comprehensive school cologne

urban planning
the building forms a clear edge towards sürtherstraße and the sports area located to the south, in line with its surroundings. in contrast to the urban edge formed by the upper floors, the base floor is transparent and designed to be inviting for students. the compactness of the building underlines the intention to create a new center at this location. the two upper floors reflect the scale of future development in the area. the orientation of the classrooms towards school-owned courtyards, and the integration of the building into a folded landscape, protect the residential buildings to the north from potential school noise. the existing school can remain in full operation throughout the entire construction phase.

structure of the building
readable structure divided into:

general area
compact, transparent, open base floor with aula, all-day area, pedagogical center, library, and rooms for technical and creative subjects. the sports halls are integrated into the building in order to meet their multifunctional requirements for events, theater, etc. in the best possible way. due to their placement, they can also be used independently by external parties.

teaching area
comb-like structure in the protected, more intimate upper floors, with classrooms, science area, and administration, all with east/west orientation. each class cohort is assigned its own comb-floor; the cohorts are clearly legible and identifiable both in the internal circulation via "bridges" and in the outer building articulation.

main circulation axis
southern spine, open across three floors, bright, transparent, with a multifunctional zone: group rooms, lounge areas, break zones, open-air classrooms, meeting spaces, and clearly organized access points to the classroom wings.

green concept
already the main entrance to the school on sürtherstraße reflects the school's nature-related character. green islands and water basins, planted, designed and maintained by students, enliven the school plaza and invite students to linger. the integration of the building into the terrain and the shaping of the "landscape fold" using excavated material north of the school creates softly structured break and green areas in front of the general zones of the base floor. this landscape leads both classroom areas and sports halls directly into the green space and offers these zones as outdoor venues for theater, school festivals, student assemblies, etc.
with varied planting, intimate, protected courtyards are created for library users and the all-day area. the outdoor area of the public school property transitions seamlessly into the neighboring public green corridor to the west.

delivery
for building services, janitor, art classrooms, and especially for the sports halls, delivery takes place via the "service yard" in the south. delivery to the kitchens is in the north. school-related break and green areas remain completely traffic-free.

structural concept
the chosen construction method consists of flat reinforced concrete slabs on composite columns and reinforced concrete shear walls. where necessary, these structural elements are reinforced with full-storey steel trusses. this allows for large spans (sports hall area) or cantilevers (circulation zones and common areas south of the classrooms) to be implemented very economically. load-bearing walls have been reduced to a minimum to ensure high flexibility in spatial layout. the foundation is built as a ground slab.