Many of the school buildings built in earlier decades are facing space problems. They were not designed for all-day lessons and now that this form of teaching is becoming increasingly common, they have to be retrofitted. Neubiberg secondary school, built in the 1970s, also faced this problem. Although the building had been renovated, it had not been extended. The Munich architectural firm Peck Daam, which is experienced in school construction, was entrusted with the task of converting or extending the secondary school.

Initially, various functions were rearranged and, in a second step, an extension was built. The previous canteen was enlarged by relocating it to the existing library. As a result, there is now space for 130 pupils. The space freed up in the former canteen is now used by the all-day school. For the restructuring, it was necessary to dismantle the building back to the shell, as the proportions had changed. The suspended ceilings were also removed to achieve a greater room height. Instead, the acoustics and lamps were hung lower.

Now a new location had to be found for the library. Sympathetically, the architects decided against sealing another area and had the ingenious idea of building over the bicycle parking area. They created a concrete base as a roof over the parking lot and placed a "wooden box" made of solid wood on top. The connection to the existing building is made via a glass joint and a shared escape staircase. The box on the concrete table makes a floating impression. The new library hall is a rectangular room with an open floor plan and a glazed long side with a cantilevered, covered terrace on the south side. Both the reading room and the terrace have round skylights that provide light inside and make room for two trees in the terrace area. Half-height shelving walls stand against the opposite wall and transverse ones zone the room. One of the requirements for the new building measures was the choice of high-quality materials. The wood used in the library and in the new canteen conveys an inviting and homely character. The extension results in a building staging of two opposite blocks and an extended path along the outdoor bicycle garage to the main entrance.

www.peckdaam.de

Photos:

Uta Niedermaier
www.designbuero-una.de

(Published in CUBE Munich 02|22)