The Robert Jungk Comprehensive School's campus on Reepenweg sits on the western edge of Krefeld-Hüls as one of two locations. The 1970s building complex—comprising a three-story main structure, an adjoining administrative wing, and a detached gymnasium—required expansion to accommodate growing enrollment in upper secondary education. Based on a feasibility study commissioned by the city of Krefeld, the Düsseldorf-based planning office Wollenweberarchitektur designed a two-story addition that anchors the existing structures around a shared courtyard while using strategic color to create a unifying visual connection.

The minimalist, square-form new building—with its rectangular light well and courtyard—stands as a freestanding structure to the west of the existing complex, creating a three-sided enclosed schoolyard for the first time. Its entrance faces the courtyard entry of the main building, while a covered walkway connects it to the lower administration wing. Three generous art studios open from the ground floor onto the verdant inner courtyard, alongside offices for year coordinators and several of the twelve flexible classrooms that can be combined using folding partitions. The upper floor provides additional classroom and staff space. A glass-fronted circulation corridor wraps the courtyard, flooding the space with light and creating an open gathering area for students. Seating alcoves for quiet study are inset into the walls like mosaic tiles, finished in a striking red tone that punctuates the otherwise restrained interior palette. This accent color reappears in the recessed entrance, where it contrasts sharply with the ceramic-slatted façade in warm beige. Yet this choice also establishes a dialogue with the main building: the window frames there—characteristic of 1970s design—display this same distinctive red. The horizontal window bands further reinforce the connection. Through this interplay of restraint and accent, the new addition integrates seamlessly with the existing structure while maintaining its own architectural voice.

www.wollenweberarchitektur.de

Photos:
Jörg Wollenweber

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 01|23)