Masswerk Architekten

Description

The school complex near Baden’s old town brings together more than 1,000 students from district, secondary and intermediate schools within a historic park featuring valuable existing buildings: Villa Burghalde by Karl Moser (1904) and the Burghalde 1 school building by Otto Dorer (1930). Two new volumes flank the terraced outdoor space, allowing the generous park originally designed by Evariste Mertens to be restored and made usable for the school. Trimmed hedges and espaliers along the retaining walls define a green space that becomes both a place of encounter and an oasis of retreat. At the entrance level, in front of Burghalde 1, a two-storey building with a canteen and cafeteria, assembly hall, auditorium and media library brings together the public functions. Lit from above by skylights, this space forms the heart of the complex and embodies the idea of a «school under one roof».
The spatial concept follows Josef Frank’s guiding principle of «the house as path and place»: circulation zones become lively sequences where movement, pause and exchange merge. Paths widen into clusters and squares, niches offer retreat, and visual connections provide orientation, creating a finely tuned framework for collective and individual learning. The brick masonry complements the plaster and natural stone of the existing buildings. The interiors draw on early modernist motifs from Dorer’s building, creating an atmosphere that fosters both concentration and encounters.