BRIEF Extension of a school by four classrooms and a gymnasium on a very small plot of land within a typical village structure | ADDED VALUE The school is not extended, but rather connected via an adapting passageway to the new building. The passageway functions as a weather-protected alleyway, which reorganizes the access to the building ensemble,... read more

BRIEF Extension of a school by four classrooms and a gymnasium on a very small plot of land within a typical village structure | ADDED VALUE The school is not extended, but rather connected via an adapting passageway to the new building. The passageway functions as a weather-protected alleyway, which reorganizes the access to the building ensemble, providing it with a clear address and likewise eliminating the deficit of the useful outside surface area. The definition of old and new building as a solitary building volume corresponds to the context of the residential settlement, whereas, the incompatible gymnasium volume is sunken into the ground with a natural light exposure coming from the glazed atrium.

SCHOOL AT KUCHL, KUCHL | AUSTRIA The extension of the school building was developed within the context of an unusually narrow building site. Shape and alignment of the new building create a maximum of daylight for the classrooms as well as for the neighboring dwellings. The old and new buildings are connected by a glazed lobby that functions as common space and provides wheelchair access. The sunny “recess” deck and a green courtyard function as children’s playgrounds. The basement consists of a gymnasium/event space, provided with a natural light source coming from the courtyard. A foyer-gallery serves as a multi-purpose space. The select interior materials and the marine plywood cladding turn it into a veritable “house for children.”

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