Agrarbildungszentrum Salzkammergut Altmünster
This school thrives on unity in diversity. The range of spaces available in this outwardly simple timber box is as varied as the curriculum under the wide umbrella of agriculture. Only at second glance does one notice that it is essentially an extension.
Strictly speaking, the four-sided farmstead (Vierkanthof) is not traditional in the Salzkammergut, where dispersed settlement patterns predominate, adapted to the mountainous landscape and climate. Yet a similarity of the agriculture education center with the four-sided farmsteads more typical of the Innviertel cannot be denied. It demonstrates that this typology works not only on flat landscapes and gentle slopes, but on steeper terrain as well, thanks also to advances in construction.
Remarkably, the school complex is an extension of an existing ensemble, a conglomerate of several loosely spaced buildings. Many variations of this existing structure were presented in the competition, from hiding it to mirroring and reinterpreting it. The winning project takes a radical approach to the challenge: it preserves parts that function well—above all the dormitory facility—and integrates them so convincingly into the new construction that the old dissolves into the new. Only those who know that the massive walls and punched windows belong to the original building will discern which part is older. This solution requires a great deal of sophistication in the details, for example in the barrier-free bridging of the different levels that result from the required floor heights of old and new. To avoid dark interior corridors, the circulation areas of the dorm rooms were improved by adding small light wells.
Functionally, the school building is divided into three levels. At entry level are the public areas: assembly hall, cafeteria, multipurpose room, and the large common area of the dormitory. The teaching staff has an open-plan workspace along the courtyard with 40 individual stations. The upper floor is dedicated to theory: eight classrooms occupy an entire side of the square volume. Each classroom is paired with a smaller, connectable room—top-lit by a narrow skylight and fully glazed toward the corridor—for focused work in small groups. While the ribbon windows in the classrooms draw the view into the distance, these annex rooms are about concentrated study. Three larger square seminar rooms are arranged facing the courtyard.
The other long side of the rectangle is used as an open learning zone, with a freestanding, elliptical library at its center. Contrary to first impressions—its walls stop short of both floor and ceiling, with glazing instead following the top and bottom of the curved room contour—it is acoustically well sealed and is also used for classes and consultations with school psychologists. The third level, partially cut into the slope, houses the workshops and gymnasium, the airspace of which extends upward into the entrance floor above. As befits a Vierkant farmstead, a side driveway enters the courtyard for workshop deliveries.
Constructively, this is a classic hybrid building in which each material is used where it performs best. Solid timber walls provide bracing; steel columns and concrete composite columns carry the loads. The slab above the ground floor is a timber–concrete composite deck, combining the advantages of both materials (fire safety, acoustic insulation, and structural capacity). The suspended ceiling is insulated with sheep’s wool. The dominant interior material is locally-sourced silver fir, used in an oiled finish even on floors—after nearly 15 years of use, this has proven to be the right decision.
Due to its compact form, robust insulation, and mechanical ventilation, the building meets passive house standards. But climate change is making itself felt here as well: in summer, temperatures in some rooms exceed 30°C, and the installation of air conditioning is under discussion. It is no secret that agriculture will be particularly hard hit by global warming. Top-quality education is therefore crucial— requiring innovative concepts, the right teaching staff, and the right atmosphere. The 260 students, 40 teachers, and 20 additional staff of the Salzkammergut agricultural education center know from their own experience how much good architecture can contribute.
[Agricultural Technical and Vocational School, Altmünster ] Architecture: Fink Thurnher Architekten ZT GmbH. Client: Landes-Immobilien GmbH, represented by the Amt der OÖ Landesregierung, Abteilung Gebäude- und Beschaffungsmanagement. Structural engineering (timber): merz kley partner ZT GmbH. Structural engineering (concrete): Mader & Flatz ZT GmbH. Procurement procedure: Restricted, single-stage design competition with implementation (above EU threshold). Planning and construction period: 2007–2011. Usable floor area: 10 536 m². Address: Pichlhofstraße 62, 4813 Altmünster, Upper Austria.