Volksschule SmartCity Leopoldinum Graz
This elementary school is an exemplary and rare case of an educational building that does not stand as a solitary structure but is integrated into a larger urban ensemble. Any color here comes from the students themselves: Elephant gray dominates the exterior, while the interior features light wood and white walls.
The Leopoldinum primary school in Graz’s new SmartCity district represents the first phase of an educational campus that will later be completed with a middle school and a polytechnic school. The four-story building accommodates 12 classes, organized into clusters of four classrooms each, grouped around a shared open learning area. Each of these learning areas has a large terrace. On the ground floor, a two‑story hall forms the heart of the primary school and will eventually serve as the link to the adjoining middle and polytechnic schools. The two‑story entrance volume is set back from the street, creating a spacious forecourt with seating elements and islands of greenery together with the four-story main wing. The entrance hall houses the cafeteria and recreation rooms at street level, while the library is located in the gallery. Seating stairs and large glazed openings to the forecourt and playground create a sense of spaciousness and openness.
The classroom clusters are located on the second and third floors. Flexible room design and diverse learning situations are made possible by open learning areas and square classroom floor plans. Glazed partitions allow visual connections within the building and to the outside. The outdoor areas assigned to the clusters are individually designed, fostering a sense of identity: A terrace recessed into the building volume acts as an open-air classroom, while another, which will be used jointly with the middle school in the future, serves as a school terrace. The landscaped roof garden on the third floor is conceived as a research deck.
Robust materials such as exposed concrete and timber meet the requirements of durability. The façades combine plastered surfaces with precast concrete elements that resemble building blocks, allowing a playful variation of window openings. The elephant-gray exterior, with its many hues and textures, makes the façade look almost like a living skin.
[ SmartCity Leopoldinum Primary School, Graz ] Architecture: alexa zahn architekten. Client: Stadt Graz. Structural engineering: Werkraum Ingenieure ZT GmbH. Outdoor/planting concept: Marlis Rief. Procurement procedure: Open, two‑stage implementation competition. Planning and construction period: 2016–2019. Usable floor area: 3 300 m². Address: Waagner-Biro-Straße 99, 8020 Graz, Styria.