Campus Krems - Effectiveness and efficiency | Dietmar Eberle

Reduction in technology and architecture

Three educational institutions come together on the Campus Krems extension site - the Carl Landsteiner University, the University for Continuing Education Krems and the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems.

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the 4 new campus buildings begin with their form and neutral utilisation. The buildings are kept very compact. The open spaces between the core and façade can be quickly adapted to changing research environments. Economy and ecology also complement each other through the simple design of the building services. Alternative and sustainable systems are mainly used: Geothermal probes, solar cells, component activation and highly efficient heat recovery keep operating costs low.

 Accordingly, the architecture refers to its elementary values. Plasticity, geometry, light, and materiality lend the ensemble its own unique character. Due to the narrow construction grid and the high rectangular windows, a classic appearance is created, which is differentiated down to the last detail with the different aluminium panel formats and their colours. The interplay of light and shadow is not only generated by the sunlight, the different colours of the aluminium panels also suggest different depths of the façades. The minimalist reduction of the façades is consistently realised: The entire campus manages with just three window formats.

 The ensemble is urbanistically integrated into the context. Three of the buildings are connected by a base storey, while one building stands alone. A ‘city within the city’ with paths, squares, terraces and arcades has been created.

The extension of the Krems campus meets the current challenges of teaching and research at a high technical and architectural level. However, the parameters of neutrality of use and reduced design open up a view of the longevity of the facility and its future.

 The campus was awarded the klimaaktiv Gold Label by the Austrian Ministry of the Environment.