Glossary

The pedagogical concept of the active school emerged in the 1980s and can be seen as an anti­thesis to schools where students remain stagnant throughout the day. The rationales behind the active school are diverse and include develop­mental and learning theory, medical and health science, as well as curricular considerations. Active schools aim to provide holistic learning and opportunities for experiences that positively influence learning success, counteract deficits in physical activity among children and young people, and promote motor skills—in the interest of accident prevention among other reasons.

An architecture competition is a procurement procedure for the design and planning of building projects. In the EU, architecture competitions are regulated by procurement law, in particular by EU Directive 2014/24/EU. Architecture competitions serve to transparently select planning services based on quality criteria and design. They are either open (accessible to all qualified participants) or restricted (with prior selection of a limited number of partic­i­pants). Depending on the number of phases of design submission and jury evaluation, the competition is referred to as being single-stage or multi-stage. In the latter case, a subset of designs is selected in the first stage to be further developed in the second. The procedures are anonymous, evaluated by an independent jury, and are intended to promote innovation, fairness, and building culture. Competitions above the EU threshold must be publicly tendered throughout Europe.

In architecture, an atrium is a multi-story open space that extends over two or more levels of a building. It is created by omitting intermediate floor slabs, thereby establishing visual and spatial connections between levels. Atria are often used to create spacious, light-filled areas and promote an atmosphere of openness and transparency.

In the Vienna Campus Model, BIBER stands for Bildungsbereich (education unit) and describes the spatial grouping of several educational spaces (classrooms and group rooms for school and kindergarten) into an organizational unit within an educational campus. A BIBER also includes other rooms, such as team rooms for teachers. A key element of each BIBER is the so-called multi­func­tional zone (MUFU), which is structured as a shared learning and leisure area. BIBERs may be organized between institutions and age groups or as homo­geneous units. The aim of a BIBER is cooperation across classes and groups.

Originating in the Anglo-American higher education system, the term campus originally referred to an open green space with loosely scattered university buildings. Today, campus—especially in the field of education—refers to the grouping of several institutions on a single site, often within a large building complex. In the Vienna Campus Model, the term refers in particular to a combination of schools, a kindergarten, facilities for sports and leisure, and others, that encompasses additional social functions important for the neighborhood (e.g. youth centers, music schools) under one roof. The concept enables full-day and integrated childcare options, net­working, and synergies between the institutions, allowing for better use of shared resources such as sports facilities, creative areas, and therapy spaces. Building on this concept, the Campus Plus Model further strengthens the exchange between kindergartens and schools by creating mixed-age teaching units (BIBER) with multifunctional zones (MUFUs). Children from kindergarten and primary school, or from primary and middle school, share a BIBER and spend their daily routines together. Elsewhere in Austria, the term campus may also refer to a looser, primarily organizational network of educational institutions within a defined area, such as a municipality. 

In architecture, circulation areas are what make up the accessibility and connectivity of a building or site, both externally (through streets, paths, utilities, and service lines) and internally (through stairs, elevators, and corridors). Circulation ensures that all spaces are easily and safely accessible. Well-designed circulation areas are essential for barrier-free, efficient, and orientation-friendly building planning.

In Austrian education, the term cluster has several meanings. In school architecture, it refers to the grouping of several learning spaces into one organizational unit, usually with a shared open (learning) zone that may serve as a common center, often called the marketplace or, in some cases, the forum. In Vienna’s Campus Plus Model, a cluster is called a BIBER (educational unit), and the shared open zone is developed into a MUFU (multi­func­tional zone). Elsewhere in the Austrian school system, a school cluster means the pedagogical and administrative cooperation of two to a maximum of eight schools located near one another under a single management. Each school remains as a location anchor but is strengthened through cooperation within the cluster. A cluster typically comprises more than 200 and up to 2 500 students.

When learning spaces are not assigned to a specific class group as its homeroom, but instead to a certain educational topic (for example, mathematics, languages, sciences, humanities, or art), the arrangement is called a department system. The advantage of this model lies in the possibility to design and equip rooms according to the needs of each subject or educational field. In a school that is organized according to the department system and thus has no home classrooms, it is necessary to provide identity-forming areas for students to spend time in; the term homebase has become established for these. In Austria, the department system is applied primarily in upper secondary education (from the ninth grade onwards).

The term educational landscape describes the entirety of all formal, non-formal, and informal educational opportunities within a defined geographic, social, or institutional context. It emphasizes the collaboration of various actors—such as schools, cultural institutions, NGOs, municipalities, and businesses—with the aim of creating holistic, life-oriented, and equitable educational opportunities. Criticism of the term often points to its lack of precision, the shifting of state responsibility to local actors, and the risk of growing social inequality.

A functional and spatial program (FSP) is usually a list of functions and sizes of the rooms to be imple­mented as part of a construction project. It can be supplemented by detailed information on spatial relationships, required connections, and user-specific requirements, as well as general descrip­tions. The FSP is an essential component of a call for proposals for an architectural competition.

The architecture of a Hallenschule (lit. “hall school”) is characterized by a centrally positioned, multi-story hall. The surrounding floors are often arranged in a U-shape or as a ring around the hall, opening to the hall via galleries. The hall provides a multi­functional space for meetings and commu­nication, breaks and events. Hall schools are considered a more democratic type of school and date back to architectural evolutions during the 1960s and 1970s. In some cases, these open concepts also broadly open the classrooms to the hall.

One or more homebases are used in schools that are partially or entirely organized according to the department system. They serve as multifunctional common areas for students, serving both as social meeting points and as spaces for active, commu­nicative leisure activities. At the same time, they must also provide retreat spaces that enable focused work and self-directed learning, as well as “chill-out zones” for rest and relaxation. In most cases, student lockers for storing learning materials and personal items are integrated into the homebases.

The homeroom system is regarded by educational experts as an important place of reference, particularly for younger children (primary and lower secondary levels). It is also a well-established and proven organizational model in Austrian school architecture. In recent years, however, it has become clear that homerooms need to be supplemented by additional spaces to accommodate a range of different learning settings, from group work to individual learning. For this purpose, open learning zones, marketplaces, and MUFUs have been introduced. Especially in large schools, it is necessary to create manageable units, so several homerooms are often combined into clusters or BIBER units.

Inclusion refers to the integration and participation of all users (e.g. students, teachers), regardless of their individual needs, abilities, or impairments. The goal of inclusion in educational institutions is to create a learning-friendly environment in which all students can learn and develop together. This also involves promoting diversity in schools. Inclusion means that all students have the same opportunities and chances, regardless of their background, social status, or individual circumstances. To implement inclusion in schools, a variety of measures and support systems are necessary, such as barrier-free access, individualized support, special learning materials, and adapted pedagogical approaches. By fostering an inclusive school culture, all students can benefit from shared learning experiences and realize their full potential.

The model of the integrated all-day school organizes lessons, learning time (e.g. exercises and homework supervision), and leisure time in an educationally meaningful sequence, jointly managed by teachers and leisure educators in an integrated order with elements that alternate several times throughout the day. With this form, all students in a class must attend the entire school day.

The term learning landscape describes an educational and spatial concept that includes diverse and flexible learning environments. Unlike traditional classroom layouts, a learning landscape supports individualized, collaborative, and inter­disciplinary learning. It typically includes open zones, retreat areas, group workstations, and digital learning spaces. Learning landscapes encourage self-guided learning, adapt to different learning needs, and embrace the idea of space as the “third teacher.” They require new roles for teachers and a holistic under­standing of education that integrates architecture, education methods, and organization.

In educational facilities, a marketplace refers to a central meeting place around which learning spaces are arranged in a cluster. It combines teaching and circulation spaces into a multi­functional, peda­go­gi­cally activated zone that supports both learning and play. Other names used for this area are MUFU (multifunctional zone) or forum. The marketplace is spatially defined by its open core and the functional spaces arranged around it.

Within the terminology of the Vienna Campus Model, multifunctional zones—abbreviated as MUFUs—form the spatial core of a BIBER cluster and are designed for flexible use and group work. MUFUs provide learning, working, and movement areas that supplement classrooms and can be seen as an extension of the educational spaces, where different age groups meet. Other names used for this space are marketplace or forum. Spatially, MUFUs are characterized by their subdivision into distinct areas (e.g. quiet or more active) and their allocation to functional rooms. 

In educational buildings, multiple use refers to using rooms and areas for different purposes and by various user groups, for example, evening or weekend activities by groups not affiliated with the school. This approach allows for a more efficient use of available spaces and helps better accommodate a variety of spatial needs.

Open learning zone is another term used to describe open areas within clusters (see also MUFU and marketplace). Their primary function is studying, mostly in small groups and individually. In contrast to a marketplace or MUFU, an open learning zone is significantly less spatially defined: It may be located at the end or within a sequence of classrooms instead of forming a spatial core. Open learning zones can vary considerably in size; comparatively smaller, a learning island is a specific type of open learning zone.

Participation or user involvement in the building process of educational facilities means the inclusion of teachers, students, and other school staff and parents in important decision-making processes regarding the building and renovation of educational facilities. Generally, these are structured processes supported by external professionals, with the users regarded as experts of their own learning and working environments. Such participatory processes aim to create spaces conducive to learning and social interaction while ensuring user acceptance.

Phase ten has become an established concept in school architecture, particularly in the context of user participation. It refers to the initial phase of operation following new building or renovation, during which the goal is to familiarize users with their new educational building and its spatial concept, while also providing support for the pedagogical, didactic, and orga­ni­za­tional activation of the spatial infrastructure. The aim is to optimize user acceptance.

Phase zero refers to an initial stage of project development that has gained importance in recent years, particularly in the field of school architecture. This phase precedes the start of planning and serves to establish foundations, make key decisions, and set strategic directions. Essential components of phase zero include needs assessment, the development of a spatial and functional program, and the preparation of competition briefs for architectural tenders, as well as the active participation of users.

The PPP (public-private partnership) model in school building describes a long-term cooperation between the public sector (e.g. a municipality) and private companies. Private partners take on construction (including implementation planning), financing, and operation (e.g. facility management, maintenance, cleaning), while the municipality acts as a tenant and pays rent over a contract period (typically 25 to 30 years). The aim is to relieve the burden on public budgets during the construction phase while at the same time ensuring rapid imple­men­tation of construction projects. Critics, however, point to limited opportunities for influence and higher costs in the long term.

Procurement procedures are legally regulated processes for selecting companies and (planning) offices for public contracts. The aim is to ensure transparency, equal treatment, and fair competition. Depending on contract value and type, contracting authorities must imple­ment specific procedures, as defined in EU Directive 2014/24/EU. In architectural planning, tender procedures apply particularly to intellectual and creative services, where the decisive criteria are not limited to cost but focus on design quality, conceptual strength, and artistic merit. In practice, these procedures are often carried out as architectural competitions or as negotiated processes with a preceding qualification stage.

A seating stair provides added spatial and social qualities that go beyond its circulation function. With higher and lower steps, it invites users to sit and spend time. Seating stairs can be designed and used as studying and learning landscapes, as break areas, or as seating during lectures, assemblies, and events.

Silent rooms are a comparatively recent spatial typology in school buildings but are increasingly needed and in demand. Silent rooms are primarily designated workspaces for teachers, used for tasks that require extended concentration, such as grading assignments. The attribute “silent” refers to the intended user behavior, which is based on minimal mutual disturbance. A need for silent rooms is also increasingly being reported by students.

In addition to the classrooms and learning areas in which general instruction is held, so-called specialized classrooms (e.g. laboratories, science rooms) are required for subject-specific instruction (e.g. science, music, art and design).

A subject area office is a workspace for teachers of a specific subject area (such as mathematics, languages, sciences, sociology, or the arts). This kind of grouped offices can support the development of professional identity and improve collaboration. Related terms include teamrooms (workspaces for teachers within a cluster or BIBER) and, particularly in federal schools, custodiates or collections (subject-specific storage spaces with workspace characteristics that can also be used for lesson preparation).

The term the third teacher was coined by Loris Malaguzzi, one of the founders of the Reggio Emilia approach. It refers to the idea that the physical learning environment, alongside classmates and teachers, is the third essential influence on childhood learning.