University of Education Salzburg

A collage of old and new
Riccione Architekten's work at the Salzburg University of Education is rationally aesthetic. At first glance, the sixties slab building does not recall the familiar image of the baroque city, so casual does it appear from the outside. The façades of the two wings, clad in concrete slabs, continue to characterise the image of the college, which was dismantled down to the supporting structure for the renovation. Only where additions were necessary, new parts complement the existing ones: an extension connecting the building parts was created, the eastern attic was replaced, and sun protection shutters were added to the façades.
Inside, colour and grid play with each other. Associations with modern pictorial art, for example by Mondrian or Malevich, awaken. The design of the corridors and lecture halls testifies to the fact that functional rooms do not have to radiate sobriety. Instead, the room elements intertwine through the considered use of black, red and white. The concrete ceiling grid meets the Forbo Flooring linoleum floor Marmoleum Modular. The accents in the floor match the similarly coloured rows of seats and the sliding walls, thus consistently using linoleum flooring as an architectural element throughout the building project. Playfully, the floor completes the visible raw ceilings, the open pipe runs and the unplastered wall surfaces to create a collage of old and new. Riccione's approach in the Pedagogical College proves that existing buildings are worth preserving and that their additions are capable of reformulating the existing architecture.

Michael Reiter, FOX Boden Managing Director:
"With Forbo Flooring we have a reliable business partner since years, one of the leading manufacturers of the market thanks to product innovations and fabulous product quality. Marmoleum Modular tiles were particularly easy for us to work with, as they could be laid without grouting and there were almost no limits to the design possibilities in terms of colour. In addition, Marmoleum Modular is PVC-free and therefore also ideally suited for environmentally conscious builders. Due to the modular system, the linoleum floor is very easy to renovate in the event of punctual damage and, thanks to the high-quality Topshield 2 surface, it is very resistant, stainproof and extremely easy to clean. This is an enormous advantage, especially when used in highly frequented areas, such as the Pädagogische Hochschule in Salzburg, and represents a significant cost saving for the building owner in terms of maintenance cleaning and renovation".