As part of the redesign of HTL Villach, the necessary space extensions will largely be accommodated within the existing building. An additional gym fills the open south corner of the overall volume.
In the basement, the existing courtyard between the teaching wing and the gym will be lowered so that floor-to-ceiling glazing visually extends the classrooms into the greenery. There is no thought of a basement. The site will also be excavated on the north-east and south-west sides. Seating steps, some of which are greened, connect the garden on one side and the forecourt on the other, creating new outdoor recreation areas.
Two patios illuminate the central wing on the upper floors. Views of plants from both floors enhance the existing corridor areas into pleasant meeting zones; one almost feels as if one is surrounded by large aquariums. Newly installed classrooms are glazed towards this centre and thus supplied with daylight. The two patios divide the space in between into protected niches, while acoustic ceilings and intelligent lighting complement the inspiring learning atmosphere. Additional light atriums are also being cut into the outer wings of the main building.
The new main entrance is framed by an exposed concrete structure that bridges the newly created recess in front of the façade. Its hollowed-out negative volume in the form of an archetypal gabled roof house is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the educational content of a technical college for construction.
In the entrance hall, on the right-hand side, there is an auditorium that can be separated from the assembly hall by folding glass panels. To the left, the entrance hall, illuminated by the plant terrarium, opens onto the large schoolyard. This has been redesigned as a park landscape and supplemented with a generous arcade roof.
The façade is characterised by precast concrete elements with an almost woodcut-like embossing. These precast concrete strips are supplemented and repaired where necessary for technical reasons. Aluminium window constructions and anodised aluminium frames for the integration of mechanical shading structure the façade and create a subtle interplay in appearance with a floor-by-floor offset. On the interior side, the window reveals have been relined in order to create connections to the windows on the one hand and to create a defined interface for the renovation of the interior spaces on the other.
The new buildings that have been added reflect the materiality of the bronze-coloured sheet metal of the window bands with a cladding of expanded metal. The annexe on the forecourt contains storage rooms and bicycle parking spaces. The new gymnasium also reflects the time of its construction. It is lowered to basement level, thus connecting to the existing theatre and fitness room area. As an ingrown reinforced concrete tub, the building is covered by a wooden roof. A glazed foyer in the joint between the existing building and the new structure provides both a connection to the old wings and access from the outside. An inner gorge leads down a staircase to the hall floor, which is also used for bouldering.
