Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Glück, you have been the managing director of immo 360 grad gmbh for a good two months. What particularly attracts you to this position and what experience do you bring?

Aramis Glück: I originally come from architecture and the property development sector and have had the opportunity to work in a leading position for a significant Viennese housing company in recent years. Not least because of this, I am familiar with the planning and construction side, as well as the operation, management, and maintenance aspects. Especially in these current challenging times, this holistic view of the lifecycle of a property is in my opinion of essential importance. I also bring this perspective to immo 360 grad gmbh and find it very exciting to shape the company and its services in this regard—from new construction, over maintenance and renovation, to management and operation. My goal is to continuously develop the expertise and to align it timely with the changing requirements of the industry.

Wirtschaftsforum: You already mentioned renovation and maintenance—what exactly are the services you offer and what makes your company special in this area?

Aramis Glück: Our range of services is very broad and ranges from parts of facility management, such as cleaning services, garden maintenance, and winter services, to overseeing energy renovations, apartment renovations, maintenance and repair work to new building construction. Our unique selling point is, on the one hand, that we provide services across the entire lifecycle of a property, and on the other hand, that we—as a subsidiary of the Austrian Siedlungswerk (ÖSW)—deal intensively with the needs, requirements, and necessary services that arise in the course of managing properties, and tailor our services accordingly—more than is possible for other market participants. Thus, we initially orient our service design based on the needs of the ÖSW group and develop suitable solutions for it.

Wirtschaftsforum: Sustainability is an important topic in your company's philosophy. How do you implement this in practice?

Aramis Glück: Sustainability is indeed a core value for us. This means for us not only reducing the energy needs of properties and using appropriate building materials, but also particularly involves social aspects, as ensuring affordable housing is—for us as part of a non-profit group—a very essential aspect of our activities. This means we combine ecological and social sustainability, which is not always easy, especially in a market where costs have risen sharply. But precisely this is what makes it exciting: to achieve maximum impact with limited resources while acting ecologically and socially responsible.

Wirtschaftsforum: The real estate market and the construction industry are currently facing major challenges. What developments do you see and how is your company dealing with them?

Aramis Glück: The general conditions have changed significantly due to the crises of recent years and the continuously increasing demands on properties. This will also not change completely in the foreseeable future. Construction costs have risen, and financing options are not as favorable as they used to be. In the new construction sector, demand is currently stable, but the starts of construction are decreasing. However, we expect that these will rise again in the future. Renovations and work on existing properties are still in demand and will, in my opinion, play an even more important role in the future. However, here, the tension between necessary measures, the costs, and the possible funds that can be raised is immense. Overall, this new situation requires a rethink and a flexible approach—a challenge that we are happy to accept in order to continue to offer our customers high added value.

Wirtschaftsforum: What is the status of digitalization in your company? Are there concrete projects in this area?

Aramis Glück: Digitalization is also a big issue for us, and the City of Vienna is also actively pushing this process forward. Our goal is to efficiently capture and manage existing data of properties, again over the entire lifecycle. Yet, the human factor remains crucial and it is important that our employees learn to handle new technologies and integrate them into their daily work. The digital transformation brings enormous opportunities, but it takes time until it becomes routine. For the future, we plan to further expand digitalization in order to make our processes even more efficient and transparent.