Konrad Lorenz Secondary School / Franz&Sue

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The spacious aula at the center of the complex forms the communicative and emblematic heart of the school. A broad seating staircase with multi-colored cushions connects the garden, ground, and upper floors. In the zone underneath, schoolchildren can play table tennis or table soccer during breaks and romp around on a gymnastics mat. Three large skylights bathe the space with plenty of daylight.Starting at the public areas, such as the aula and the redesigned foyer, the classes are grouped spatially into clusters. In additional break and activity zones, there is comfortable seating or climbing poles for the pupils to clamber around on.Text description provided by the architects.Accommodating around 1000 students, the Konrad Lorenz Secondary School is the largest building complex in the city ofGänserndorfin Lower Austria. However, the existing somber school, with its single-story classroom wings and long corridors, was no longer fit for the task. So we developed a new spatial concept for a total of 40 classes. We renovated and adapted the existing buildings to the north and south and inserted a new connecting structure between them, which resulted in a modern and friendly school ensemble where teachers and pupils can feel at home.To ensure easy orientation in the expansive building, we developed a visual guidance system together with Kriso Leinfellner/Visuelle Kultur KG, which assigns each class its own unique visual address. While sea green is the primary color throughout the interiors, each floor is also marked with an own signal color – red, green, or blue. Depending on the location of the school, there is also a distinctive pattern for each class cluster, which can be found, for example, on glazed surfaces or the seating niches, which are designed as multifunctional built-in furniture that separate the classes from the corridors. The opposite sides of these elements provide ample storage space in the classrooms.With the new addition, the secondary school also obtained a new, characteristic exterior. The delicate wooden lamella façade lends the building lightness and dynamism. Made of native larch, the diagonally and vertically aligned slats will, due to weathering effects over time, acquire a beautiful silvery-grey patina.From the room-height windows in the classrooms, pupils have a view of the schoolyards and the lavishly designed school garden. The outdoor areas, like the indoor spaces, are anything but monotonous: With a variety of furniture and alternating structured squares and natural areas, there is plenty of space for relaxing, movement, play, and creative learning.