From Hospital to School Campus

This is the story of the transformation of Gersthof Orthopaedic Hospital into a contemporary educational campus. The building, with its chequered past, is situated in an upmarket residential area in a sprawling park with century-old trees. The striking building from the 1920s is a listed monument, and after the hospital moved out, it was almost converted into luxury apartments. Instead, however, the property was acquired by the Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG), who developed a flagship project for the adaptation of existing buildings into contemporary learning landscapes. In this way, it remains open to the public.

»Good architecture is not a skin-tight glove precisely tailored to a specific use, rather a loose mitten that accommodates multiple functions, including those not yet foreseeable.«

Christian Kühn, Die Presse

Thinking Out of the Corset

Adapting the building within the constraints of monument protection regulations also presented an opportunity to question conventional school building standards and to deviate from them in some respects. For example, the existing five-metre wing depth resulted in classrooms that are narrower but also longer than usual. This, in turn, provided space for individual learning and group work zones as well as a wardrobe. We removed non-loadbearing inner walls to open up the dark central corridors leading to the classrooms. Inviting break and learning areas were introduced between the classrooms. In the corridors, the characteristic red tiles, the skirting boards, and door frames have been preserved in part in their original form – throughout the building, we cite these existing elements in the architectural additions.

»With this project, BIG has set new standards for intelligent construction strategies in existing buildings.«

Christian Kühn, Die Presse

Bright Garden instead of Dark Basement

We recessed the terrain to provide access to the park. Now the previously old dark basement connects a ground-level cafeteria and after-school supervision facilities to the bright garden. The former administration building opposite the main building was given a new function as a science centre with laboratories.

»This architectural specimen between late Secession, Art Deco, and Expressionism obviously enjoyed an in-house appreciation at any early point and has also, despite necessary interventions to meet the needs of its time, been fondly preserved to this day.«

Friedrich Achleitner in "Österreichische Architektur im 20. Jahrhundert,“ vol. III/2

Source: "Moderne Bauformen: Monatshefte für Architektur," Stuttgart: 1928.