Carinthia Social Pedagogical Center.

The task was to redesign and spatially adapt an existing building on the grounds of the Klagenfurt Regional Hospital to create space for a social education center (SPZ) with residential units, a kindergarten (KIGA) and a daycare center (KITA).
The central concern of our design is the spatial transformation of the building into a forward-looking, contemporary, inclusive and multidimensional learning, working, living and experience landscape that creates space for the different user groups and needs.
A core idea for the reorganization of the existing building is the activation of the former basement by lowering the existing courtyard level to create an attractive and bright garden level with a direct connection to the green inner courtyard. The new "additional" storey enables horizontal layering of the individual uses with clear interfaces between the various functional areas. The elementary education area occupies the central part of the building in an L-shape across all levels and is flanked to the west and north by the point-shaped functional areas of the SPZ. KIGA and KITA are each organized in two spatially separated clusters on each floor and connected by a shared, general meeting zone. The new arrangement of the areas creates short distances, enables multiple uses and offers scope for development.
The existing building has a high proportion of unused circulation space. In order to activate this unused potential, generous, stacked and covered terraces were proposed on the courtyard side, across all levels, which spatially complement and extend the existing building. These terraces are secured towards the inner courtyard with floor-to-ceiling nets, which also serve as climbing support for the vertical greening of the courtyard façades.
The spatial reorganization and reinterpretation of the circulation zones allows the previously unused corridor areas to be activated, thereby unfolding their full potential as open communication and circulation zones and acting as a multifunctional play corridor and checkroom.
The street-side façade is partially clad with wooden slats from the Klagenfurt forest. This creates a sense of identity, clearly anchors the building in the anonymous hospital environment and also serves as sun protection to the south and east to actively prevent the building from overheating in summer.

To the project overview