The primary goal of the architects at Dietrich | Untertrifaller when designing the new school in Klaus was energy efficiency. The cost of constructing this building was only three percent higher than normal construction. The savings thus achieved are enormous. However, this is nothing compared to the biggest advantage of this project which is daylight in the interiors where children and young people study. The high intensity of daylight improves concentration and has a positive effect on the overall human condition.
The Klaus school is located on a main road surrounded by residential single- and multi-family housing. Therefore, the architects wanted to make it a visual dominant of the space while withdrawing it from the busy thoroughfare. That's why they proposed an L-shape. The wing adjacent to the main road accentuates the building's presence in the space, while the other is more isolated, being located deep within the plot. In this case, however, it was not the formal issues of solving the solid that posed the greatest challenge for the architects. The investor, the city municipality, set them the task of constructing a passive building.
The 
school in Klaus, proj.: Dietrich | Untertrifaller
photo: Patricia Weisskirchner
more light, less energy
Klaus is located in the state of Volarberg, which has very strict rules about passive architecture standards. Despite this, the school has met them in full and thus became the first completely passive building in the region. It consumes less than 15 kWh/m² per year, which is an excellent result. The entire building is constructed of wood, which provides a pleasant climate and an interesting aesthetic experience. The building took into account the principles of combining windows and used different types so that the intensity of daylight is, as much as possible. Thus, the rooms are bright and spacious, and the large amount of light further contributes to the optical enlargement of the space. In such a school it is good to learn and play, the quality of time spent there is very high.
school interiors
Photo: Patricia Weisskirchner
Natural light in the schoolbuilding
The building, with an L-shaped floor plan, houses three functions: a school, a library and a sports hall. The main building, which houses the school, also contains administrative spaces. In addition, in addition to traditional classrooms, there are common spaces, such as a three-story atrium that extends the entire length of the building, providing natural light to the first floor rooms. The different parts of the school are connected to each other via glazed footbridges lit from above. As the architects from Dietrich | Untertrifaller write in the author's description of the project:
This simple but spatially attractive structure is, on the one hand, rooted in the logic of economy; on the other hand, it is the result of a sophisticated construction made of wooden elements, a material whose choice helped achieve such a short construction time.
In fact, the Klaus school was built in record time of eighteen months after the winning design was selected in a competition. Along with energy efficiency and an economical budget, the short construction time was one of the guidelines from the investor.
windows for flat roofs in the sports hall
The most interesting element of the premise is the sports hall. It is covered with a grid of glulam beams, which supports the roof and at the same time lets daylight through. Between the coffers, the architects inserted fifty-six "daylight pyramids" made of birch plywood with VELUX windows installed for the flat roof. The whole gives an interesting aesthetic effect, but this was not the main intention of the architects. The pyramids with VELUX windows allow for good and even lighting throughout the room. Each of them is arranged at a slightly different angle, so the light intensity is uniform regardless of the time of day or year.
Between the coffers, the architects inserted fifty-six "daylight pyramids" made of birch plywood
Photo: Patricia Weisskirchner
Blatant light or high contrasts between light and shadow are not conducive to physical activity. Such effects are not present in the Klaus school's sports hall. VELUX flat roof windows can also be opened remotely. This ensures good ventilation of the room.
sustainability at the school
The Klaus School is an excellent example that architecture in the spirit of sustainability does not necessarily have to rely on complex and expensive technologies. The key here is the correct choice of windows and environmentally friendly materials.
roof detail in a sports hall
© Dietrich | Untertrifallerfot: Patricia Weisskirchner
The building was comparable in cost to the construction of any other building, and the advantage is certainly that it is much cheaper to maintain. On top of this, the architects at Dietrich | Untertrifaller created a building with an interesting structure, good traffic solutions and, above all, an atmosphere conducive to the healthy growth of children and young people.
You can read more about the Klaus school on Velux ArchiTips.
