The Owl and the Fox

With the construction of the Kastanienallee primary school, the North Rhine-Westphalian town of Velbert now has more than 15 primary schools. In the new building, the operations of three previous locations were combined under one modern roof. The five-metre height difference between the site and the busy Rheinlandstraße provides the special charm: despite its urban and central location, the building is sheltered and quietly nestled as if in a valley, offering the children a lively oasis in the middle of the city.

Project

New building for primary school with canteen and double sports hall

Client

City of Velbert

PPP-Partner

Depenbrock

Service

1-5 HOAI

Area

about 7.500 m² GFA

Location

Kastanienallee in Velbert

Photography

Dennis Neuschaefer-Rube

Seein school through children's eyes

Excitement, joy and perhaps also a little bit of fear probably accompany all kids who are about to start school. Good and sensitive architecture can at least contribute to a feeling of well-being and make the school a favourite place for the next few years. In Velbert, the children intuitively find their way around the building thanks to the playful wayfinding system. The four orientation colours red, green, yellow and blue mark the learning worlds as well as the administration, refectory, sports hall & Co.

A different kind of sack race

There are some beanbags in the areas between the classrooms, but they are not necessarily for sack racing. In accordance with the requirements for modern, pedagogical school buildings, the classroom wings are characterised by diversely designed differentiation areas. Benches, moveable furniture and tables offer retreats from the classroom or selective extensions of the 21 classrooms. The classroom wings are complemented by four team stations, nine open learning areas as well as inclusion and multi-purpose rooms.

The facade of the 4 seasons

The different areas can also be seen on the façade from the outside. The dark-changing clinker brick in two shades forms the connecting main component of the façade. Partial recesses are filled by yellow, green, red or blue aluminium curtain walls, which pick up the motif of the tangram through the triangular elements. Fixed, coloured elements at the sides of the windows round off the play of colours.

The playground and vibrant foyer are separated by a filigree mullion-and-transom façade that ensures maximum visual relations and transparency between inside and outside.