The Village in the Town

In the morning, children learn math in the primary school, in the afternoon, piano lessons in the music school. And in the evening, members of the town band meet to make music together. The new education campus in Oberwart is a lively place for the entire town. The mayor and the head official exhibited great commitment to this ambitious project, organising an open competition and visiting existing schools together with us prior to the start of planning. The result is a high-quality and inviting learning environment.

Community Meets in the Middle

The three-story aula is the central building block in the middle of the education campus, and its generous seating steps make it a well-suited place for diverse events. The open ground floor level is where the pupils meet in the morning, gather together for their lunch break, and make music in the afternoon. The after-school supervision programme also makes use of this spacious room, which is oriented toward green spaces on all sides. The shared core continues up on the upper floors with a distinctive learning and library house.

Four Classes Form a Village

Four classes come together to form a cluster – a small, self-contained unit, modelled after the village schools in the surrounding area. There are five such “villages” in the school. Each cluster shares a cloakroom, a kitchen with space for everyday school life, and a loggia. Bright and transparent, they offer a familiar environment for 100 children.

»Four classes form a unit, just like it used to be at village schools in the surroundings.«

»The library house is the shared living room in the heart of the school.«

Andreas Reuter, Franz&Sue project manager

Plenty of Space for Sports

The new educational campus is rounded out with the large, light-flooded double gymnasium and the judo exercise room with a bouldering wall. Designed for larger events, it builds upon Oberwart’s tradition as an active site for sporting activities.