115 years separate the oldest and the newest building of the KGS Fleher Straße elementary school. The architecture is correspondingly different. Purist clarity meets the more playful style of an old building from 1904, but as different as they are, they complement each other perfectly. The additional extension had become necessary due to the increasing need for space. Thanks to the new building, the former two-form entry school of the municipal subsidiary Immobilien Projektmanagement Düsseldorf could be expanded to a three-form entry school. The new building covers the additional space requirements, including rooms for afternoon care and the integration of children with various special educational needs.

The school site is located on two different levels with a difference in height of around 1.25 m and, before the most recent extension, consisted of an old building and several structures added in the 1960s. The new building, which consists of three parts, closes the gap in the existing building. But that's not all: the extension buildings also provide barrier-free access to the entire school site via a new elevator located in the gap. Component A, which is located between the old building and the singing hall and has three storeys, houses classes and multi-purpose rooms with the associated ancillary rooms. A prestigious new main entrance for the school was created on the first floor. Component B adjoins the administrative wing to the north-west and was positioned at the level of the lower schoolyard. Like the existing administration wing, the building has two storeys and provides a level transition to the administration area of the existing building. On the first floor, it was possible to make use of the terrain offset for a raised storey, which houses the canteen with a "Cook&Chill" kitchen.

Component C adjoins along the western boundary of the schoolyard and houses the sports hall and ancillary rooms. The sports hall is also used by sports clubs in the afternoons, which is why it is structurally possible to separate it from the school building. At the same time, the sports hall functions as an internal school meeting place. It enables the school to hold events such as school enrolments, St. Martin's Day celebrations and performances for up to 450 people. The arrangement of the additional buildings has created a sheltered courtyard for the pupils, which offers an exciting break area thanks to its different levels. To ensure optimal and holistic supervision of the pupils, the entire schoolyard was redesigned and adapted to the new requirements.

www.wollenweb.de

Photos:

WollenweberArchitecture

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 02|21)