Alte Schule Widdersdorf is an open children's and youth facility run by Cologne Youth Centres on the city's western edge. Tucked away in its courtyard sits a 1960s multi-purpose hall, originally designed as an exercise pavilion. Structural damage to the roof trusses and contamination made renovation impossible, necessitating a contemporary replacement. Cologne-based architects Nebel Pössl Architekten responded with an elegantly simple yet distinctive solution: a timber building that maintains the original courtyard composition, honours the site's character, and integrates thoughtfully into the village context.

Over 250 children and young people rely on the Alte Schule youth centre's sports programs each week. When the existing hall suddenly closed, it left a significant gap – particularly as the neighborhood was expanding with new residents and housing developments while social infrastructure struggled to keep pace. Supported by North Rhine-Westphalia's urban development funding through the "Investment Package for Social Integration in the Neighbourhood" initiative, a new, fully accessible pavilion was built. Designed for up to 270 people, it features a resilient sprung floor suited to diverse activities: indoor games, martial arts, gymnastics, and dance. The new structure maintains the courtyard-oriented layout of the existing buildings, furthering their architectural narrative. Multiple entrances and generous glazing flood the interior with natural light while strategically reducing noise emissions. Beyond the connection to the old school building, a new external entrance was added: the existing western arcade was extended into the property's northern forecourt, offering weather-protected access to the pavilion independent of the main building's hours. Three interconnected volumes, staggered in height and form, now define the schoolyard while echoing the fine-grained character of surrounding village architecture. With subtle modernity, they reinterpret the quiet, elongated gable roofs typical of the farmsteads near the village church. The challenging site access and commitment to sustainability led to a timber-frame approach: three asymmetrical double-hinged glulam trusses form the primary load-bearing structure. Steel support columns are rigidly connected yet concealed within the walls, enabling an uninterrupted impact wall without visual breaks. Prefabricated timber panel elements—pre-insulated and finished on both sides at the factory—provide structural bracing. The façades feature rear-ventilated vertical larch cladding with pre-weathered finish, complemented by grey trapezoidal metal roofing, creating a unified aesthetic that gracefully distinguishes itself from the existing buildings.

www.nebelpoessl.de

Photography:
HGEsch
www.hgesch.de

(Featured in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|25)