working with the team at anny? What do you appreciate about it?
Working with the team at anny is great. I especially appreciate their spontaneous and short-term availability as well as friendly support in case of problems. Moreover, we can customize the software according to our own wishes and the team always integrates the current trends according to the New Work principle.
How will you use the workstation booking system from anny ?
Although we have not yet used the workspace booking system from anny , we will use it in connection with our coworking area in the future. Thereby it will be easy and visually represented for coworkers to book their space.
How do you think the world of work will change in the next few years? What should companies pay attention to?
In the future, flexibility will play an increasingly important role. Particularly in the office sector, employees want to be able to choose freely when and where they want to work. This can be in a home office, in another city or in an office with colleagues. To meet this trend, companies should design their working environments to be flexible. In the Urban Village, we therefore offer various work environments that companies can make available to their employees.
What advice do you have for companies that are also thinking about a new office concept?
We advise other companies to be open to other opinions and the needs of their employees in order to achieve maximum flexibility. Employees should be involved in the planning process and encouraged to express their wishes. In this way, trends can be quickly identified and the work environment can be optimally adapted. It is also advisable to consider several approaches to achieve ideal flexibility, e.g. by borrowing furniture instead of buying it.
We would like to thank you for the informative interview and the great cooperation with the Technology Center Aachen.
