BRG Kremszeile Krems an der Donau
Originally built just before the first oil crisis, this school had become a problem both for its building physics and ecology. Today, it is a prime example of a renovation that combines technical sophistication with spatial quality.
The existing building, a typical comb shape from the 1970s, was the starting point of a radical transformation. A spacious multi-purpose hall on the ground floor, several green courtyards notched into the gutted old building, and the arrangement of the classrooms in clusters to create multifunctional circulation areas brightened by daylight that provide ventilation and space to move. Varied visual connections to the outdoors make it easier to navigate through the complex. In the classrooms, the technical conditions for traditional frontal teaching are as inherent as the invitation to feel “at home” in a relaxed atmosphere. In the specialized science rooms, a chemistry lab with group workstations encourages collaborative experimentation. A finely calibrated system of heating, ventilation, and shading contributes to the positive effect of the spaces, while daylight control systems optimize the incoming natural light deep into the interior of the room.
Bright shared zones in front of classrooms, planted courtyards, and a large terrace landscape upstairs from the multipurpose hall inspire flexible, varied use of time, both for teaching and during breaks. The furniture in these areas is brought in and grouped as needed. The library and the covered but unheated “climate garden” are popular retreat spaces. This balanced range of spaces for communication as well as for quiet is also present in the teachers’ work and lounge areas, which, instead of having a conventional conference room, are organized into subject area offices and silent rooms. This sensitivity to the very different individual needs in everyday school life has had measurable results: The number of poor behavior grades has decreased significantly since the opening of the new building.
The indoor swimming pool—preserved almost unchanged from the original building—and a new gymnasium sunk into the terrain and illuminated by a shed roof provide Krems with unique excellence in physical education.
[ Kremszeile Federal Academic Secondary School, Krems an der Donau ] Architecture: trafo Kirchmayr & Nöbauer GesbR; Christian Schremmer. Client: BIG Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft m. b. H., on behalf of the Ministry of Education. Structural engineering: Zorn & Nowy ZT GmbH. Procurement procedure: Open, single-stage design competition with implementation (above EU threshold). Planning and construction period: 2010–2015. Usable floor area: 12 000 m². Address: Rechte Kremszeile 54, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria.