ALEXANDER STINCHCOMB

In keeping with the character and uniqueness of Lutzmannsburg, Austria, the Academy of Wine integrates architecture with culture. By melding the village typology and history of wine production into a campus for learning and teaching, the design becomes an open canvas, an active tool, shaping the architecture and landscape of the design. 

 

Taking cues from campus designs, the corridor and courtyard play an integral part in the design of this campus. Formulating from the conceptual diagrams, the buildings are arranged to form interior courtyards, which are unified by an exterior central corridor [see diagrams adjacent]. Acting as the social heart of the campus the corridor and courts provide spaces for impromptu and planned classes, gatherings, events, and lectures. 

 

Internally, the buildings are conceived as vehicles to foster collaboration and dialogue among rooms and courtyards. It is only the buildings and entrances that open to the interior courts and corridor. These provide unique opportunities for open lecture rooms and classrooms for informal social, intellectual, and creative exchange. 

 

Utilizing undulating building heights, the structures maintain low profiles and a strong connection with the surrounding context of the village. Building roofs are also terraces, which are reached by stairs located in gaps; these gaps offer unique moments for passage through or thickening of walls to separate buildings from one another. At street level, the blank facade with only the gaps invites the individual to peek into or to explore the campus within.