Around 220 pupils at secondary level I attend the LVR Kurt Schwitters School, a special school with a focus on language. The existing school campus in Gerresheim was to be fundamentally restructured into an authentic and modern place of learning and teaching in two construction phases. The architectural firm Kastner Pichler + Partner from Cologne designed and realized an extension to the existing 1960s school building in cooperation with the Rhineland regional association, which is available for both school operations and the open all-day school. The school also received a single-court gymnasium and a spacious foyer as a central auditorium and multi-purpose room. The existing building, which has been extended several times over the decades, is currently being renovated in a second construction phase and reorganized for contemporary teaching.

The new main entrance in the east on Gräulinger Straße leads directly into the heart of the new extension: the spacious, transparent foyer forms the new entrance to the school complex. The multifunctional assembly room is the school's marketplace: a wooden structure spans the two-storey space; four parallel skylight strips enliven it with a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that changes throughout the day and seasons. In addition, the full-surface glazing opens up panoramic views of the schoolyard to the west. The canteen and additional rooms for the open all-day school are located on the first floor. On the upper level, a transparent bridge creates a connection to the existing building. To the south is the new wing with classrooms, well lit and shaded when necessary thanks to the floor-to-ceiling glazing and external blinds. Special attention was paid to the room acoustics with sound-absorbing baffle ceilings or real wood acoustic sails. Direct access to the outdoor area is also possible both on the first floor and via the arcade access on the upper floor. The new single-court gymnasium is directly connected to Gräflinger Straße. With its broadly projecting roof, it sets a new urban accent that is visible from afar. The overall appearance of the resulting building ensemble is characterized by a uniform and reduced choice of materials and colours: For example, horizontally arranged larch wood slats on the upper floors form a connecting façade element between old and new. The first floor contrasts with a continuous brick cladding as a facing shell. At the interface between the new and existing buildings, exposed concrete and a mullion and transom façade made of wood and aluminum characterize the appearance.

www.kastnerpichler.de

Photos:

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

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 02|22)