Original name
Hauptschule und Bundesrealgymnasium [Secondary modern School and Federal High School]
Other denominations
Schulanlage Weiz [Schulanlage Weiz]
Original use
Education/school
Current use
Education/school
Architects
Viktor Hufnagl
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Beams are the horizontal load-bearing elements of the frame. Columns are the vertical elements of the frame and act as the building’s primary load-bearing element. They transmit the beam loads down to the foundations.
State of Conservation
Description
The Viennese architect Viktor Hufnagl was notable for his typological investigation of school architecture, an effort he undertook mainly during the 1960s and 1970s. His school designs originated from both architectural and philosophical arguments, and they were articulated based on an in-depth knowledge of pedagogical and didactic innovations. For Hufnagl, a school was a protective microcosm in which to practice social interactions; for him, it should be, above all, a cultural center – dynamic and stimulating.
This educational complex located in the town of Weiz, in the mountainous region of Styria, is one of the most solid examples of the author’s intensive research, which had a remarkable influence on Austrian school architecture in subsequent years. In the words of the author: “The people of Weiz wanted the most modern school in Austria, and I wanted to bring the sum of all my school-building experience to the project and develop it further.” V.H.
Here, the usual hallway outside the classrooms becomes a broad central space with careful architectural detail; it serves as both a lobby and an assembly hall – a setting for the school’s public and cultural life. It is a spacious interior space, surrounded by balconies and bleachers, with entrances to the classrooms that open onto it; it is lit from overhead through a concrete waffle slab, which spans the entire space without the need for central supports.
The second innovation in the complex has to do with the extraordinary versatility of the interior. This is achieved by using a simple modular structure, with a small number of pillars, which allows for multiple subdivisions using a lightweight construction system of folding partitions made from wood and glass.
Austria
Offenburger Gasse 23
Steiermark (Bundesland) Styria (State) Weiz (District) 8160 Weiz
Commission
1968
Completion
1978