Kindergarten Wiesenweg, Wolfurt (AT)

Drawn out long, the low structure pushes its way into a flat meadow. The Lauterach tripartite ground-plan typology was also applied to this Kindergarten, yet less need was felt to interpret it that economically. The rooms rather representing group rooms, the corridor was slightly broadened, and the access is located on the northern long side. The doubled entrances break in through a row of adjoining rooms, orthogonally to the corridor. This serves to structure the groups of children pouring in and out, and thus to avoid unnecessary jostles. In turn, the rows of main and adjoining rooms take over the grading of heights, so that the corridor receives light throughout its length by means of overhead windows.
The group rooms line up under a folded, bow-shaped and strongly space-inducing element with a distinctive, comprehensive roof overhang. The latter draws its character not least from the vertically running formwork, while the horizontally shuttered row of adjoining rooms appears as an elbowed wall. While the large group rooms are lined up under one single sheltering roof and are fully open toward the south, the smaller adjoining rooms are more clearly enclosed and equipped with lights and ventilating windows only. Consisting of identical, slender fir boards on all sides, the facade indicates elements, which are structurally clear-cut in the interior, merely by the direction of its shuttering.

Client: Marktgemeinde Wolfurt
Location: A-6922 Wolfurt, Wiesenweg 14
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller
Project management: Susanne Gaudl
Construction: 2000
Area: 550 m²

Awards
2001 Vorarlberger Holzbaupreis (Timber Construction Award of Vorarlberg)

Partner
structural engineering: Mader & Flatz, Bregenz / HAVCR: Team GMI, Dornbirn / electronics: Hecht, Dornbirn / photos: © Ignacio Martinez