Sozialzentrum
The market town of Zell am Ziller forms a historic centre. Here the valley widens into a clear basin, the old mule tracks lead to the east and south. For centuries, the Gerlos Pass has connected the westernmost deanery parish of the archdiocese of Salzburg with the bishop's town. Cattle were driven over the Tuxer Joch to Bolzano in exchange for oil, spices and wine.
As early as 1187, the St. John's Hospital was built in today's village centre to care for the numerous pilgrims and travellers. This historic site eventually became the original retirement home of the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Stiftung (Emperor Franz Josef Foundation), to which 17 communities in the rear Zillertal have joined forces.
This is the place where senior citizens from the region can spend their twilight years embedded in a lively community, as the newly created social centre not only offers 70 care rooms and 15 units for assisted living. The services for different age groups range from a social and health centre to a day care facility and a parent-child centre. The publicly accessible café and a spacious hall, which can be hired for events, complete the multi-faceted spectrum and create links to village life.
The L-shaped structure is carefully woven into the dense fabric of the existing building. Its positioning allows the preservation of the neo-Gothic hospital chapel, which has been familiar to the population for generations and serves as an anchor for the ensemble. The small park, under whose mature trees the neighbouring children play, has also been preserved as a meeting place for young and old. A covered passageway between the wings of the building forms a weather-protected entrance area and guarantees access to the two houses behind the complex in Spitalgasse.
The basement is made of in-situ concrete and includes storage, technical rooms and a spacious underground car park with space for almost 100 cars. Above this, three further storeys were constructed from fired vertically perforated clay bricks.
The centrepiece of the plinth zone is the multi-purpose hall surrounded by arcades. It is directly accessible from the entrance and access area, opposite which is the small sacred space. In the south-east of the complex is a light-flooded canteen kitchen, whose team not only serves the residents of the building, but also supports people in the village with 'meals on wheels'. Small meals are also prepared there for the cosy bistro, whose shady garden faces the green area. To the west and north are the administration offices, the social facilities and the in-house laundry.
The spacious rooms for the senior citizens are located on the two floors above, each with its own bathroom. Large windows and opaque ventilation casements with French balcony balustrades provide the rooms with daylight and offer views of the surrounding area. In order to make living together as entertaining and enjoyable as possible, kitchenettes and cosy seating areas have been set up for the residents; when the temperatures are pleasant, communal life takes place on the loggias and terraces. As short distances are important for internal processes, the central care wards are located in the joint between the two wings, where the access zones are also located.
A fourth storey accentuates the northern end of the building and forms a head-end structure. Five individually designed care flats are available on each floor, which are orientated towards the morning or evening sun and have private outdoor areas in the form of semi-circular balconies. In a separate volume in the south-west of the complex, a doctor's surgery has been set up on the ground floor to guarantee optimum healthcare for the residents. On the three floors above, there are 14 purpose-built flats for employees.
The materialisation and furnishings of the entire ensemble create an impression of carefree timelessness and solidity. While the floors of the publicly accessible areas are covered with terrazzo tiles, a classic herringbone parquet was chosen for the large hall and the rooms. Coved ceilings, dark wood window and door frames and ventilation sashes in bright anodised metal create a feeling of security and familiarity. Carefully planned detailed solutions and thoughtfully chosen design elements made it possible to create an exceptionally high quality of stay even with a limited budget (the criteria of the housing subsidy had to be met).
Care was taken to ensure that the proportion of plastic used was kept as low as possible. So no full thermal insulation, no plastic windows, etc..
The spacious ensemble lends the centre of Zell an almost urban density, radiating a cheerful atmosphere of serenity and naturalness. The south is not far away here, the quietly splashing fountain in the courtyard is reminiscent of a small Mediterranean piazza.
Text: Tina Mott
