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Architects: Franz&Sue
- Area: 11551 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:David Schreyer
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Manufacturers: Bega, Felbermayer, Kosmos, Schrack, Thorn, Trilux, Zumtobel
Text description provided by the architects. Viennese call the districts north of the Danube “Transdanubia.” What sounds like a world far removed from contemporary urbanity is in fact a budding neighbourhood with bustling construction activity. Our primary and secondary school on Leopold-Kohr-Straße in Kagran, situated between a business park, recent housing estates, and the Ostbahn railway, sets a new anchor point in the district’s urban development. With its lively forecourt and play and sports areas, which can also be used by local residents, the school adds a new quality to the neighborhood. Spacious, covered terraces transform the façade into a vertical garden and articulate important spaces for learning and leisure, which can be used all year round.
At the heart of the all-day school, two sculptural, reflective bridges make the central atrium a very special space, instilling it with an atmosphere of discovery and movement. From this hub for orientation and the common meeting point in the school, there is direct access on all levels to the inviting outdoor terraces. On the ground floor, the children and youth can enjoy views of the school garden through room-height windows during lunch or in the library.
Each of the education clusters has a circular layout and receives ample natural light from all sides. Classrooms alternate with open, multifunctional niches. Furthermore, each cluster has plenty of sheltered outdoor space with direct access to its terrace. Here the children can playfully find their favourite spots and discover new things at their school. Shafts and openings offer exciting views between the levels and connect them. With floor-to-ceiling steel cable meshes, the terraces remain safe yet transparent – over time, wild vines will climb up these trellises. Behind them, the natural larch wood façade will gradually acquire a silver-grey patina through the effects of weathering.
On their breaks, the pupils can quickly reach the school garden from the upper levels via large flights of stairs and a slide. Some of the play and sports areas are freely accessible in the evenings and on weekends. The courtyard in front of the school is the first building block for a more urban quality of life in the neighborhood. The two sunken sports halls flanking the entrance can be used by external guests outside school hours.
