Learning plazas and 'wonder halls' in the monument

The renovated old building houses the CREA cluster (dance and drama), staff rooms and a grand café on the ground floor. The floors, which had silted up over the years, have reopened and are now intended for the superstructure. There are few traditional classrooms left here; around large, open learning plazas, there are group rooms, meeting rooms and “wonder rooms” - places where groups of up to 60 to 90 students can be taught, inspired or amazed at the same time. An atrium, the Forum, has been built between the new part and the old building. This is the school's central meeting place. This is where the entrances are located and from here all parts of the school are easily accessible. The centrally located reception desk has a view of all traffic flows. Eyecatchers are the renovated monumental façade and the spectacular spiral staircase that opens up all the substructure clusters.

‍

Education clusters in the new building

The new building was built on the site of the replaced practice halls. In the new five-storey building, there is a Science lab (for science subjects), the Media lab and a Atelier (for crafts and drawing) on the ground floor. Above that are the substructure clusters. Each cluster is an independent unit of approximately 160 students and their teachers, with classrooms, meeting rooms and a teaching area around a large open area, on one floor. A well-organized, private space within the main school, which is equipped for various learning activities, exudes an atmosphere of homeliness and security and thus guarantees small scale and attention for each student.

‍

Reuse and sustainability

The monumental facades have been brought up to date with respect: only glass has been replaced by HR++ glass, with the old wooden frames largely reused, and the large overhangs have also been insulated as much as possible. Different materials were chosen for the new parts, so that it is immediately clear what was old and what was added. This looked at the rhythm of the existing façade, in which vertical disks are interrupted by horizontal bands. Horizontal bands were therefore also used in the new building, and aluminum panels with custom-made profiling also ensured vertical articulation. The new wing is white in color, which provides a fresh look and contrast with the concrete brut of the old building. The school's board is housed in one of the preserved practice halls, and the other houses a special gym facility; here, too, the facades and skylights have been upgraded and equipped with HR++ glass. In addition, a new sports hall has also been built on the site. The facade of this hall was built with the same material as the rest of the new building (profiled aluminum plating), but dark with white accents was chosen here.

‍

An interior design that promotes learning

At Lumion, they believe that the way you design and design spaces stimulates behavior and helps develop the learning process. In contrast to classical schools, there are therefore only a few traditional classrooms here. The interior design distinguishes between three learning settings: 'Campfires', 'Caves' and 'Watering holes'. “Campfires” are settings where students gather around an expert who tells a compelling story; “Watering holes” are spaces where students work together on projects and learn from each other; and “Caves” are spaces where students retreat to study in a focused way. The educational vision is based on building a community. That is why the spaces had to be as transparent as possible, with as few blind spots as possible but with cozy areas where students feel sheltered. This transparency even extends to the open teaching areas at the lower level.

‍