New building for meteorologists in Salzburg
Business
On January 1st, the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) was renamed Geosphere Austria (GSA). In addition to this name change, the Salzburg meteorologists are also facing a major construction site: their building in Salzburg-Freisaal will be replaced by a new building.
The villa from the Gründerzeit, which previously included the weather service for the federal states of Salzburg and Upper Austria, will be demolished in the coming weeks. “It’s just not really up-to-date anymore to work there,” says meteorologist Christian Resch. “We are getting a new building at the same location. The old one is now being demolished. In 2024 – probably in spring or summer – we will then move into the new building and then carry out our usual activities from there.”
During the construction work there will be temporary accommodation for the meteorologists in Salzburg. The new building in Salzburg-Freisaal will cost almost 3.8 million euros and will offer space for up to 30 employees.
Fusion with a serious background
The merger of the previous ZAMG with the Geological Federal Institute (GBA) and the renaming to “Geosphere Austria” have a serious background. In addition to creating the current weather report, the main thing is to warn the public about the dangers of climate change and to provide politicians with a basis for decision-making, says Resch.
“For the end user, who has previously purchased our products, not that much will change in the first place,” says the meteorologist. “A little bit of the big strategy is changing. But the normal prognosis will be just as good as before. It’s just that you wanted to pour the crisis-proof and forecast-based handling of change in Austria into one institution. We’re going to do that now.”