The refurbishment and extension of the Friedrich-Junge elementary school in Kiel was awarded the Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg 2024 Award for Timber Construction.

 

Statement of the Jury:

"70 years lie between the construction of this school building and the additional new buildings. The task of converting one of the many school buildings designed by Rudolf Schroeder with its mostly comb-shaped pavilions always poses a particular challenge.

The extension of the building ensemble from 1952 with eight differentiation and quiet rooms represents a convincing transformation and update of the existing building to meet current educational requirements. It is a playful way of establishing something new while leaving the old in place. The eight solitary buildings, reduced to the bare essentials, look like polished gems in the existing building. The implemented concept represents a respectful treatment of the existing situation and also requires a valorization. The existing infrastructure is used for the expansion of the spatial program so that no additional traffic areas are required.

The serial character of the supplementary buildings, which were prefabricated on site in a 'field factory', and the short distances for lifting them into place at the final location meant that the construction time was short. Thanks to the chosen roof cladding and façade cladding made of zinc sheeting, the self-contained extension buildings have consistent weather protection on the outside. The colorful interior surfaces show that wood and color are not at all contradictory.

The city of Kiel, as the building owner, is to be expressly praised for this appreciative approach to an exemplary school building, which is already valuable in any case.And for the children in existing school buildings not only on and north of the Elbe, imitation is not only desired, but urgently recommended - if not demanded!"

Translated by DEEPL Free Translator

Architect: Schmieder.Dau.Architekten.BDA

Service by LAP: Structural design

Photos: Christoph Edelhoff