WINNER

5 SQUARES OF NEW LEARNING

Project Description by Team: Our site becomes an alternative, new centre of Klagenfurt. It is a new centre of attraction of citizens, students, businesses. System of existing green spaces around the historical centre is supported by a New green ring. Spine of public spaces offers a new pedestrian connection. Enfilade of public squares creates the main circulation route and forms a spine of public spaces of the site. Each of the 5 squares have their own scale, function, and atmosphere: Educational, Multipurpose square, Maker’s square, Cultural square, Market square. Each of 5 parks celebrates diversity of greenery in the city. Dispersed education as one of the main functions on the site exist almost in every building.

Jury Statement:"The jury values the strong concept, it’s clear presentation and attractive narrative. The coherence between the development of the ground floors, the built volumes and the different types of spaces is convincing, resulting in a specified urban pattern adequate for this site. The sequence of spaces conveys a certain fluidity, whereby a lot of attention is put into achieving a variety of public spaces, a sequence of squares with networked courtyards and gardens. [...] The project’s careful dealing with the notion of in-side out (in-between spaces, boulevards, squares, and courtyards) is seen to foster a dialogue within the site, as well as with the neighbouring areas. [...] All in all, it is much appreciated that the proposal emerges from an analysis of the larger context and incorporates the scale and tonality of the existing city.“

Team Statement: "Our project focuses not on the architecture per se: buildings, volumes, facades; but on the spaces between or around them. These spaces are created by the buildings, and normally considered as transitional, public, supplementary spaces. We believe that programming these spaces and designing their usage is one of the key roles of the contemporary architect.
Klagenfurt is a site of intriguing complexity and at the same time unusual character. It is woven from several parts that are completely different in their nature and which have very different contexts. Our project connects and interweaves it, additionally creating green and circulation rings.
It was important for us to answer the specific problems of the site through a series of simple and straightforward strategies such as regimes of use, hardware/software and other concepts that we have developed. E16 became an experimental platform for us where we could test our ideas using the complexity of the design area and its challenges."