seestadt aspern education campus

urban design concept
aspern, vienna’s lakeside city, evokes by name alone the idea of living and working by the water — a district where green space plays a defining role.
to the north of the site designated for the educational campus lies a large district park. inspired by the vision of the green city, the educational campus is conceived as a low, terraced green landscape — a walkable hill of learning. all classrooms and group rooms have direct access to green outdoor areas on their respective levels, offering a generous variety of spaces for recreation, play, and learning outdoors. the ground floor level of the learning hill opens toward the district park, where the large, rain-protected school courtyard — the main entrance to the campus — is located. from this forecourt, one enters the open hall: the indoor campus. at this interface between public space and school are the dining halls, the library, and the offices of the administrative leadership. on the west side, there is a drop-off area for students with special mobility needs, with a dedicated entrance to the indoor campus. this area also accommodates deliveries of goods and food (with a short route to the kitchen) as well as waste disposal for the school.

educational landscape
the gymnasiums are embedded at the center of the building, forming the indoor campus — a bright, spacious interior volume surrounded by areas for special education, a multifunctional center, administrative offices, kitchen, and dining halls. the indoor campus, situated at the intersection of the two main entrances, serves as a venue for events, a meeting place for all students, and an inviting space for sitting, observing, relaxing, playing, and learning. it ensures easy orientation throughout the building. the spatial concept of the indoor campus supports the spirit of the school: openness, clarity, orientation, connectivity, generosity, and light-filled friendliness. the gymnasiums are easily accessible from all educational units and have direct exterior entrances for external users. to the south, they can open up toward the outdoor arena. during warmer months, the dining hall, media room, library, and workshops can open into covered outdoor areas, allowing eating, relaxing, and working in open-air studios.
according to the age groups of the children, the different school units are layered into a terraced, walkable educational landscape:
the kindergarten is located on the ground floor, oriented south toward the large outdoor play area
the school for children with special motor needs occupies the first floor
the elementary school spans the first and second floors, with classrooms facing the district park

cluster
the educational units are clearly and logically organized. two classrooms are connected to a small group room and a leisure area to form a learning zone. two such zones combine to form a cluster. on the first floor, there are two clusters each for the elementary school and the school for children with special motor needs; on the second floor, there are two clusters for the elementary school. each cluster is vertically connected to the indoor campus. sliding walls allow classrooms within a cluster to be opened up into one large area or subdivided into smaller rooms. quiet, play, and leisure zones are separated by mobile shelving units that can be repositioned to define room size as needed. special attention is given to glare-free daylight. two-meter-deep balconies on the south façade provide shaded, glare-free lighting for the classrooms, prevent overheating in summer, and extend escape routes while simplifying façade maintenance. all educational units have direct access to outdoor spaces, structured with shaded learning terraces, play meadows, small hills, and paved zones.

urban integration
the building opens on its ground level toward the district park. the generous, rain-sheltered school courtyard serves as a meeting place, event space, and access zone for the aspern educational campus.
by slightly elevating the site in the south and planting a dense row of trees, the visual prominence of the nearby general motors facility is reduced, and noise emissions are mitigated. large trees (such as walnut and hop hornbeam) are planted selectively, while small flowering trees connect the campus landscape with the park’s vegetation. in the southwest corner of the site, an orchard is established, bordered by a double row of berry hedges separating the children’s play area from the shared garden space. a recurring furniture element consists of wide, differently sized benches that serve multiple functions: seating, teaching, learning, and workspaces. along pathways, they transform into elements for sports and movement. the open interpretation of the furniture encourages creative use of the outdoor space and supports self-directed engagement. the campus’s open spaces provide a wide range of spatial experiences, allowing individuals and groups to use various visible and secluded areas for different activities — an approach that also supports gender mainstreaming. for this reason, fixed functional zoning in the outdoor areas is deliberately avoided. bike and scooter parking is provided at all entrances and beneath the roof overhang at the main forecourt, sheltered from rain. rainwater is absorbed by the green roofs, while runoff from paved surfaces (such as the forecourt) is filtered through infiltration drains.

work garden
the eastern outdoor area is designed as an open-air workshop, equipped with large worktables and benches. along the eastern boundary, several large trees provide shade and define the space.
planting beds for gardening and experiments suitable for all age groups are located along this property edge.

school gardens on the roof
each school unit is assigned its own rooftop garden directly accessible from classrooms and common terraces via bridges. the terraces share a simple, consistent structure across all levels. each cluster includes a shaded arena that serves as a space for rest, teaching, and learning. the arenas are connected by access terraces. ramps on both sides provide access to the large playground level, allow maintenance vehicles such as lawnmowers and snowplows to pass, and serve as sheltered storage for play equipment and as windbreaks.
closer to the classrooms, quieter areas with low wildflower meadows and small trees are arranged, while the southern areas feature seating lawns.
the terraces are furnished with benches, mobile tables, and chairs near the seating arenas, which are equipped with sun protection. tree plantings allow users to choose between sunny or shaded areas for playing, sitting, or relaxing.
the minimalist design ensures maximum flexibility and encourages active engagement with the outdoor space.
the clear structural organization is enhanced through constructional means: in the tree meadow areas, a soil depth of 85 cm prevents excessive drying; in lawn areas, a 40 cm soil buildup with gravel, sand, and water-retentive additives (such as expanded clay or brick chippings) improves water storage and local microclimate. this design increases the roof’s rainwater retention capacity and creates diverse vegetative patterns with varying degrees of coverage.
each terrace is slightly differentiated to suit the respective school type.
the uppermost terrace, not directly assigned to any unit, is ideal for retreat, relaxation during breaks, or small-group communication. offering views over the seestadt, the park, and the campus, it serves as a sheltered quiet zone for teachers, staff, and students alike.

children’s garden
fruit trees are distributed throughout the gently sloping garden. swings, seesaws, balance beams, a treehouse with a slide, and a circular paved track encourage outdoor movement. a double berry hedge separates the garden from the larger outdoor area, allowing children to pick fruit from both sides and fostering a sense of community. inside the hedge, a picking boardwalk for smaller children doubles as a path, bench, and sand play area. along this boardwalk are sand pits, shallow water basins, a “moon landscape,” mud hollows, pole forests, cube corners, seating niches, hideouts, and beam zones.
these play elements allow multiple interpretations and foster group interaction, offering a full spectrum of play and movement opportunities. through the hedge, children can also access the movement garden.

movement garden / parcours / hard courts
the movement and sports garden is set apart from the learning spaces to avoid noise disturbance. it is accessible from all levels via ramps along the sides of the building. from the gymnasium, the garden can be reached through the arena.
the parcours features linear wooden elements of varying heights (walls, bars, beams), both slanted and straight, dense, climbable, and passable.
the hard courts are embedded into the sloped terrain, creating a natural grandstand on the southern side.

maintenance concept
the outdoor spaces are designed to minimize budgetary impact. the basic structures are simple to maintain, with most effort limited to mechanical lawn mowing and basic tree care.
on the roofs, sufficient irrigation must be ensured. more intensive plantings (e.g., garden beds) are integrated into daily educational activities or located on staff terraces for ongoing monitoring.

fire protection and escape route concept
the safety objectives defined in the vienna building code are met through compliance with oib guideline 2 and trvb 130, except for the fire compartmentation of the indoor campus. in the hall, by separating areas with potential fire loads into individual smoke zones from the basement up to the ground floor and through the installation of a smoke and heat ventilation system (rwa) at ground level, smoke spread is prevented. combined with early alarm activation through the automatic fire detection system and short escape routes on both levels, an equivalent level of safety is ensured in accordance with §2 wbtv despite the area exceeding standard limits.