The engineer building state of the art solutions who loves it when expectations match reality
Istvan Szontagh joined Staticus in 2019 and is currently Head of Structural Engineering. Based in the Vienna office, he loves working with the very latest materials and solutions, and can be found hiking or buried in a history book when he’s not engineering incredible new façade solutions.
Do you remember what it was like to start at Staticus?
I started working at Staticus in January 2019 when the Austrian subsidiary I was part of was acquired by Staticus. My first impression was that Staticus was a very flexible and modern company. For example, it was already offering flexible working hours and work from home. This was before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was very unusual in the construction sector.
What do you do in your team to support new hires?
Regarding bringing in new colleagues, we try to do things gradually so they can understand the working style and structure, and gain the know-how they need. We are patient, and make it clear they don’t have to perform at 100% from day one.
What is the single best thing about working at Staticus?
The fact that targets are realistic and in line with the overall strategy. Staticus is a family-owned company, and I think this makes a huge difference. The targets match up with reality, and it is not just about profits but also about working on interesting projects.
What have you learned, and what new perspectives have you gained, while working at Staticus?
I gain new perspectives all the time because Staticus is such an international team. I live in Hungary and work at the Vienna office. We work together with our colleagues in Vilnius, and project teams in Ireland, Spain, Italy, and many other countries.
What makes Staticus a unique place to work?
Staticus wants to be a market leader. You can feel proud that you are working for a market leader, and you know you will be working on breakthrough projects with state-of-the-art solutions and materials.
Which Staticus project are you most proud of?
I worked on the Prisma project in Helsingborg, Sweden. It is a unique facade with triangulated units, and the building is located literally in the sea. It is on a purpose-built platform and the surroundings are beautiful.
Tell us a bit about your life outside of work.
I am very keen on travelling, so it’s great to be part of an international team. I also like reading about history. I spend plenty of time outdoors – I often go hiking.