In 2017, facing rising enrollment, the City of Cologne commissioned three new three-form primary schools, each with a gymnasium, across three sites: Gaedestraße, Statthalterhofallee, and Thessaloniki-Allee. To keep construction timelines tight, all three schools were designed and built using modular construction methods. Aachen-based Hahn Helten Architektur won the contract and created three architecturally identical schools sharing the same spatial program – including the GGS Alfons-Nowak-Straße at Statthalterhofallee, featured here.

The planning process began with a dedicated "Phase Zero" – a needs assessment that set the direction for all subsequent planning stages. The outcome was clear: all three schools would embrace the "cluster school" model, now Cologne's preferred educational approach. Rather than traditional layouts, grade-level classes are organized into distinct clusters – creating small, intimate learning communities within the larger school structure that foster better communication and orientation. The primary school's design responds to this pedagogical vision through a carefully composed ensemble: the main building and separate gymnasium exist as distinct architectural volumes. A connecting element housing shared functions links them across multiple floors. This approach makes the building's logic immediately legible – both its functional organization and the human scale of individual learning clusters are expressed directly in the architecture.

Entry to the ground floor comes through a vestibule from Alfons-Nowak-Straße, marked by a sculptural plinth that signals arrival. Beyond lies the central foyer – the beating heart of the school, serving as daily gathering place, event venue, and main circulation hub. The foyer flows seamlessly into the dining space, creating an open continuum that runs the full depth of the building. To the north, toward Statthalterhofallee, the school library sits in front of the foyer as a natural extension. From the foyer, a central staircase and elevator provide direct access to the two upper floors, while the soaring central atrium bathes interior spaces in natural light and gives the surrounding large-volume rooms generous ceiling heights.

www.hahn-helten.de

Photography:
Jörg Hempel
www.joerg-hempel.com

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 02|25)