Interwar Lithuanian School Architecture in an Era of Dynamic Change

Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37522/aaav.113.2024.238

Keywords:

school architecture, primary schools, gymnasiums, functional programme, school building architects

Abstract

This article examines the architectural development of Lithuanian schools during the interwar period. Adopting a comprehensive approach, it juxtaposes educational provisions with the formation of the physical environment for education. School architecture is analyzed from functional, spatial, compositional, and aesthetic perspectives. The study of primary schools and gymnasiums is organized chronologically.

During the interwar period, Lithuanian school architecture underwent multifaceted changes, reflected in the variety of building sizes and their more even territorial distribution. There were significant changes in materials and construction methods, functional composition, spatial organization, and artistic expression. Two developmental phases emerged: the beginning and the becoming. The first decade was marked by traditional architecture featuring wooden structures, standard designs, and repetitive layouts that combined educational and residential functions with a historicist aesthetic. In the second decade, masonry schools were constructed based on individual, professionally designed projects. The functional programme expanded to better meet educational needs, incorporating functional zoning, spaciousness, technological innovations, and modernist aesthetic tendencies.

The evolution of primary schools during this period exhibits a dynamic shift from simple wooden structures housing a single classroom to professionally designed masonry buildings featuring multi-classroom structures and diverse functional arrangements. Concurrently, gymnasiums underwent substantial transformations, characterized by changes in building size, utilization diversity, spatial organization, and architectural form. During the 1930s, a distinct architectural model for school typology emerged, emphasizing functional complexity, logical room grouping, spatial organization, technological advancements, and a restrained modernist aesthetic.

Author Biography

Edita Riaubienė, Vilnius Gediminas technical university, Vilnius, Lithuania

is an architect (1994), Doctor in Humanities (Art History, 2003), and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH). Her research interests include architectural theory, history, and heritage protection. She has presented her research at 27 scientific conferences, published 26 scientific articles, and authored three books, along with approximately 50 texts in field-related press. Recently, her focus has shifted to the architecture of schools, with a particular emphasis on analyzing the physical spaces of elementary and secondary education in contemporary schools.

Published

18/12/2023

How to Cite

Riaubienė, E. (2023). Interwar Lithuanian School Architecture in an Era of Dynamic Change: Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis. Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis, (113), 360–387. https://doi.org/10.37522/aaav.113.2024.238