Five nurseries
Schaffhausen (CH)

Campo Pestalozzi
Arcegno (CH)

Youth center
Lingenfeld (D)

In autumn 2003 the nursery in Kesselstrasse in Schaffhausen was rebuilt in a new shape, but like the preceding building in wood construction and handed over as destined as the first of five council renovation projects. The four other nurseries are realised successively to 2007, also using the same modular Steko wood construction system.
The architectural office Reich + Bächtold with Vögeli AG won the competition for the development of the nurseries in Schaffhausen. With the help of Josef Kolb AG an outstanding wood construction concept has been developed. The buildings were nearly exclusively erected using wood from the surrounding woodlands.
...and we are proud to take the children to the woodlands to explain to them: "your nursery building grew here"

The Youth centre, which was awarded architectural prizes, is located in Lingenfeld, Germany. For ecological reasons the municipality decided to erect the building as wood construction. In addition, the building had to be "cheap" and of course, for a youth centre it had to be very solid, stable, very stress-resistant and not grotty. The apparent contradictions inspire the willingness of the architects Mack and Rerich (plan-werk-statt, Lingenfeld) too look for the new and to realise that in practice.

The building skeleton and floor plans are very clear and simple. In the interior the rooms are partially across two floors to the roof. The open-plan room creates transparency and openness. The Steko modules are visible in the interior.

This two-storey building complements the existing buildings of the Campo-Pestalozzi in Arcegno. It was erected in 2001. The ground floor with common rooms, warehouses and sanitary rooms is of bricks, whilst the upper floor and the façade are wood constructions.
With Steko the carpenters company Giacomazzi e Ruffini SA, Avegno could complete the object after a short building period. The architect Ennio Maggetti, Minusio was responsible for the smooth building process.

In Italy the construction using natural building materials is a trend not only amongst private builders; no, there are also more and more public buildings of wood combined with clay. The latest example was erected in Basiglio near Milan. For the "CASA DELLA MUSICA, DELLA DANZA E CENTRO ANZIANI", which was designed by the architect Sylvia Pietta, Milan, the foundation stone, or the Steko foundation, was laid on the 24th of November 2008. The South Tyrolean building company Zimmerhofer, overall entrepreneur, I-39032 Taufers BZ, together with the country representative of Italy, Holzer KG SAS, I-39028 Schlanders built the attractive and modern building in record time; already on the 5th of April 2008 the Mayor Marco Flavio Civillo could hand over to the population the successful town building for music, dance and the elderly. Another school in Padua using STEKO is already being planned. Responsible authorities know that in natural, healthy and environmentally friendly building skeletons better performances are possible, but that also a building substance is created for subsequent generations, which is worthy of preservation.