Hübeli school complex, Emmen

The location on the steeply sloping site shapes the character of the school grounds. By placing the new two-storey building, which contains a double sports hall, classrooms, and facilities for daily structuring, parallel to the existing building the theme of stepped outdoor spaces can be continued.

The intervention strengthens the context of the complex. By exploiting the change in level, both the gym hall and the kindergarten, which are hardly evident in terms of volume, are fitted in an entirely natural way into the design of the site, preserving its expansive and generous character. Between the existing building and the new school buildings a further area for breaks from lessons is created, which is read as a new central element of the complex.

The new school building is entered from the schoolyard through two different entrances of equal weighting. The flexible structure of the double-loaded building facilitates later extensions or changes in function. The wide central corridor offers plenty of room and numerous views into the adjoining outdoor spaces. Just like the kindergarten spaces, the gym hall, schoolrooms, and the facilities for daily structuring profit from good natural lighting.

The kindergarten is conceived as a solidly constructed building with a wood facade. The gymnasium with the concrete elements along the front is constructed in much the same way. It forms a plinth across which the new schoolroom building extends as a lightweight timber structure. Continuous projecting roof canopies give the facades additional protection from the weather and keep out the midday sun.