Schulen an der Kettenbrücke Innsbruck
In transforming this school complex—which had grown haphazardly over many years—the first task was to break through hardened layers, peel back accumulated strata, and expose the underlying structure. What emerged was of surprisingly high quality and became the starting point for a radically new spatial concept.
Situated at a key intersection in Innsbruck, the large building forms a joint between a brutalist church, a refined villa district, and an urban fabric from the Gründerzeit era. It accommodates several educational institutions: a kindergarten, after-school center, primary school, middle school, and a training institute for early childhood education. The architects succeeded in transforming this diversity into a coherent whole that fosters everyday interaction between age groups while creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere despite the building’s scale.
After extensive studies, a decision was made against new construction. Instead, the school complex was renewed from the inside out—radically but with sensitivity. The concrete skeleton, exposed beneath many layers of accretion, has been preserved in its aesthetic and crafted quality, now forming the unifying framework of the building. Around it, the interior was thoroughly cleared and restructured.
Formerly dark and fragmented corridors, in-between areas, and storage spaces have been combined into bright learning foyers that form flexible common areas between classrooms on each floor and enable diverse forms of teaching and learning. This active spatial zone extends vertically through all floors, culminating in a rooftop terrace that, together with the south-facing school garden, offers outdoor areas with a variety of spatial qualities. Full accessibility will be achieved in the next construction phase, when the oldest wing will be refurbished and a lift installed.
The new identity encouraging openness and communication is also expressed in the façade, with a well-balanced interplay of transparency and translucency that creates a connection to the urban environment. Where once a high boundary wall isolated the school grounds, it is now part of the public space. This transformation can also be read as a signal from the school’s sponsor—a Catholic women’s order. Here, too, crusted layers have been broken open.
[ Primary School, Middle School, Upper Academic Secondary School, Teacher Training College for Early Childhood Education, Innsbruck ] Architecture: STUDIO LOIS. Client: Schulverein Barmherzige Schwestern Innsbruck. Structural engineering: Alfred R. Brunnsteiner ZT GmbH. Planning and construction period: 2015–2019. Usable floor area: 2 685 m². Address: Falkstraße 28, 6020 Innsbruck, Tyrol.