Kronaus Mitterer Architekten

Seven Schools Under One Roof
The new Vienna Central Vocational School in Seestadt Aspern will bring together seven vocational schools under one roof. In the future, up to 7,500 students per year will be taught in learning environments that reflect the modern working world. Due to its size and its function as a central educational institution, the central vocational school will have an significance that extends far beyond Seestadt. At the same time, it is important for the school to be embedded in its immediate surroundings in order to function as an attractive district of Seestadt.

A Differentiated Structure
The size of the school is brought into an urban and pedagogically meaningful scale by the architectural design of the building. A green two-story base accommodates the communal functions, the workshops, and the retail teaching rooms designed as a “mall,” and interlocks with the generous open space. Above an administrative floor designed as a joint, there are three structures that house the IT-based teaching rooms and reflect the scale of Seestadt.

The Heart of the School
The heart of the vocational school is the “mall,” a two-story communication space that connects all areas of the school. This is where people meet to learn, chat, and eat. Generous skylights bring daylight into the mall, which opens onto the open space. The retail classrooms are organized in the form of a shopping mall, enabling practice-oriented education.

A Sustainable Building
The exterior appearance is based on the idea of a green plinth with wooden volumes floating above it. The two lower floors form a sculpturally articulated base that is extensively planted. The “floating” volumes containing the classrooms are equipped with fixed sun protection made of vertical wooden louvers to prevent overheating during the summer months. Architecturally, this shading system creates a wood-like filter that gives the buildings the appearance of floating, softly shimmering wooden volumes with a strong and distinctive character when seen from a distance.
The sustainable energy concept includes the use of geothermal energy and photovoltaic systems, allowing a large portion of the building’s energy demand to be covered by renewable sources.