What could be more rewarding for an architectural practice than hearing a client praise their work as "brilliantly designed"? In this case, it was the principal of Wiesbaden's Carl von Ossietzky School. Yet the new building on an adjacent site required both staff and students to undertake a demanding relocation. Adding to the challenge, Frankfurt-based architektei mey had to fit the new school—with its 6,000 m² gross floor area comparable to the original building—onto significantly less land.

Set near an allotment garden community, this upper secondary school is a four-storey solid structure. Floor-to-ceiling windows paired with opaque glazing at ground level deliver both light and visual openness while creating a graffiti-resistant base. Above this sits the clinker brick façade, which unifies the three upper floors into a cohesive form. The façade's fine banding of expansive windows is deliberately varied in depth rather than uniform—a subtle design strategy that enriches its visual character.

The building for approximately 450 students was conceived around contemporary pedagogical practice and ecological principles. Each upper-floor classroom and specialist space is paired with open learning zones—flexible areas designed for group work, exhibitions, and presentations. Galleries feature workstations with tables and seating, plus generous lounging areas for students to unwind between classes. All furnishings are permanently fixed, flame-retardant, and strategically positioned to keep escape routes clear. The auditorium—soaring through all four storeys—serves as the building's social and functional heart, where corridors meet and the school community gathers. Its ground-floor tiered seating accommodates audiences for lectures, assemblies, and theatre productions. An open-plan cafeteria connects the auditorium directly to the schoolyard, fostering seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces.

www.architektei-mey.de

Photography Credits:

Eibe Sönnecken

(Published in Frankfurt 01|22)