Protestant Primary School

Karlsruhe, Germany
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
© Brigida González
Architects
wulf architekten
Location
Sengestraße 7, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
Year
2013
Client
Schulstiftung der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden
Team
Ingmar Menzer (PL), Oliver Hasselbach, Larissa Schuster, Christopher Velz
Orientation system
Burkhard Meyer Architekten, Karlsruhe; Michael Galfe, Burkhard Meyer
Structure planning
SLP Ingenieurbüro für Tragwerksplanung, Karlsruhe
Project management
wpm Projektmanagement, Stuttgart
HVS planning, Building physics
Pfeil & Koch Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart
Awards
best architects 14 Award, Hugo-Häring-Auszeichnung des BDA Baden-Württemberg 2014, German Design Award 2015 (Special Mention), Heinze ArchitektenAWARD 2015, Hugo-Häring-Landespreis des BDA Baden-Württemberg 2015

Eight-class primary school working on Montessori educational principles with dining, assembly and sports halls and office facilities. A new community school is planned for a second building phase.

The Protestant primary school with sports hall in Karlsruhe was completed in April 2013, after building work lasting for a good year. The school ensemble is immediately adjacent to residential buildings, an old peoples’ home, technical college, kindergarten and church, and represents a new and important urban building block for north-west Karlsruhe.

The design emerged from a competition (multiple commissions) and the two-storey primary school was developed on Montessori educational principles. The so-called learning building is typical of this: it was built in front of the classrooms in the form of generous, open usage areas.

Both the new buildings are designed as lucid, right-angled structures that derive their special look from storey-high coloured aluminium sections. These fins, placed freely but rhythmically, mean that the façades show up in a constantly changing interplay of shades of red and green – whichever way you look at them.

Pupils are greeted by a two-storey, open assembly hall on the ground floor of the 37 x 37 m school building. The landing on the stairs adjacent to the hall is in maritime pine and can be adapted to provide seating for special events. This means that the assembly hall is the centre of the school, which was built to accommodate eight classes. A single flight of stairs leads to the upper floor, which houses a music room, a creative space and a library, as well as the classrooms. The balconies running all the way round outside this storey reinforce the connection with the open air, and can also serve as emergency escape routes.

The adjacent sports hall is sunk about 3 metres into the existing land. Its roof area can be used as a break-time space and additional playing field. This level is lucidly framed by a roofed, angled walkway.

Competition
1st prize 02/2011

Client
Schulstiftung der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden

Building costs
ca. 8,25 Mio. Euro

Gross area
ca. 4.200 m²

Photography
Brigida González

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