NEW BUILDING Primary School Neu Wulmstorf

All good things come in threes. At least when it comes to the number of primary schools in Neu Wulmstorf. Due to the rapid population growth of the district, the previous »Grundschule am Moor« (primary school on the moor) from the 1960s had meanwhile become too small and was replaced by a new building on a plot of land opposite. And the construction progressed in leaps and bounds, not least because of the chosen system construction method: the approximately 7.5-metre-long wall elements were delivered with the windows and sunshade blinds already installed and assembled on the construction site using a large crane. This made it possible to significantly shorten the construction time of the shell.

Project: Multifunctional building with primary school, sports hall and event centre
Client: Municipality Neu Wulmstorf
PPP-Partner: Goldbeck Nord
Service: 1-5 HOAI
Area: 8.150 m² GFA
Location: Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Straße in Neu Wulmstorf
Photography: Dorfmüller Klier
Specifics: 1st place PPP- Procedure

The primary school on the moor consists of five mini-schools on three floors, which differ from each other both inside and out in terms of design and colour.

From the outside, the building is divided into three coherent areas: Classical school operations, the event area as a connecting span and the sports hall differ above all in their storeys. The projections and recesses create two courtyards in front of the main entrance and at the rear, which can be used as an extended teaching area and as a playground for teachers and students. A light beige façade brick paired with yellow and green façade elements wraps the school in its garb. On both sides, the coloured elements of the yellow sports hall and the green school building approach and interlock with each other in the common event and entrance area.

There is room for up to 450 visitors in the school's entrance area, which is used not only for arrivals but also as a communal event area. This is where people eat, fight and even marvel when external associations, initiatives and cultural workers fill the auditorium with life as a stage. By means of a mobile partition wall, different room sizes can be realised temporarily - depending on the use. The central stair element enables barrier-free and inclusive communication on all levels through seating steps, stair treads and the ramp. The seating step landscape swings colourfully upwards over the floors and combines all the school's leitmotifs in one element: curves, colour and jumping frogs.

Due to the topographical situation of the building site, it was clear from the beginning of the planning that each mini-school would have a green classroom. Between the building cubature and the slope, quiet, intimate outdoor areas have been created in which lessons can take place in addition to the conventional classroom. Indoor and outdoor spaces are thus interlocked with each other. And speaking of interlocking: the large window elements facing the small inner courtyard on three sides fluidly dissolve the supposed boundaries between the mini-schools and enable communicative visual relationships across the floors and mini-schools.

The pedagogical concept of the mini-schools is that classes 1 to 4 are grouped into small, separate units. In this way, small pupils can learn from the larger ones and take on sponsorships. In terms of space, this means that there are not only the usual classrooms, but also communicative communal areas for the individual mini-school units. Each unit has its own staircase with a direct connection to the small playground, the school garden and the outdoor classrooms.

Voices from the team

One of my favourite places in the school is the colonnaded, light-flooded corridor between the foyer and the sports hall along the refectory, which fluidly connects the indoor spaces with the outdoor space.

Sarah

I am particularly pleased that the school is also used by associations, initiatives and cultural workers. Thus, the building also contributes to the socially integrative infrastructure on site.

Romy

What I like about this building is the well-placed windows and the resulting variety of views: Students are more aware of their surroundings, which gives them a feeling of openness and freedom. We are convinced that this reduces stress and promotes creativity and concentration. And the interaction between the students is also supported.

Elsa

This school is my first realised project that I have been involved in from the very beginning. I have waited so long for the feeling of walking through a building for the first time and feeling how my own plans are working out. And it was worth the wait.

Carina