Dietmar Feichtinger Architects

Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes

Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes

Bilger Breustedt School Center
Taufkirchen-an-der-Pram | 
Austria – 
2009

Client

Municipality Taufkirchen-an-der-Pram

Start of construction

03 | 2007

Size

5 152 m²

Construction budget

11.86 M€

Competition winner

2006

Completion

02 | 2009
Ernst Anton Plischke Award, 2011 Special mention
Wood Award, Land of Upper Austria 2009
ZV Bauherrenpreis Client Award 2009



The Bilger-Breustedt Elementary and Secondary School embraces its natural surroundings, offering bright, spacious classrooms, and well-defined outdoor areas for various functions.

To the north, the school grounds are bordered by a three-story main building that houses a local museum and the music school on the ground floor, which are accessible directly from the outside. The gymnasium is situated to the west, spanning two floors. Above, a longitudinal building accommodates the secondary school.

Separating the school’s outdoor areas from the kindergarten is a single-story elementary school building, which allows ample natural light onto the eastern playground due to its lower height.

The local history museum and music school form a spatial unit, accessible from the central foyer, showcasing their independent functions. The museum’s exterior wall integrates display cases that provide glimpses of its content. The connection to the School of Music transforms the space into a versatile event area, with a convenient link to the school kitchen on the first floor via the lobby.

The gym, reachable via the central foyer, includes locker rooms in the basement and can be used externally by clubs and other users. The gym’s north facade provides glare-free natural lighting and creates a pleasant atmosphere with its 100% wood construction.

The secondary school, accessible from the exterior through the foyer, features classrooms oriented toward the south and the Pram river. The roof’s cantilever and continuous balconies allow for shade in summer, and full-height sliding windows establish a strong connection to the outdoor space. Art rooms, physics laboratories, and the school kitchen are located on the north side, generously exposed.

The primary school introduces a unique typology, with an extensive ground floor structure beneath a transparent-roofed atrium serving as a thermal buffer space. Classrooms face south and west, with an overhanging canopy providing sun protection in summer. Expansive terraces accommodate outdoor classes, and full-height sliding doors open generously. These terraces are elevated above the flood area of the Pram river.

The construction features a solid concrete load-bearing basement in the northern building and a two-story wooden frame structure for the secondary school above. The gymnasium is bridged by a truss integrated into the second-floor walls. The roof has a minimum 5% slope, with extensive greenery. The primary school’s flat structure is also designed entirely in wood.

The base zone in the northern part of the building comprises closed areas and transparent facades. South-facing class facades are fully glazed and open to the exterior natural area with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors. Textile blinds on cableways provide effective shading for the south and west facades. Terraces and roof overhangs help prevent overheating in summer while allowing passive solar gain during colder periods. For added comfort, underfloor heating is utilized throughout the school except for the minimally heated lobby area.


Architect: Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes
Structural consultant: Werkraum Wien; Abh

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