marte marte architekten design a special education school

marte marte architekten design a special education schoolimage © bruno klomfar

a cluster of different education and care institutions for 4- to 18-year-old children and adolescents forms a veritable school district of its own in the centre of dornbirn. while the austrian town takes an integrated approach to special education, a separate building has been erected for severely disabled children to replace the previous building, which was dilapidated and whose basic structurehad been outdated for years. a small gymnasium, built at the end of the 19th century, serves as the distinctive cornerstone of the school grounds. the new building frees up the gymnasium and blends in with the historical building opposite in terms of the overall streetscape and its general spatial surroundings. a courtyard of sorts is also established with the neighbouring primary school,which also acts as a smooth spatial transition to the west side of the secondary school.the class and group rooms on the three upper floors are grouped densely around a central inner courtyard. the surrounding circulation elements are spacious, light-flooded play and exercise areas and their nearly ceiling-high openings provide not only a marvellous view of the outside, but also open up interior vistas as well. the large window frames in the group rooms also bring out the best of the urban and natural surroundings. the atrium flows into a covered schoolyard on the groundfloor and provides the gymnasium in the basement with sufficient light through the additional opening provided by the cleverly situated emergency stairs.

the school uses the built mass to create layers of opennessimage © bruno klomfar

the concrete volume is laden with aperturesimage © bruno klomfar

the fine, accurately moulded exposed concrete is the counterpoint to the interplay of birch plywood panelling and coloured surfaces within the building. green, the symbolic colour of life, permeates the building in subtly coordinated nuances on the walls and floors, lights up the rooms and changes shades depending on the direction and lighting. colour accents cast furniture in red and orange,and the red linoleum floor in the auditorium and the staff room signify a space of retreat and communication. a soft, stony white hue neutralises the ambience in the special education rooms.the energy performance is top notch; the controlled ventilation, the compactness of the structure and the quality of the materials used guarantee optimal values. the proportions, the conscious direction of light and attention, the colour concept and the standard of construction combine to form a consistent spatial whole, which at least harmonises and gives a little structure to the world of severely disabled children and adolescents while at the same time inspiring them.

marte marte architekten has made manifest the city of dornbirn’s approach to special education with a school that fully integrates a 19th century gymnasium with a bone-colored concrete.