Climate-School-Life - Preparation of the climate-neutral educational campus in Gratwein-Straßengel

Initial situation / motivation

The market town of Gratwein-Straßengel is pursuing the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2040. As part of the R&D project "City-Country-Climate", it has developed a climate roadmap to promote sustainable developments in the areas of districts, mobility and energy.

The educational campus of Gratwein, consisting of a primary school, kindergarten, crèche, youth center, middle schools, multi-purpose hall, music center, fire department and sports center, is the first pilot area.

Due to the need to renovate and expand the primary school and the sustainable development potential of the entire area, the "Climate-Neutral Gratwein Educational Campus" project was launched to develop the first climate-neutral neighborhood in Gratwein-Straßengel.

Contents and objectives

The main goal of the project is the cooperative and integral preparation of the Gratwein educational campus towards climate neutrality, with the modernisation and expansion of the elementary school being the first central milestone.

To this end, an innovative and integrative energy concept is to be developed that includes measures such as the use of renewable energies, local energy production (e.g. photovoltaics, heat pumps) and sector coupling.

Furthermore, the focus is on adapting to the consequences of climate change through climate-friendly architecture and urban development measures. In addition, a multimodal mobility concept is to be developed for the educational campus that strengthens public transport and increases road safety.

Methods

In the municipal administration of Gratwein-Straßengel the newly introduced structures and processes (e.g. climate checks) are being applied for the first time as part of the governance. A participation process is intended to ensure the involvement of future users and contribute to the acceptance of the measures. The cross-cutting topics include financing models, digitalization and the circular economy, which are intended to generate innovative approaches for district development.

Expected Results

The key results of the exploration project are the formulation of development goals for the educational campus with a space and function program for the modernisation of the elementary school, the integrated district concept with a financing plan and the action plan for the implementation of the projects.

In addition, a quality manual for the building and a transition plan for the district will be drawn up. In the area of mobility, a concept will be developed to increase road safety and promote active mobility. The energy concept is intended to ensure decarbonisation and energy efficiency in the district. The action plan and the financing plan are being drawn up to support the implementation steps and to ensure the climate neutrality of the district.

The exploratory project is intended to serve as a model project for other climate-neutral districts and to demonstrate findings on innovative school and district renovation that have an impact beyond the municipal boundaries.

The project contributes to the strategic goals of the market town and also pursues the UN sustainability goals #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), #13 (Climate Action) and #7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).

Project management

• Legal Management: Michael Haberfellner - Town of Gratwein-Straßengel
• Operational management: Seval Brkic, Market - Town of Gratwein-Straßengel

Project or cooperation partners

• Dr. Martina Majcen - AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies
• Arch. Ernst Rainer - Ernst RAINER – Institute for Resilient Spatial and Urban Development
• Gerhard Lang - smartwärts
• Dr. Markus Frewein - Verkehrplus

Seval Brkic
Hauptplatz 1
A-8111 Gratwein-Straßengel
Tel.: +43 (3124) 51300-405
E-mail: brkic@gratwein-strassengel.gv.at
Web: gratwein-strassengel.gv.at