Menzi Bürgler Architekten
Extension of the Felsberg School complex / Lucerne
best architects 18 in Gold
education buildings
Place
Lucerne / Switzerland
Studio
Photos
Beat Bühler
Description
The organisational and spatial requirements of Felsberg School in Lucerne made it necessary to extend the ensemble at the same time as renovating the existing complex. The new building, providing space for two kindergartens and additional supervision facilities, was positioned in the existing gardens, in the midst of its protected tree population, its volumetrics picking up on the playful formal language of the building. The positions of the extension’s floors, which are slightly rotated towards each other and recessed, neither affect the roots nor the crowns of the adjacent sequoia trees.
The infants, pupils and supervising staff enter the building via a large lobby in the solid natural stone base. A staircase with a skylight connects the different floors and provides light for the entrance area. Five massive cores each define the flowing floor plans on the upper levels. Sliding partition walls and mobile elements provide open or protected spatial situations, as required. Unlike the introverted ground floor, the two upper levels open out towards the surroundings and are flooded in natural light. The all-round orientation provides views of the surrounding trees, park grounds and city.
The architecture office «Menzi Bürgler Architekten» was founded in 2003 by Oliver Menzi (* 1974) and Philippe Bürgler (* 1974) as a collective company and converted in 2010 into a public limited company. The core competences of the office are the planning and execution of public and private buildings as well as the realization of conversions and renovations. Another focus is the development of strategic planning and the preparation of studies.
