academic secondary school (ahs) winkeläckerstraße

urban design aspects
fundamental considerations regarding the organization and positioning of the building volumes on the site are influenced by two essential parameters:
students mainly arrive from the north (s-bahn) and the south (prager straße); therefore, the building must be accessible from both directions. the site is very limited in size for the given spatial program and the required outdoor areas for sports and movement; for this reason, the large exterior spaces must be located on the roofs of the building. the position and form of the assembly hall (aula) allow for an equal entrance and access situation from both the northeast and the southwest. from each entrance, one reaches the assembly hall via a central cloakroom, which enables a strict separation between clean and dirty areas and thus defines the building as a pure “indoor shoe” school. the ground floor level is aligned with the existing heights of the pedestrian and bicycle path to the north and the wooded, flag-shaped site to the south, which serves as an access route from prager straße. from both sides, one can reach the multi-story assembly hall at the same level through weather-protected outdoor areas. in the north, this is made possible by a bridge with bicycle parking facilities. the constraints of the limited site — including setback regulations, the required dedication area, the preservation of existing large trees, and the necessity to place the large outdoor sports areas on the building — determine the form of the building. stacking the gymnasiums and outdoor play area allows all sports facilities to be accessed via the changing rooms on short routes. the school’s foyer extends through all floors, maintaining visual connections to the sports facilities at every level, thereby supporting the increasingly emphasized strengthening of school sports. cascading exterior staircases connect all floors up to the uppermost roof level with the 60-meter running track and the beach volleyball court. together with the elevator placement, this ensures full accessibility of all sports areas for external groups even when the school is closed. due to the site’s topography, it is possible to locate specialized classrooms in the basement in certain areas. along winkeläckerstraße, the four required parking spaces as well as the supply and disposal area are provided. from there, deliveries to the kitchen area can be made over a short distance.

architectural and functional aspects
the ambitious aspirations for the school as a place of education, living, critical discourse, community formation, and the exploration of individual strengths are accompanied by corresponding pedagogical considerations and must be supported by appropriate spatial foundations:
outdoor space is part of the pedagogical offering. directly adjacent zones are assigned to the classrooms, inviting a quick and seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. covered areas, sports facilities, seating, and lounging furniture can be accessed quickly and without barriers.
the weather-protected areas of the school will encourage meeting, conversation, lingering, and exchange between students and teachers. spatial orientation plays an essential role in fostering a sense of belonging to a strong school community. this is supported by horizontal visual connections and vertical openings within the foyer, making the entire school space visually comprehensible.community is also manifested through events. spaces of varying sizes are available for this purpose — from seminar-sized rooms to an open continuum that connects the entrance, assembly hall, multipurpose room, library, reading stair, and gymnasiums. the large outdoor playing field is located in front of the foyer, linking the indoor event areas and providing the opportunity for large summer festivals. different group sizes and teaching formats can be accommodated by divisible and expandable rooms.

movable partitions allow flexible, short-term spatial adaptations in the spirit of functional neutrality and adaptability. learning happens everywhere. the routes to classrooms are flanked by open learning zones and small seating areas offering users a wide range of learning and working opportunities.
without drawing hard architectural boundaries, functional areas are defined through spatial organization. the teachers’ area, for example, is easily accessible for all, yet situated in a “sheltered” zone without through traffic. vertically connected clusters form a shared area for lower secondary students via an internal staircase. careful daylight management is essential, particularly in a compact building. skylights bring zenithal light down to the basement level, while high light permeability of the walls supports the atmosphere of a bright, “transparent” school.

aspects of resource efficiency
to allow for high spatial flexibility within the building, load-bearing walls are used only to the extent required for an efficient structural system and horizontal bracing. massive structural elements are therefore employed only where necessary for structural or acoustic reasons, or where replacement would involve significant and questionable effort (see also structural concept). the ceilings are made of concrete, but recycled concrete is used, reduced through hollow-core inserts. this results in a highly efficient structure that simultaneously contributes to thermal inertia and thus to energy efficiency, while providing excellent airborne and impact sound insulation. the latter can otherwise only be achieved through numerous, complex layered constructions in lightweight systems but is essential for the school’s proper functioning. in selecting all other building materials, special attention is paid to ecological footprint, co₂ emissions from production, transport, and dismantling. all classrooms, learning landscapes, and open learning zones are equipped with wooden floors to enhance the quality of the floor as a seating or recreation surface. supply chains and sustainable manufacturing practices are carefully considered. ventilated façades are clad with timber boarding, and the windows are constructed as wood-aluminium systems. transparent surfaces are equipped with effective external solar shading, while trees planted in front of the façade provide additional shading.

energy concept
thanks to effective solar shading and the omission of suspended ceilings, the building can incorporate a high proportion of thermal mass. these storage masses are cooled and discharged at night outside of use times, so they are pre-cooled for the following day. together with supply air introduced during the day at a temperature below room level, this creates a stable and comfortable system that balances weather-related fluctuations and user-generated heat loads effectively. it thus makes a significant contribution to adapting to the impacts of climate change. through optimal utilization of environmental effects and ideal coordination of all systems — including on-site electricity generation via photovoltaic panels — the need for external energy supply is minimized, making a substantial contribution to climate protection.