Kast Kaeppeli Architekten

Description

Together with the local community centre, the new school complex forms the heart of the Kleefeld residential area. Two new buildings, one for the elementary level and one for the pre-primary level, generate together with the renovated double gymnasium a new public space, which serves both as the centre of the school campus and as a meeting place for the neighbourhood. This newly planned central schoolyard has a direct connection to the neighbourhood through its open west side and hosts the existing civil defence facility below it. Due to the sloping terrain, the two new volumes offer naturally lit plinths, which enable independent access to different uses. The elementary school is organised as a four-storey building with a plinth, while the pre-primary school uses the terrain’s slope towards Rehagstrasse to grow from a one-storey to a two-storey volume. The main entrance for the school is located in the elementary school building at the level of the square. The eight classrooms are located on the upper two floors, each with daylight from two sides. By allocating the multi-purpose rooms to the middle zone of the floor plan, different forms of teaching can take place. From teaching in the classroom with an associated group room, to studio work with two or three classes, to a large learning landscape extending over the entire floor, many settings are imaginable. All classrooms in the pre-primary school building are oriented toward their assigned playground and outdoor space on the east side.