Gustav-von-Schmoller School in Heilbronn

Gustav-von-Schmoller School in Heilbronn, 2003

The existing school centre in Heilbronn is shaped by the architecture of post-war modernity: the buildings are by and large characterised by tiling or dressed natural stone details. We decided to continue working with the tiling motif for the commission on hand.

The new structure screens off the ensemble from a noisy street and constitutes the school campus’s keystone element. We set the hallway areas on the side towards the street, orienting the classrooms towards the schoolyard, which is now enclosed. On the southern side there is an adjoining wing, which connects the internal hallways with the old buildings. The closed-off façade fronting the street decisively establishes the image presented to the city. Inside the building, large shield-like winged shapes of white concrete form sitting alcoves opposite each classroom door. They channel light indirectly into the hallways and form a material contrast to the blue tiles specially developed for the school building. These tiles are part of the exterior insulation and finishing system, which thus gains a robust, stable and easy-care surface – which has in retrospect worked very well.

The building wing adjoining the old buildings is supported on arches, in order to offer the pupils a roofed-over section of schoolyard. The arch motif continues on the ground floor in the other parts of the building, where a large hall undercuts the building while also projecting out from it. This space is integrated into the main hallway and functions as an auditorium, which was not originally part of the spatial programme. Adjoining it is the school library.

Client:
Stadt Heilbronn, vertreten durch das Hochbauamt Heilbronn

Architects:
Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei, Stuttgart

Team:
Marko García Barth, Katja Pütter, Nina Meirer, Peter Nickel, Mathias Walter, Michael Paulus

Structural Engineering:
Lurtz und Partner, Heilbronn

Construction period:
2001 – 2003

Location:
Frankfurter Straße 63, 74072 Heilbronn, Germany

Awards
Architekturpreis „Farbe-Struktur-Oberfläche“ 2004

Auszeichnung Beispielhaftes Bauen 2004
Architektenkammer Baden-Württemberg

Auszeichnung guter Bauten, BDA 2005

Publications
Lederer, Arno / Ragnarsdóttir, Jórunn / Oei, Marc (Hg.):
Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei 1
Jovis Verlag Berlin 2012

Barbara Glasner, Petra Schmidt (Hg.):
Chroma – Design, Architektur und Kunst in Farbe
Basel 2009

Falk Jaeger (Hg.):
Lederer+Ragnarsdóttir+Oei
Berlin 2008