About the Book

The book Neue Lernwelten—which forms the basis of this website—documents the evolution of school and kindergarten architecture in Austria from 2010 to 2025. It highlights the joint efforts of educators, architects, and public administrators to activate space as a “third teacher” and create learning environments that support contemporary pedagogical practices. The book and website present 50 exemplary case studies, reflecting on their evolution in six essays and five round table talks.

Photo: Viktoria Hohl — The book was published by **JOVIS**.
Book design and web design: **Viktoria Hohl**

Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"
Look Inside "New Worlds of Learning"

Authors

The essays and case studies were written by 12 authors. The essays provide a theoretical framework, while the case studies explain the different pioneering qualities of each individual project.

He studied architecture at TU Wien and ETH Zurich. Since 2001, he has been a professor of building science at TU Wien with a focus on educational buildings. From 2008 to 2023, he served as dean of studies for the departments of architecture and building science. He is an architecture critic for professional journals and daily newspapers. Since 2015, he has been chairman of the Austrian Advisory Board for Baukultur.
www.baukultur.gv.at, www.gbl.tuwien.ac.at
She studied history, philosophy, psychology, and pedagogy at the University of Vienna. From 1996 to 2021, she was the managing director of the Architekturstiftung Österreich. Since 2010, she has been chairwoman of the bink initiative promoting Baukultur awareness for youth. Her work focuses mainly on architecture/Baukultur education for children and young adults, and on cities and life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
www.bink.at
She studied architecture at TU Wien, completing postgraduate studies in urban engineering and solar architecture. From 1998–2013, she worked at the Department for Building and Environment at Danube University Krems, most recently as dean of the Faculty of Education, Arts, and Architecture. Since 2013, she has been managing partner of the Institute of Building Research & Innovation ZT GmbH.
www.building-research.at
He studied art history at the University of Salzburg and has been the artistic director of the Initiative Architektur since 2009. From 1999 to 2009 he was a specialist editor at Anton Pustet publishing house and from 2009 to 2012 at Müry Salzmann publishing house, always with a focus on architecture. From 1996 to 2005 and from 2013 to 2017 he was a member of the expert commission for the preservation of old towns. He is an architecture writer and exhibition curator.
www.initiativearchitektur.at
She studied architecture at the TU Wien and the Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem. She graduated from the Catholic Media Academy and the profil magazine journalism course and is a freelance architecture journalist. She was an editor at architektur.aktuell, launched the start of the German edition of the magazine domus, teaches a course on “writing about architecture” at TU Wien, and publishes the blog genau! journal für architektur, mensch & word.
www.genau.im
She studied architecture at TU Graz and IUAV (Venice). She was a project manager in various architectural firms and editor-in-chief of the magazine architektur. She has been managing director of the Ogris am See Boutique Hotel since 2010. She is a co-founder and, since 2013, chairwoman of the Kalt und warm association and, since 2019, a member of Architektur_Spiel_Raum_Kärnten. She has hosted the podcast Baukul|Tour since 2023.
www.kalt-warm.org
He studied cultural anthropology, civil engineering, and architecture at TU Graz, TU Wien, and ENTPE Lyon. Since 2019, he has been researching and teaching as a senior scientist at the future.lab Research Center of TU Wien.
https://futurelab.tuwien.ac.at/research-center
She studied architecture at the TU Wien and writes expert appraisals and texts on Baukultur. From 1993 to 2014, she was a freelance architect in Leonding bei Linz and, from 2007 to 2021, also a teacher at the HTL 1 Goethestraße in Linz. She has been a farmer since 2022.
www.breiten9.at
She studied architecture at TU Graz and the Universiteit Antwerp, focusing on social issues and intersectional feminist architectural and societal critique. Since 2023, she has been working at Megaron & Partner in Graz, particularly for residential construction projects, and teaches at the Institute of Building Theory, where she has led school workshops on architectural education for the BauKultur Steiermark association.
She studied architecture at TU Wien and social space-oriented social work at FH Campus Wien. Through her dissertation research focus on the (gender) inclusive planning of school buildings, she is looking for solutions on how built and social space can reduce inequalities. She is a founding member of the LÄB – Laboratory for Aesthetic Education association and currently works at the Institute for Architecture and Design at TU Wien.
www.laeb.at
She studied architecture at TU Wien, where she was also an assistant professor. She provides consulting services for educational and sports facilities and, as part of the ARGE ÖISS PlanSinn Gruber Schwarz, helps facilitate participatary processes. She was head of the Austrian Institute for School and Sports Facilities (ÖISS) until 2024.
www.oeiss.org
She studied architecture in Innsbruck, Vienna, and the USA. Since 2002, she has been developing projects and education concepts in the fields of architecture, urban space, culture, and design, most recently as managing director of WEI SRAUM. Designforum Tirol. She is a curator and cultural journalist, designs exhibitions, and writes for magazines, journals, and publications.

Editor

Austrian Institute
for School and Sports
Facilities (ÖISS)

The Austrian Institute for School and Sports Facilities (ÖISS) is a foundation established by the federal government and all states. As a non-profit partner to regional authorities, the ÖISS serves as a center of expertise for the planning, construction, and operation of educational, sports, and movement spaces in Austria. It is well regarded and used as the central point of contact for questions in the field. The ÖISS is a think tank that develops innovative approaches to solutions. It contributes to the implementation of new ideas and to quality assurance. This work is supported by the expertise gained through the ÖISS’s foundational research.

www.oeiss.org

Commissioned to the

Architekturstiftung
Österreich

The Architekturstiftung Österreich is the joint platform of Austrian architectural initiatives. It promotes an understanding of contemporary architecture in politics, the administration, and the public sphere. Its aim is to inspire people about architecture and to encourage them to become discerning partners in shaping the built environment. As the commissioning body for the Neue Lernwelten (New Worlds of Learning) publication project—both book and website—it contributed to organizing the project and, through its network of Austrian architecture houses, to the selection of the case studies.

www.architekturstiftung.at

Publisher’s Afterword

After reading the essays and talks on key issues at the intersection of architecture and education, and exploring the 50 inspiring educational buildings with accompanying photo essay, has educational architecture sparked your interest? We would be delighted if you added the website www.neuelernwelten.at to your bookmarks. As Christian Kühn suggested during one of many talks throughout the evolution of the project, let it become your steady companion. Let it be an ongoing source of inspiration for you, a reference, and let it perhaps even help in realizing the next school building you are involved in.

The content presented here will continue to grow dynamically, reaching ever-wider circles of interested readers. You can even have some of the talks read aloud digitally!

Neue Lernwelten is the fourth publication in a series on exemplary educational buildings in Austria, released at roughly 15-year intervals since 1982, and the first to include an online presence.

Special thanks are due to the Federal Ministry of Education, which—through this publication series—regularly documents the state of development and current trends in Austrian educational architecture, independently of the respective school authorities. The Austrian Institute for School and Sports Facilities (ÖISS) has been entrusted with the editorial leadership for the third time and warmly thanks the Ministry for its trust.

A total of 12 authors contributed to this carefully curated compendium of Austrian educational buildings, with additional experts participating in the talks. Their expertise—and above all their passion for the subject—resonates throughout the publication.

Crucial to the success of the project were Christian Kühn as its mastermind; Barbara Feller, with her extensive expertise in architectural culture, and Carla Schwaderer, who jointly carried out the organization and coordination; and Karin Schwarz-Viechtbauer, former director of the Austrian Institute for School and Sports Facilities, in her capacity as consultant to the publisher. Her involvement in the previous publication in 2012 enabled her to contribute valuable experience and support this innovative approach. Special thanks go to Viktoria Hohl, who implemented the graphic design of the book, consistently refining its visual language and skillfully transferring it into the digital medium.

Florian Szeywerth,
ÖISS Director

A look at the book and
website presentation held
on 25 November 2025

During the presentation in the ballroom of the AHS Zirkusgasse—a recently completed school renovation based on plans by Shibukawa Eder Architects—the audience was given an insight into the contents of the book and website “Neue Lernwelten” (New Worlds of Learning).

Photos: Florian Schroetter/BKA