Approximately 220 secondary school students attend the LVR-Kurt-Schwitters-Schule, a special needs school specializing in language education. The existing school campus in Gerresheim was to be fundamentally restructured into an authentic and contemporary learning environment across two construction phases. The architectural firm Kastner Pichler + Partner from Cologne designed and realized, in cooperation with the Rhineland Regional Association, an expansion of the existing school building from the 1960s, which serves both regular school operations and the full-day program offerings. Additionally, the school acquired a single-span gymnasium as well as a generous foyer serving as the central assembly hall and multipurpose space. Currently, in a second construction phase, the existing building—expanded multiple times over the decades—is being renovated and reorganized to meet contemporary educational standards.

The new main entrance on the eastern side at Gräulinger Straße leads directly into the heart of the expansion: a spacious, transparently designed foyer that serves as the new gateway to the school complex. This multifunctional assembly space is the school's marketplace: a timber structure spans the double-height room, with four parallel skylight bands creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that transforms throughout the day and seasons. The full-length glazing to the west opens panoramic views onto the schoolyard. On the ground floor, the cafeteria and additional spaces for the full-day program follow. On the upper level, a transparent bridge establishes the connection to the existing building. To the south extends the new classroom wing, which benefits from floor-to-ceiling glazing and motorized blinds for effective lighting and shading. Particular attention has been paid to room acoustics, employing sound-absorbing baffle ceilings and genuine wood acoustic panels. Direct access to the outdoor grounds is available both at ground level and via the covered passage on the upper floor. Directly adjacent to Gräflinger Straße sits the new single-span gymnasium, its dramatically cantilevered roof establishing a striking new architectural landmark visible throughout the district. The resulting building ensemble is characterized by unified and restrained material and color selection: horizontal lamellae of larch wood in the upper floors create a connecting façade element between old and new. The ground floor contrasts with continuous brick cladding as an outer shell. At the interface between new construction and existing building, exposed concrete and a post-and-beam façade executed in wood and aluminum define the appearance.

www.kastnerpichler.de

Photography Credits:

LVR-ZMB/Annette Hiller
Mia ter Horst
Philipp Brummer
Konstantin Pichler

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 02|22)