Kindergarten Mühlgasse Lannach
The new building for the all-day nursery and kindergarten center impresses with its courtyard as a protected oasis, expanding the existing primary school and other kindergarten into a small educational cluster in the center of Lannach.
The structure adapts to the sloping terrain, offering a weather-protected entrance zone at the lower street level. From here, a wide staircase—designed to be used in socks or slippers—leads up to the first floor. At the top, the view opens to a large rectangular courtyard, enclosed on two sides by the L‑shaped building and on the remaining sides by a timber-framed canopy that completes the rectangle with a covered walkway. The green area is surfaced in artificial turf—a solution the kindergarten director sees as both good and bad: positive because it allows outdoor play even in bad weather and prevents the hazard of bees, negative because in summer the surface becomes so hot that it is only really usable during the cooler times of the day. This zone merges seamlessly into the elementary school’s outdoor area and also incorporates the surrounding pathways, creating a spacious open area with a variety of sports and recreational opportunities.
Floor-to-ceiling glazing separates the interior from the exterior and offers plenty of views in and out. The two symmetrically arranged kindergarten group rooms each have a spacious storage area for all the materials, a sanitary unit, a separate quiet zone, and a timber box element that creates an additional elevated play and seating zone. A multi-purpose movement room in between is used by both groups. Lunch is eaten together in front of the nursery, which also has a toilet room and a quiet room for the littlest ones to take a nap.
Natural wood surfaces are complemented by textile seating elements in carefully selected colors and refined craftsmanship. The rooms radiate calm and composure: “Everything is of one piece, so the children don’t feel lost and their independence is encouraged,” says the director enthusiastically about her “dream kindergarten.” Should the need arise, the building can be expanded while it is still in operation.
[ Mühlgasse Kindergarten, Lannach ] Architecture: Berktold Weber Architekten ZT GmbH. Client: Marktgemeinde Lannach. Structural engineering: gbd ZT GmbH. Landscape architecture: Monsberger Gartenarchitektur GmbH. Procurement procedure: Invited, single-stage design competition with implementation. Planning and construction period: 2017–2019. Usable floor area: 1 363 m². Address: Mühlgasse 1, 8502 Lannach, Styria.