Volksschule Bad Blumau
The school building blends discreetly into the landscape and, together with the sports field, forms an island on the edge of the village. The open learning landscape inside offers children ample space for movement, complementing and balancing focused and creative learning.
Bad Blumau, a small town known for its thermal baths, had an outdated and undersized school in the village center. After intensive discussions between the municipal council, the State of Styria, and the users, a new building was considered the best solution. On a slightly raised site, protected from flooding from the nearby river, now stands a single-story, elongated school building, with a small sports stadium directly adjacent.
The building offers optimal space to implement the model of an active school—developed in close cooperation with the teaching staff. The aim is to integrate physical activity into the teaching and learning process, engaging multiple senses to enhance the absorption and processing of information.
Facing the river and overlooking the village, the classrooms are strung together, connected like a string of pearls. The size and layout of each room is slightly different, creating a varied range of spaces. Each classroom has an outdoor area shaded by a pergola that creates a smooth transition into the natural surroundings.
The generous circulation areas are equally varied: a longitudinal seating stair runs through the building, flanked by recessed seating niches in front of the classrooms. The exposed concrete used here took some getting used to at first, but is now widely appreciated, as are the warm wooden floors and room-high glazing. Many details—such as the quiet spaces set between pairs of classrooms—were developed in close cooperation between the school and the architectural team.
Almost 20 years after planning began, the school principal finds that the careful design process has more than proven its worth. The building has stood the test of time, aging beautifully and, bright and friendly, continues to provide an optimal learning environment enriched with many experimental details that go beyond established norms.
[ Bad Blumau Primary School ] Architecture: Architekturbüro Feyferlik/Fritzer. Client: Thermenort Gemeinde Bad Blumau Orts- und Infrastrukturentwicklungs KG. Structural engineering: IKK ZT-OEG. Procurement procedure: Invited, single-stage design competition with implementation. Planning and construction period: 2006–2010. Usable floor area: 1 141 m². Address: 8283 Bad Blumau No. 130, Styria.