cukrowicz nachbaur: Volksschule Doren - best architects 08

cukrowicz nachbaur

Volksschule Doren

best architects 08

other buildings

Place

Doren | Österreich

Photos

Hanspeter Schiess

Description

The building site for the new primary school with a kindergarten and a gymnasium is located directly in the village centre, next to the church, the churchyard and the municipal office, marked by a steep hillside. The five storied building is a solid construction. This echoes the regional architectural tradition of the church, the municipal building and the school in small villages and reflects the importance of the priest, the major and the teacher. The building combines the themes of rotation and overlaying of layers in the horizontal and the vertical dimension. Through the change of orientation of single layers on the ground floor and the two upper floors, a spatial game is created. The external walls of the school are load-carrying. Beams of room height each span the whole depth of the building. A large opening in each beam serves the horizontal development from layer to layer. The carrying structure made of concrete is reflected in, and can be experienced through, the facades as well as the interior of the building. For the non-carrying parts, only untreated domestic silver fir has been used. The wooden surfaces are processed differently, the walls are smooth and planed, the floors delicately sawed. Two different kinds of materials have been used for the school, a carrying material and a non-carrying material, concrete and wood. The new village square also serves as a playground for the pupils during breaks and is the social and cultural centre of the village.