Rudolf-Steiner School | Dietrich Untertrifaller

The Rudolf Steiner School in the Maurer Schlössl, founded in 1964, is Austria's oldest Waldorf school. The new building blends harmoniously with the existing historical building - we have avoided any sharp breaks between old and new. The auditorium, the dining hall with garden orientation, the sunlit, sunken gymnasium, the after-school care centre, the kindergarden and the roof terrace form the main elements of the clearly structured room programme.

The character of the existing building on the street side, which is a listed building, will be retained and visually enhanced.

The new building houses four classrooms with small group rooms and their own cloakrooms on the first floor, with further classes above with a roof terrace for open-air lessons.

The flexible room concept creates a creative learning environment with a maximum of variable functions and applications: Learning, play, social or workshop zones can be freely designed and adapted to the respective needs. The central access and the clear separation of functions in the interior result in logical processes and facilitate orientation. The high level of transparency of the new building not only incorporates the outside space into everyday school life, but also promotes communication within the building.

The new building was constructed in timber using ribbed and hollow box elements, with natural insulation materials such as straw, wood or hemp as thermal protection. The timber construction elements can be easily dismantled and recycled.

The excavated material on site was used for the clay surfaces. The interior is finished with clay building boards and plastered clay surfaces. These building materials have low production energy and are available regionally. Excavated material from the site was used for the clay surfaces. The aim was to create a largely chemical-free interior.