From old building to new beginnings

It all began with a Europe-wide tender in 2017. At that time, no one could have imagined the pandemic-related difficulties, rising energy and raw material costs that the project would face in the construction process and still manage to keep everything on time and within budget. But let's start again from the beginning: The previous primary and comprehensive school Schacht Audorf had to be replaced with a new building including basic renovation and the conversion of 14 classrooms in the existing building. Now the 7.5-million-euro project is finished and, as an open all-day school, offers inclusive, opportunity-oriented and high-quality education for 700 children from seven communities in the vicinity of the Schleswig-Holstein municipality.

Project

Replacement construction and rehabilitation of GGS Schacht Audorf

Client

Amt Eiderkanal

Service

1-9 HOAI

Area

about 2.000 m² GFA

Location

Dorfstraße in Schacht-Audorf

Photography

Julia Knop

An ­»L« as a connecting link

From an urban planning perspective, the appropriate building cubature for the new replacement building was quickly defined. An L-shaped structure was to complement the existing ensemble and frame the centrally located schoolyard. Another plus point? The differentiated and concise building cubature also makes it easier to integrate the neighbouring sports field into everyday school life, because the central entrance foyer guides the pupils in the appropriate directions. And speaking of the foyer: this distributes the school community both vertically and horizontally into the school's areas. The teaching kitchen, gymnastics hall, workroom and green classroom, as well as the refectory with serving kitchen, have a direct connection to the foyer on the ground floor.

The canteen is not only for eating

As a multifunctional room, the refectory with floor-to-ceiling glazing and openable elements can be used both as a place for breaks, but also for events and as an extension of the outdoor space. The upper floor is shared by the learning world and the staff area. In addition to workstations, a meeting room, kitchenette, multi-learning and computer room, the library is also located here, where a communal and concentrated working atmosphere prevails. Light and air are among the spatial qualities that impress on the upper floor. Doors with glass cut-outs and side panels, interior windows, air spaces and the panorama window ensure a light-flooded and transparent spatial impression.

Social meets ecological quality

The ecological footprint of the school building is relatively small. This is because the compact building cubature results in a good A/V ratio, which significantly reduces the sealed area and creates space for a green environment in which additional green classrooms are arranged. Later changes were also considered in the design: due to the skeleton construction of the load-bearing primary structure, the secondary structure can also be flexibly relocated at a later date in order to react to possibly changing requirements.