new construction völkermarkt

urban design concept
the building structure surrounding the new construction völkermarkt is highly heterogeneous; alongside historical buildings such as the former monastery, there are single-family houses, multi-unit dwellings, and open spaces. east of pestalozzistraße, a school center with various types of educational institutions has developed over the years since the construction of the civic school in 1900.
with the new construction of the bg & brg, a large school campus emerges. the traffic-calmed pestalozzistraße becomes an attractive campus square, serving as a meeting point for students from all surrounding schools. the new building presents itself confidently as a three-story structure facing the campus square and steps down terrace-like towards the east, reducing to one story in response to the open spaces, thus achieving a harmonious transition between the urban area and the adjacent undeveloped land and single-family housing structures to the north.

architectural concept
a compact building housing all functions under one roof, with maximum direct access to open spaces on every level, forms the guiding principle.
from the new campus square, one enters directly through a sheltered outdoor area into the central, multi-story atrium featuring a reading stair and galleries — a space for gathering, orientation, and events of all kinds. the campus level e0 offers a continuum of spatial sequences available to all clusters and for afternoon supervision. at the same time, this level acts as a public platform interacting with the neighborhood. the atrium, multipurpose hall, library, rooms for art and music, and the sports hall with spectator stands provide versatile spaces for both school and extracurricular use. due to the clear separation from the learning environments located in the upper floors, these facilities are also available for external users. the all-day supervision area is located in the south directly adjacent to the school garden and can be opened towards the adjoining library. kitchen, multipurpose hall, and atrium are in close proximity and can form a continuous area adaptable to different requirements.
above the campus level unfold the educational landscapes — secondary level i on level 1 and secondary level ii on level 2. due to the terraced form of the building, all areas on all floors have direct and immediate access to the outdoors. the open learning zones extend onto sheltered exterior areas that lead to large open spaces. the learning clusters can claim quiet and intimacy both inside and outside, while also enabling interaction and cross-cluster formats in interior and exterior spaces.
the area for physical education and sports is part of levels 0 and -1 and can be easily separated from regular school operations for external use. inspired by the platonic academy, sports and movement, art, and science coexist within an interwoven spatial continuum.

encounter zone pestalozzistraße
implementation of a blue-green infrastructure (“sponge city principle”) is intended to relieve the local drainage systems during (heavy) rainfall events and to generally improve the site conditions for green spaces (water availability, reduction of soil compaction, and surface unsealing).
the existing trees along pestalozzistraße are to be fully preserved, and parts of the tree row along the southern property boundary are to be partially retained. furthermore, the site conditions for trees are to be sustainably improved, and additional infiltration zones are to be created (expanded root and stormwater infiltration areas for vegetation). partially permeable path and traffic surfaces (open-jointed paving in accordance with applicable rvs standards) will be used.

school garden / tree garden
the use of shade-providing “climate trees” serves as a measure for climate change adaptation and ensures optimal shading of pathways and recreational areas throughout the outdoor spaces and the surrounding environment of brg völkermarkt.
the tree garden is structured in clustered groups of vegetation, forming different groves that define and give identity to a variety of usable outdoor zones (biotope, reading garden, music garden).

green roofs
large planting troughs with sufficient substrate volume allow the use of pruned large shrubs on the terrace levels, creating numerous shaded outdoor areas for recreation, learning, and teaching.

tectonic garden
the lowered area on the southern side is designed as a tectonic garden. plate-like stacked rocks form an artificial “tectonic” landscape, in whose fissures and joints petrophilic plants (rock garden perennials) create a unique garden setting.

structural concept
the school is conceived as a monolithic, compact building body with maximum dimensions of approximately 61.5 m x 93.3 m, consisting of one basement level, one above-ground level in the western sports hall area, and three above-ground levels along the eastern building front.
the roofscape of the building rises in a cascading manner from west to east and is integrated as a designed outdoor space into the use of the school. the lower floors of the building are planned as a reinforced concrete structure, with primary load-bearing elements in the form of transverse walls spaced, as a rule, 8.5 m apart. in areas with cantilevered slabs, these are supplemented by parapet beams and a system of columns and steel diagonals that support the projecting parts in a hanging structure. the uppermost floors and the concluding slabs are largely designed in lightweight timber construction using cross-laminated timber walls and prefabricated ribbed slabs. steel beams flush with the ceilings allow the spanning of the central circulation zone and the formation of shed and glass roofs; the long sports hall sheds are supported by slender steel trusses integrated into the glazing plane. the bracing of the structure is achieved through wall panels and additional steel bracing fields; the foundation is planned as a shallow foundation.

material concept
in terms of materiality, the load-bearing components are planned as “hybrid”: all earth-contacting walls are made of reinforced concrete, while the uppermost floors and roofs are constructed in solid timber. special attention is paid to ecological footprint, co₂ emissions from production, transport, and demolition of materials.
all classrooms and open learning zones are equipped with wooden floors to enhance their usability as sitting or play surfaces. the ventilated façades are clad in timber, and the windows are designed as wood-aluminum constructions. transparent surfaces are equipped with effective external solar protection. trees positioned in front of the façade provide additional shading.

fire protection and escape route concept
the maximum actual escape route length of no more than 40 m from the farthest point of the building to a protected staircase or the outdoors is achieved through the positioning of stairwells and the escape routes via external stairs, while the maximum 25 m of shared escape route to an additional exit or stairwell is also maintained.
the external stairs and their immediate surroundings are designed in such a way that they can be defined as “safe outdoor” areas. the provision of at least two structural escape routes enables ideal evacuation for all building occupants. through the formation of fire compartments and the use of appropriate building materials and components, both horizontal and vertical fire spread within the building interior are largely prevented. the building is primarily divided into story-wise fire compartments and, in the upper floors, into cluster-based compartments. the maximum net floor area of the cluster fire compartments is minimized.
the sports halls with spectator stands, due to their function, feature open floor plans. to ensure equivalent safety standards, technical fire protection systems, architectural clarity of the area, and organizational measures interact effectively. one priority technical system is the fire alarm system, designed as a full-coverage protection system with automatic alarm forwarding, which activates fire protection installations and triggers alarm signaling in case of fire. as a result, structural, technical, and organizational measures are interconnected to guarantee the safety of occupants. stairwells and the elevator connect the floors and fire compartments. fire-rated doors between compartments and at the elevator close automatically in case of fire, thus preventing the spread of fire and smoke within the building. to ensure safe use of internal staircases during evacuation, smoke extraction is provided via openings at the top of the stairwells. sufficient firefighting equipment for initial response by the fire department is planned on every floor of the building.

energy concept
to ensure high comfort levels and energy-efficient operation, the building is designed with highly efficient thermal insulation. glazing will achieve values of 0.6 w/m²k. through slender frame profiles and large glass panels, overall uw or ucw values below 1.0 w/m²k are achieved. in addition to sufficient shading through canopies and external sun protection, a compact building form and massive floor structures (concrete or solid timber) without continuous suspended ceilings, as well as screeds, provide sufficient thermal mass to prevent rapid heat buildup and to store cool night air for daytime use. the mechanical ventilation system can also be used for night cooling during heat periods. cantilevered balconies, roofs, and building sections, in combination with external shading, provide ideal protection against summer overheating and also act as weather protection for the façades.