A new building for two fundamentally different building types makes a virtue out of necessity: In an Austrian market town, a new kindergarten and the volunteer fire brigade have moved into a new home together.
This is based on functional planning that has been considered right down to the last detail in order to combine the different needs, space requirements and also safety demands. This concept also included a glass roof, which has an integrating effect from an architectural viewpoint.
One building – two separate building parts
50 additional places for the children of the market town of Straßwalchen – that was the wish and necessity of the town, which has been blessed with many children. But the old fire station was also getting on in years and no longer met modern requirements in terms of functionality, safety and building condition.
Instead of investing in two separate buildings, those responsible and the architectural firm fally plus partner planned a joint one based on the idea: The day care centre and fire brigade would share a new building. The new building is now conveniently located so that parents can easily reach the day care centre and the fire brigade can quickly travel to their places of operation. On the spacious site itself, a building consisting of two parts was realised, which function completely independently thanks to separate access roads, entrances and outdoor areas – and are thus also safe and functional for children and firefighters.
However, the building parts are not completely unrelated to each other. Many windows, glass surfaces on the shared walls and lines of sight connect the everyday life of the day care children and firefighters.
A glass front, for example, allows the children to look directly into the fire station's equipment and machinery hall from their hallway. As a child, who wouldn't have wanted to watch the firemen and women heading out or maintaining the equipment?
This is how the fire station was assembled with the day care centre
However, the building parts are not completely unrelated to each other. Many windows, glass surfaces on the shared walls and lines of sight connect the everyday life of the day care children and firefighters. A glass front, for example, allows the children to look directly into the fire station's equipment and machinery hall from their hallway. As a child, who wouldn't have wanted to watch the firemen and women heading out or maintaining the equipment? What is obvious: Both parts of the building, the day care centre and the fire station, require separate access routes and entrances. Partly so that children arriving or running around are not endangered by departing fire engines, and partly so that the fire brigade can drive into action unhindered by parked cars or the children. Safety is the top priority for everyone here. Therefore, both parts of the building have their own access roads and separate open spaces.
In the fire station itself, there is space for six vehicles and there is one room each for breathing apparatus, training and for the firefighters’ recreation room. This is spread over two floors. Of course, fire protection is not neglected by the fire brigade itself: Five LAMILUX smoke and heat exhaust ventilation units are installed on the roof of the building.
It was important to the planners here that these also fit into the overall concept of the building in terms of energy. That is why the five Smoke Lift Rooflights F100 are not only thermally optimised and thermally insulated, but also equipped with triple opal glazing.
Sustainable construction with material combinations
The kindergarten and the main guardhouse are realised in two different construction methods: The kids are housed in a building with a wooden post and beam construction, while the volunteer fire brigade's part of the building is a solid structure with an exposed concrete façade. On the one hand, these material combinations unite a cosy place to learn, grow and feel good with a functional outbuilding where heavy equipment and vehicles are also handled.
However, the ecological footprint of both parts of the building is impressive, as sustainable construction was particularly important to the architects from fally plus partner.
As a special highlight on the subject of sustainability and energy efficiency, and as a connecting element, a LAMILUX Glass Roof PR60 spans between the two parts of the building.
A glass roof for more daylight, more safety and as a connecting element
There is a small offset between the building sections of the main fire station and the kindergarten - they are of different heights. The 45-metre-long glass roof compensates for this height difference: It runs both in the roof surface and in parts of the façade and then continues again on the roof surface of the other part of the building. On the kindergarten side, the glass roof construction spans the cloakroom areas and also brings healthy fresh air into the rooms with six integrated Smoke Lift Glass Roofs PR60. But these glass flaps also serve as SHEVS, smoke and heat exhaust ventilation systems, which open in the event of a fire and guide the harmful smoke and the heat generated by the fire out of the building naturally. This creates a smoke-free layer in the escape routes so that people in the building can leave with good visibility and without having to breathe in acrid smoke.
Apart from such emergency situations as a fire, however, the glass roof is also fully functional in everyday life: It is fitted with triple solar control insulation glass and installed in a profile system that is completely free of thermal bridges. This has several advantages: The glass roof keeps the heat out in summer and the cold out in winter, so that neither heating energy nor cooling is lost. Due to the large glass surfaces, the rooms below also get by with considerably less artificial light, which is noticeable in the energy costs in the long term.
In addition to such technical advantages, skylights in buildings also have another very decisive advantage: Especially in day care centres and other educational institutions, daylight is of crucial importance for healthy development and a motivating environment. Natural light controls our biorhythms, and we experience the changes in nature even when we are indoors thanks to a large amount of light incidence. It's much nicer to live, play and learn that way.
