Kindergarten in Innsbruck

The Olympic Village in Innsbruck is a large, two-part development dating from the 1960s. An important element of the new district centre, completed in 2006, is the nursery-school and day-care facility for schoolchildren. The ensemble, consisting of a high-rise housing block, an elongated L-shaped low-rise tract, and a large public open space, is the outcome of the prize-winning scheme submitted by the Viennese ­architects Willi Frötscher and Christian Lichtenwagner in the Europan 4 competition. The architects have succeeded in creating an urbane and popular centre – the district’s vital heart, which had been lacking for many years. The kindergarten and day-care centre – the two most intensely used ­areas – are grouped together on top of the supermarket and cafe in the linear building. Articulated in different ways, the flowing spatial volume accommodates 190 children in all, as well as providing them with ample play space and quiet areas to which they can withdraw. The open spatial structure encourages communication not only between the various groups, but between parents, children and teachers, between generations and different cultures.