Architecture
The Kinderkunstlabor meets children at eye level — architecturally as well. The open competition was won by the Vienna-based office Schenker Salvi Weber Architekten, who were given the rare opportunity to design a building type with no precedents or established norms. “We didn’t want to be didactic, but to approach the task with joy and to take the children’s ideas seriously. Because if architecture treats children with respect, it does the same for adults,” says Michael Salvi.
This sense of respect is evident throughout the building: nothing cutesy, childish, or brightly colored. Instead, the house is both angular and inviting, elegant and robust — crystalline in form, warm in material, an organic, friendly monolith. Its structure supports open, participatory processes and allows the young audience’s diverse personalities to unfold freely. The tower-like shape emerged from the intention to preserve as much of the park as possible while giving its edge spatial definition.
From the renewable material wood to the preservation of existing trees and insect- and bird-friendly lighting, the architects ensured a minimal ecological footprint and a design that protects nature. From the outset, the artistic directors and the children’s advisory board were involved in the planning process.
Awards
- Best Architects Award 2026
- Design Educates Awards 2025 – Bronze Prize
- Dezeen Awards 2025 – Shortlisted in the Culture Project category
- Staatspreis Architektur 2025 – Category Winner: Research & Science
- Mies van der Rohe Award 2026 – Nomination
- Bauherr:innenpreis 2024 – 1st Prize
- austria-architects – Building of the Year 2024