Schenker Salvi Weber Architekten
Bütze primary school
best architects 21
education buildings
Place
Wolfurt, Austria
Studio
Photos
David Schreyer
Description
The community of
Wolfurt in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg decided to expand its primary
school and integrate the kindergarten. For reasons related to building physics,
a part of the building that dated from the 1990s and was on the northern side
was largely demolished and only the section that was originally built in the
1960s was renovated. The sports hall in the basement was retained and was built
over with two new storeys. The new building was constructed with a load-bearing
timber frame, an extensive, timber clad façade and a rendered plinth. Two pergolas on the
front sides of the new building mediate between the inside and outdoor spaces
and provide a play area that is protected from the elements. The kindergarten is
located in the new building, the primary school partly in the old building,
partly also in the new building. They both share a common entrance. The layouts
of the kindergarten and primary school are interlinked both on the vertical and
horizontal plane and have been roofed as a single spatial continuum across all
floors. This innovative approach is intended to allow kindergarten children to
grow into school life gradually. The layout consists
of three layers: inside are the meandering communal areas from which the
children have direct access to the verandas. «Squares» with
built-in benches, roofed with large skylights create inviting spaces to rest,
cuddle up or for children to retreat so they can concentrate. The square rooms
with large windows for smaller groups make up the second layer. The third
layer, finally, consists of the larger classrooms at the back with windows
giving onto the outside space.