The small town of Baden, located near Vienna, is a popular tourist destination due to the spas and the nationally well-known casino. The Federal Institute for Social Education, consisting of three building sections, was built in the immediate vicinity of the center of town. While the southern half of the plot was formerly used as a parking lot, the northern half of the plot is densely forested and overgrown. The school building is situated between these two areas, with the classrooms facing north toward the forested area, visible through the generously-glazed, transparent and translucent windowpanes. The southern half of the plot serves to connect the gymnasium and its entrance via the building to the boarding school situated to the north. The spacious access area is also used as a shared area by the students.
Thanks to an innovative energy system, the operating costs of the building have been considerably reduced: the entire south façade is designed to serve as a large-scale solar collector. Hoses were inserted in the load-bearing, reinforced-concrete facade – which is insulated internally and glazed externally – for cooling. The heat that builds up in the ventilated space between the glass and concrete is collected and transferred to the north façade, whereby an intermediate area of the outer façade is heated by radiator panels. This heating simulates a higher outdoor temperature and reduces the amount of heat transmitted from the inside to the outside. Due to the classroom requirements and the energy concept, the entire building was surrounded by a glass building envelope. The glass used is hardened and printed with white silkscreen on the inner surface. At various times of the day and night, according to the uses of the interior rooms, the outer surface appears to shimmer in different ways.
