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Project Details:
Location: deutsch-wagram, Austria
Type: Educational - Public
Architects: Franz Architekten – www.franz-architekten.at
Client: land niederösterreich immobilienverwaltungs-gesmbh
Team: anna gruber (projectmanagement) – henning grahn, hannah aufschnaiter, christine hax-noske, christian szalay, joe suntinger, wolfgang fischer
Plot size 9.650 m²
Built-up area 3.056 m²
Net floor area 7.523 m²
Costs of construction 12, 4 mio €
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Central and still removed from the heavy traffic of the federal highway one can find the most important public institutions of Deutsch-Wagram lined up along a footpath: city administration, kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. In order to enable school education up to university entrance qualification, the municipal council decided the erection of an upper secondary school with focus on natural sciences and mathematics (“Realgymnasium”). At the same time, the existing secondary school (“Hauptschule”) needed to be expanded. A common institution for both types of school promised to yield valuable synergies.
Spatial proximity to the other educational institutions seemed logical, but the available property with park and landscape pond was a valuable area used by kindergarten and elementary school during recess. Moreover, it was not without problems with regard to structural engineering for a large-volume building task.
The ultimate aim was to preserve the pond’s accessibility and the recess area for all pupils as much as possible. The spatial programme therefore was divided up into two separate structures: a long school block and a double sports hall. The school block’s latitude lies perpendicular to the footpath and at its projecting heading section forms a generous forecourt with a prominent canopied entrance and an adjoining cloakroom and aula. The three- to four-storey structure adapts to the terrain in its ground plan as well as in its cross-section, floating on a circumferential glass strip in the green space. The sports hall is dug in as far as the high groundwater level would allow, and thus stays in measure with the kindergarten and elementary school on the opposite side. To underline its discreteness, entrance for external sport usages and to the spectators’ gallery is gained via an external stairway in close vicinity to the parking lots in the street “auf der heide”. The underground connection to the school block keeps the access to the pond and from the cemetery alley open for the public.
