School as Living Environment
Heinrich-Suso-Gymnasium
A place of learning, meeting, and growing: Our project, which was awarded an honorable mention, enhances a listed school building by adding a modern, high-quality, sustainable, and economic new building. The harmonious interaction of open spaces and architecture creates an inspiring learning environment.
High demand for new classrooms and specialist spaces convinced the City of Konstanz to expand the long-established Heinrich-Suso-Gymnasium and build a new three-court sports hall. The concept that we developed for the realization competition together with the landscape architects adlerolesch GmbH and that received an honorable mention addresses the needs of teachers and pupils, supports the pedagogic concept, and is open to future adaptation.
Two uses – two volumes
In line with the two different uses – specialist spaces on one side and the sports hall on the other – we located these in two separate and clearly defined newly built volumes. By staggering these, they fit smoothly into the urban context and create different open spaces with different user experiences.
Open space concept for a sustainable campus
The elements of the integrated overall concept include the shaping of the topography, the greening of the building, and the creation of a network of paths across the school campus. The flexibly usable green spaces integrate existing trees and hedges while also serving as sports fields or for the use or retention of rainwater. And we positioned an art garden below an ancient lime tree opposite the art studios.
The open space aesthetic is as green, wild, and transformable as possible. Our objective was to create an attractive, ecologically functional, and communication-friendly school environment.
Stefan Fertl
Architect, Head of Design in Nuremberg
ESG-oriented and fit for the future
The project meets extensive ecological, economic, and social criteria: These include the selection of environmentally-friendly materials and the use of renewable energies to generate electricity and heat. The ease of cleaning the facade, the high daylight levels resulting from the large amounts of glazing and the lightwells, and the extensive planting of the roof and facades minimize the operational lifecycle costs.
By using timber in the form of vertical slats we selected a material for the facade that gives the sports hall a warm, inviting character.
Stefan Fertl
Architect, Head of Design in Nuremberg
Functional, aesthetic and sustainable
In order to present the school as an inviting living environment, while also achieving an optimal CO2 footprint, we opted for a functionally sustainable and aesthetically sophisticated facade design. We designed a uniform steel frame that was applied to – but filled in differently on – the two buildings: On the new school building, steel mesh protects people from falling and supports climbing plants, while a textile finish provides shade and protection against glare. The steel frame is applied directly to the sports hall and filled in with timber slats, glazing with textile solar protection, and planting. A light, pergola-like canopy connects the two new buildings, marks the entrance to the sports hall, and provides shade to the adjacent seating steps.
