Photos and information are provided by Franz-Architecten. The reorganization and expansion of the old Gainfam school in Austria into a brand new community vocabulary is augmented by a strategic spurt of multi-colored elements… from recent examples of architectural design for educational institutions, we observe a pattern of community living that is ingrained into the mindsets of the students. When this is combined with a lively atmosphere, the result is a vivacious setting that encourages students to come to school and, as a result, creates an atmosphere that encourages the sharing of information that is genuine. In addition to extending its classrooms and gym hall, the gainfam school building has utilized a continuous ceiling of slim colored bands as its pièce de résistance. This was accomplished by tearing down the old residential wing that belonged to the wardens and using the subgrade to construct a new one-story center for the school. It is complemented by a very robust and durable bitumen terrazzo flooring that leads through the entire school and in the shape of large sitting steps, connects the two floors of the new classroom wing like a tribune. The multicolored lamella ceiling forms significant canopies and connects all access and communication areas of the ground floor. Additionally, it is a part of the ground floor. The fundamental classroom module is opened out towards the recreation rooms, and windows are used to create seating niches in the classroom. Because they have a separate entrance and can be sectioned off from the rest of the school, the gym halls that are located on the ground floor and are in close proximity to the outside sports areas can also be used after school hours by other athletes or for events that are held outside of the school. This helps to foster a sense of community among the students. On the schoolyard, the sports field, and the parking lot, there are designated entrances and exits that connect the inside and the exterior of the building. The library, a polyvalent room, and all of the sports locker rooms are placed together in a free form inside the center new block. This arrangement makes it feasible to design the essential access channels as a walkabout with prospects into the landscape rather than as dead ends. An open-air living room is created by the combination of a wooden floor with a herringbone pattern, plant troughs, and floor lamps; large circular seating furniture with integrated light cupolas provides daylight to the ground floor; a large, sheltered roof terrace is located on the upper floor; and the entire building is designed to conform to low energy standards. While the old building parts turned out to be very flexible and adaptable due to their armored concrete skeleton structure, and are easily absorbed into the new schematic, all of the dividing walls between classes are erected in lightweight construction, and ribbon windows provide consistent lighting and facilitate future adaptation of room sizes. This information was provided by Franz-Architecten, who continued to elaborate on the construction. When it comes to the creation of details, interior fittings, and facades, both vintage and contemporary architectural components are addressed in the same manner. In addition to being lined with fiber cement tiles in a variety of colors of gray, the overall ensemble creates a new school that has a very stately outside and a very vibrant inside! If you would like to see photographs of the renovated school on indiaartndesign.com, please click here.