school thusneldastrasse

urban concept
the existing school buildings, despite large building volumes, create exterior plaza situations of high quality: the forecourt and entrance area with high tree population, the inner courtyard with the striking plane trees and the different plaza levels, and the nature and school garden protected by the embankment in the eastern area. even under the pressure of the expansion volumes, the specific exterior qualities will continue to be represented. the arrangement of the new building volumes of the gymnasium preserves the school courtyard with the dominant trees, it is architecturally framed by the north wing of the cafeteria and full-day care. the orthogonality of the existing buildings is also reflected in the extension buildings. the existing classroom wing is supplemented, old and new articulate themselves as independent entities together. the large volume of the gym hall is embedded in the terrain so that it appears only one storey high. the missing art rooms with adjacent outdoor studios are placed on top of the gym hall. the height development of the building volumes starts from the 4-storey classroom wing, the 3-storey new classroom building continues the height of the science wing, then steps down to 2 storeys in the east wing and 1 storey in the north wing. the new gym hall of the vocational college is also partially integrated into the terrain, shaping the exterior space in order to continue offering the garden in its original size.

organization
the spatial organization of the functions is currently clearly readable in building volumes: science wing, classroom wing, gym hall, etc. this allocation of areas to different building volumes is also continued in the extension buildings. the existing classroom wing is supplemented by an accompanying extension. existing classrooms and additional classrooms, differentiation rooms and further au-rooms are compactly concentrated. the artistic area is arranged independently, mirrored to the science area along the classroom axis. the location on the roof of the gym hall enables direct access of the art classes to the outdoor studios. cafeteria and full-day rooms flank and form the edge of the courtyard on the north side. the full-day areas can be reached via the schoolyard, or in bad weather dry-footed via the foyer of the triple gym. gym hall and ancillary rooms lie embedded in the courtyard, the location of the stands allows expansion and interweaving of both areas. without disturbing school operation, the volume of the gym can be used as an additional event venue. despite its central position, the gym is accessible separately for external users. according to their use, administrative rooms are arranged vertically close to the teaching areas.

the conference room on the ground floor offers sufficient space for meetings and conferences, further workspaces from the space program are assigned directly to the classroom areas on the 1st and 2nd floor. the entrance area of the existing building is too small for the large number of students. enlarging the circulation area on the ground floor of the classroom wing now offers an adequate and clear area, which also provides an overview of the courtyard, gym and cafeteria and thus contributes to good orientation in the entire building. the above-ground floors connect flush to the existing building. a simple barrier-free connection between existing and new buildings is possible with a lift.

green space concept
important, identity-forming elements of the existing green space should remain or be transformed into an adapted design even after the school expansion. characteristic are the tree population, the schoolyard and the school garden. the project largely preserves the tree population, avoiding the old giants. the differentiated outdoor areas are left in their character. as the supply of open space is already low, the roof areas above the ground floor of the full-day care and the gym hall are usable exterior spaces and greened. the roofs of the other buildings are also greened. at the existing escape staircase on the north of the science wing, a vertical garden stages the exterior boundary to the existing building and offers the cafeteria an attractive counterpart. the cafeteria has a small gallery on the upper floor, through which the intensively greened and walkable roof of the leisure rooms expands the exterior offer.

construction phases
the extension building of the gymnasium allows simple separation into construction phases: in a first phase, the entire extension building of the gymnasium can be built. after commissioning the new cafeteria and the extension, the temporary cafeteria building and container classrooms can be demolished. in a second phase, the vocational college gym hall will be built.

junction classroom wing old and new
the junction between old and new will be dust- and noise-protected. the entire extension will be built with independent load-bearing structures. no disturbance of operation, as separate access and deliveries are possible. the future light courtyard between the old and new classroom wings will be temporarily closed floor by floor to serve as circulation for the new rooms during renovation of the existing building. only after completion of the refurbishment will this junction be opened and the atrium with transparent bridges created.