Preserving the 1970s building fabric was paramount for the client, Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg – Heilbronn Office. The challenge: transforming a former special education school and residential facility for children and young people with hearing and speech impairments into a comprehensive counselling centre with diagnostics and skills development services. The overarching goal was to expand educational and counselling capacity in support of greater inclusion. This demanded flexible spaces for offices, collaborative work, and instruction. Today, the thoroughly renovated structure stands as one of Germany's most advanced special education and counselling centres specializing in hearing and speech – a testament to thoughtful, contemporary design built on a historic foundation.

Selected through a competitive process, Herzog Architects strategically removed partition walls and opened up spaces to create expansive, adaptable teaching areas. The result: luminous common zones with integrated kitchenettes that encourage collaboration and informal learning. This spatial reorganization necessitated a complete redesign of the window rhythm and façade, establishing a clearer visual language. Every component was upgraded to meet current fire safety codes and acoustic standards appropriate to the new purpose—sound-dampening elements were carefully worked into ceilings, walls, and built-in storage. Routing the mechanical systems through constrained ceiling cavities proved particularly demanding. A notable achievement: the original site-specific artwork was seamlessly preserved and reinterpreted within the refreshed interior character. Positioned within the campus landscape, the building now respectfully acknowledges the central structure and main entrance, creating a harmonious spatial hierarchy.

www.herzog-architekten.de

Photography Credits:

Oliver Rieger
www.oliverrieger.com

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 02|22)