School extension | Greppen
School extension | GreppenCompetition 1989 | 1989 - 1993
in collaboration with Bruno Zurkirchen
Project manager: Mike Staub, Dipl. Arch. HTL
Photographer: Daniel Schwartz
A direct connection to the existing building was chosen for construction, joining the two elements together to form a new unity. The playground was expanded around the extension and the new overall facility was pooled together by uniformly designing the surroundings. In terms of the village’s appearance, the church and the school facility now combine to form a legible public centre. The northern extension comprises a three-storey volume. The new main entrance, which leads via the expanded playground to the existing school entrance, strengthens the expression of a “school centre”. The construction of the school extension completely consists of fair-faced concrete. The façades of the upper storeys are clad in natural, back-ventilated wooden boards. The wood used for the façades establishes a relationship to the existing wooden cladding on the houses in the village centre. The northern extension is an autonomous building with its own toilet facilities and therefore enables later renovation of the old building while continuing to run the school, as well as using the extension independently.