Johannes Kepler Universität Linz | © Bruno Klomfar
Indoors

Campus of the future

Not an elite ivory tower, but rather a lively beacon of light. On the edge of the city, yet at the centre of life. A place where it's not the material that counts, but rather what you make out of it: thanks to the careful development of the site by Riepl Riepl Architekten, the campus of the Johannes Kepler University in Linz now makes it very clear that it is a contemporary centre of education.

Johannes Kepler Universität Linz | © Bruno Klomfar
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz | © Mark Sengstbratl
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz | © Bruno Klomfar
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz | © Mark Sengstbratl
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz | © Mark Sengstbratl

It is the largest university campus in Austria. And perhaps the most attractive. Surrounding the idyllic pond in the Schlosspark, countless research and teaching establishments have sprung up in the years since 1966 on the premises of the former Auhof Palace on the eastern edge of Linz. With their carefully considered plans for expansion, Riepl Riepl Architekten have recently added to the ensemble of buildings making up the Johannes Kepler University and have given it a more contemporary identity. For nowadays a university is more than just a static building that provides education – it is also a symbol of progress and change and a place of encounter!

Accessible point of contact

With more than 20 different buildings, the vast premises of the campus certainly provide sufficient incentive to take some exercise – the only thing missing is a central meeting point. This shortcoming is something that Gabriele Riepl, Peter Riepl, Christof Pernkopf and their team were able to resolve with construction of the "Kepler Hall". Their building, which immediately catches the eye, now forms an interface between the university campus and the local district, building a bridge between public and university life. It serves as the first point of contact, a business card and a multi-use space. Because this hall, which looks rather like a temple with its overhanging roof and its delicate supports, can be used in a variety of ways – as a venue for balls or as a sports hall, as an information centre or as a gallery – and it works just as well as a venue for a weekly marketplace as it does for a scientific conference. The generously sized, brightly coloured curtains – the result of an art project by Gilbert Bretterbauer – allow the free spaces and the rooms to blend into one another seamlessly. It was precisely for this reason that ADLER's architectural advisor Manfred Höfurthner recommended coating the timber elements that are used throughout the building with ADLER Lignovit Terra. This eco-friendly wood oil can be used both inside and outside without any health or environmental concerns, and in colour Puma it gives the Kepler Hall an elegant, restrained and dark look, so that it fits perfectly into the gradually ascending silhouette of the campus.

New interpretation

Riepl and Riepl were keen to use this style of building again for the LIT Open Innovation Center – but in an exciting new interpretation: only the base is made of steel and concrete, a construction method that is otherwise a common feature of the campus. The upper two and a half floors are made of timber elements. The delicate slats used on the facade have been painted to match the red concrete base exactly. This was done using a coat of ADLER Lignovit Lasur in colour Abendrot, followed by a coat of ADLER Lignovit Platin in a special blend of Rubinrot and Granatbraun. In the interior of the building, the wooden panels were finished with ADLER Lignovit Interior UV 100 in colour Mont Blanc to emphasise the inviting, friendly and communicative atmosphere of the building: the LIT Open Innovation Center brings together business and science, research and application, all under one roof. In just the way it should in a university of the future.

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