NEW CONSTRUCTION GYMNASIUM GÜTERBAHNHOF OFFENBACH AM MAIN

 

Type	Restricted realisation competition
Location	Quartier 4.0, 63075 Offenbach am Main
Sponsor:	Offenbach am Main City
Architects	LANKES KOENGETER Architekten GmbH
Employees	Rüdiger Amend, Violetta Zilbersher
Period	2022
Ranking	3. Preis

 

The new grammar school forms the conclusion of the "Quartier 4.0". A compact solitaire, clearly recognisable as a public building. Two offset structures form public spaces. On the city side, a forecourt for arriving and lingering, on the park side, schoolyards that merge with the adjacent open space.

Respecting the existing development plan, the new grammar school is developed from two interlocking structures. The offset will order the outdoor spaces and create open spaces of different qualities. The passageway required in the development plan will of course be retained in the specified position. The new grammar school is naturally addressed at the front of the central neighbourhood square. The grammar school is clearly recognisable as a public building in the newly created quarter. To the north of the building, the parking spaces are arranged as cost- and space-saving double parking. The ground-level open spaces and break areas are oriented towards the park. As requested in the competition, the design will include an interlocking with the adjacent neighbourhood park.

The open spaces are an integral part of the planning. Buildings and outdoor spaces interlock with each other and create open spaces that can be programmed in a variety of ways. The spacious forecourt with the outdoor area of the refectory is oriented towards the new neighbourhood and the central neighbourhood square.

A long bench and a grove of trees under which some of the bicycle parking spaces are located frame the forecourt in the south. Further open bicycle parking spaces are arranged along the greened sports hall. A green roof forms the spatial closure to the railway line in the south. Here, the rubbish collection point, double-storey parking for additional bicycles and the school's equipment shed are easily accessible. The fire brigade and delivery vehicles can only access the site via the western access road between the neighbourhood square and the school forecourt, where there is a sufficiently large turning area at the end.

Forty of the required parking spaces will be provided with a space-saving parking lift system provided to the north. This mechanical car parking system will be sunk invisibly into the ground, with the horizontal underground platform only visible when raised for parking or unparking. The parking spaces at ground level will be paved to blend in with the surroundings. The two long parking spaces for the delivery services are also provided to the north, not built underneath. The three disabled parking spaces are located to the south of the grove of trees in the forecourt of the school.

The open passage into the park forms a joint between the two structures and can be used as a break yard in bad weather.

The schoolyard of the SEK I level is at ground level and leads over into the adjacent park. Slabs embedded in the paved surface or detached from it structure the schoolyard and provide age-appropriate play and seating facilities and green spaces for retreat. The hard surfaces are available for exercise games such as table tennis and streetball. Further (play) clods in the park connect the schoolyard with the green space. A sparse grove of trees with various movement opportunities and seating elements defines the soft transition between the schoolyard and the park. The noise barrier is also integrated into the school's open space concept with climbing facilities and a grandstand. The school garden is located in the south of the school grounds.

The schoolyard of the SEK II level is located on the roof of the SEK II building. From here, the pupils have an exclusive view of the park and have access to open and weather-protected recreation areas, various exercise facilities, green seating islands, planting areas and (raised) garden areas. Enclosure and weather protection develop from the architecture, as already described above.

The design of the open spaces is based on the BNB_UN 2017. The following features can be mentioned here as examples: large open spaces with a variety of play and sports facilities, a variety of seating areas, usable inner courtyards, direct allocation of open spaces to the cafeteria, use of native plants, recreational areas under trees, wind and weather protection, clearly laid out and covered bicycle parking spaces, use of surfaces that can be infiltrated and infiltration of the surface water. The majority of the recreational areas are accessible without barriers.