Salzburg Timber Construction Prize 2019 Nomination
In the province of Salzburg, Austria about 80% of newly built schools and kindergartens are currently made of wood. Prefabricated wood is popular with schools as it has a fast construction time, even for large-scale building projects.
Wood offers incredibly quick construction times (at least 30% faster than building with concrete and steel). A fast build was the request of the building owner (the Municipality of Hallwang) who needed the school built in one year. (The primary school had to move to a container school in the meantime).
When the finished wall and roof elements were delivered from the Stora Enso mill to the construction site, Innovaholz was able to assemble the wooden elements directly from the truck to accelerate the construction time.
The prefabricated walls and roofs in the classroom area were executed in visible quality and were therefore only clad where it was necessary from a building physics point of view.
Leaving the wood exposed had other advantages.
Since children and teachers spend 90% of their time indoors, it is crucial to create an environment that contributes to their well-being. The design of a school affects how people learn and develop in it. The right architectural design can encourage more collaboration and creativity, and creates an environment that makes it easier and more pleasant to concentrate.
There is growing evidence that biophilic design is directly related to improved learning, memory, emotions and social intelligence. Biophilic design simply means incorporating elements from nature into the building.
Awards
Hallwang Volksschule has won several architectural awards:
ÖISS Schulbau Oscar 2023: Awarded by the Austrian Institute for School and Sports Facility Construction.
BigSEE Architecture Award 2020.
State Prize 2019 Nomination.
Salzburg Timber Construction Prize 2019 Nomination.
ZV Bauherrenpreis 2018 Nomination.
Energy Globe 2018 Nomination
