DGI Bauwerk Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH

Modern and sustainable timber hybrid school - development of the school site

The design by DGI Bauwerk and GINA Barcelona Architects aims to provide a new arrangement of buildings and external spaces that respect the local conditions and qualities of the site which is located in close proximity to the neighbouring medieval inner city ring. The construction phasing plan will allow for the existing school buildings to be successively replaced without an interruption to school operations or the need for temporary structures. The resulting configuration functions as a coherent whole and consists of the new building, a diverse surrounding landscape and the existing sports hall.

The new school building is concentrated on the northern edge of the site and utilises different heights, three storeys in the North and one or two storeys in the South, in order to respond to site parameters and to become a link between the neighbouring residential area and the adjacent community zones. The heart of the new school is the distinctive central communal hall which is spatially defined between the three main volumes, the primary school, the secondary school and the workshop/laboratory cluster. This central zone includes all collective and social functions such as the cafeteria, the auditorium and the library.

Sustainability was seen as an essential and future orientated aspect of the design. Opting for a timber hybrid construction, the building includes timber and concrete floorplates, laminated timber interior separations and external masonry walls. Essential building blocks of the sustainability concept also include the use of solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, green roofs, district heating as well as a hybrid ventilation system with heat recovery.