Interplay of blocks and joints for a school building in Viertel Zwei

Situated in a prominent neighbourhood next to the Grüner Prater park, Ernst-Happel-Stadion and the historic Krieau trotting track, the Viertel Zwei urban development project in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt continues to grow. Up to 15,000 people will live and work in the new district, which also brings an increased need for educational institutions. Back in 2021, architect Martin Kohlbauer gave the district a striking look with a residential and office complex called “Korso”. A school building is now carrying forward and complementing this architectural style to form a finely composed ensemble. Transoms, joints and window strips framed in wood characterise the vibrant exterior of the primary school. Slim profiles and fire protection elements from Forster Profile Systems create a striking contrast on the facades and in the interior.

The Olly-Schwarz-Schule – named after the 20th century educator and women’s rights activist – occupies a plot of around 1,000 square metres at Josefine-Lauterbach-Platz 1. The unusually small area for a school building meant a taller development was needed at approximately the scale of the neighbouring residential complex. The all-day primary school has up to six floors, providing space for 17 cluster-based classes and around 400 pupils. In addition, there is a 2,300-square-metre open space to the west of the “Korso”, which can be used together with the neighbouring school “Volksschule in der Krieau”. Nestled in a car-free district concept with numerous green areas and a lake, the children then have access to expansive and varied surroundings.

Extraordinary urban buildings

 

Architect Martin Kohlbauer from Vienna won the architectural competition for designing the “Korso” and school building back in 2016. The buildings have many design principles in common, including their role in an urban setting, their finely structured facades and the appropriate integration of existing listed buildings. For example, the Olly-Schwarz-Schule neighbours the “Zuckerlhaus” in the south-west – the historic main building of the old stables that has been preserved close by. On the same side of the school building is the glazed main entrance, which is set back significantly and features high, filigree columns and an overhanging superstructure.

 

Playing with joints

As with the facade design of the neighbouring building, contrasts and geometric shapes play a key role in the school building. For example, slightly projecting transoms set in wood alternate with the dark intermediate floors, which makes it look like the number of floors is halved. While the “Korso” is framed in ceramic elements in similar colours for fire protection reasons, the elongated floors of the school building are clad in pre-patinated larch.

The 22-metre-high Olly-Schwarz-Schule has five floors plus an attic floor and two basement floors. Differences in height are compensated for by stairs and filigree columns in different lengths below the cantilevered parts of the building – this also parallels the design and function of its sister buildings. On the school building, however, it is not only the horizontal joints that are clearly emphasised. Deep vertical incisions and building parts that protrude to different extents reinforce the ubiquitous impression of stacked blocks.

Slim profiles with added value in terms of building physics

Facing the U2 railway line to the north, the set-back intermediate floors are designed as mullion-transom constructions. Forster thermfix vario El90 facade profiles in anthracite form a homogeneous surface together with the windows and thus create the desired contrast to the wood. With this construction, sections both with and without fire protection requirements were brought together in a single surface. The elements made of powder-coated steel, containing both transparent and opaque fillings, are characterised by slim face widths. The forster unico portals used at various places to link to the outdoor space – such as terraces or the entrance area – complement the heat insulation and design specifications perfectly.

Slim contoured glass elements on the inside

Inside the building, dark, subtly contoured doors and glazing continue the contrasting interplay. Around 40 forster fuego light fire protection portals in the El30 and El90 versions are found throughout the building. In the stairwell, tall glazing is lined up to form an inner facade that provides light to the brightly designed rooms. Flush forster presto elements were used, which are suitable for room closures without special requirements in terms of heat protection. According to architect Martin Kohlbauer, the choice of profiles both inside and outside was determined by their proportions, finesse and refinement.

Another special feature of Viertel Zwei is the innovative solution for energy use in the district. Renewable sources of geothermal energy, groundwater, waste water, waste heat and photovoltaics form what is known as an anergy network. This covers around 85% of the district’s heating and cooling needs and is free from emissions. The primary school with its flexible skeleton construction is open to possible changes in use. In this way, the Olly-Schwarz-Schule is a state-of-the-art building that – quite literally – stands out, both technically and in terms of design.

Vienna, Austria

Products:

Forster thermfix vario El90 fire protection facade

Forster unico entrance portals

Forster fuego light El30 and El90 fire resistant doors

Forster presto E30 fire resistant doors and glazing

Architecture: Architekt Martin Kohlbauer ZT-Gesellschaft m.b.H, Vienna

Metal constructor: MBM Metallbau Mörtl GmbH, Grafenstein (AT)

Client: WIP Wiener Infrastruktur Projekt GmbH, Vienna

Photography: Rupert Steiner