Hauptschule Rattenberg

Innsbruck-based architect Daniel Fügenschuh has inserted a pure concrete box into the historical center of Rattenberg, Austria.

As an extension to a preexisting school – a former 15th-century monastery mainly untouched by the intervention – the three-storey building holds new classrooms and a gym.

‘To meet today’s social needs and pedagogic standards, a new school extension became necessary,’ Fügenschuh says. The design looks after the urge of flexibility and offers pupils neutral spaces that can be easily converted in communal social areas.

A glazed lobby acts as the connection element between old and new; together with a sole square cooper-framed window it brings a sense of permeability to the street façade. Bright colours enlighten the interior while natural light stream inside through a series of angled skylights.