Give me 8!
Designed in the shape of an '8', the new school building in Bochum is part of the school centre in Bochum-Wiemelhausen. Amorphous forms also characterise the interior and are reflected by a sophisticated ceiling design. The required products were made by ceiling manufacturer Vogl Deckensysteme in Emskirchen. It won the "Schulbaupreis NRW 2013" prize which the state of North-Rhine Westphalia awards for new school buildings.
The new secondary school is located south of the Bochum city centre in direct neighbourhood to the natural landmark "Geological Garden". The new building (13,435 m²) is an architectural piece of art. The ring-shaped three-storey building consists of a "communicative" west ring and a "concentrated" east ring. Depressions, mounds and scarps surround the building. "The ground plan lines continue the landscape forms of the geological garden, and the topography of the natural landmark with its depressions, mounds and scarps is taken up both by the building design and by the design of the outdoor break areas. Body shell and room geometries, platforms and open galleries inside the building as well as water areas, plantings and pavements in the outdoor areas develop alongside organically curved lines and are additionally structured by different heights and the existence of island-type mounds and depressions. In this way, the new school building blends in harmonically with the surroundings," Simone Jeska points out. She is an architect with HASCHER JEHLE Architekten in Berlin who developed the building concept. The project won the "Schulbaupreis NRW 2013", awarded by the state of North-Rhine Westphalia for new school buildings.
Certified as a Green Building
Classes in the open air? Naturally! Creative thinking comes naturally in the "open air classroom" whose shape resembles an amphitheatre. The expanding open space allows pupils to either let off steam or relax, just as they like. Action fans will enjoy the facilities for fun and sports, for example, the football field, basketball court or climbing wall. The area offers plenty of variety and boasts seating areas to sit down and relax!
Although superlatives should be used sparingly, the new building is a milestone both outside and inside and with regard to its completion (March 2011 and October 2012). The extraordinary facade construction contributes to a positive energy balance thanks to its high thermal insulation values. Let's put it up front: With construction costs totalling € 31.5 million, the school boasts all the features required to be certified as a "Green Building": whether heating system (more later) or the materials used for walls, ceilings, floors and furnishings.
Curved design elements
The facade is divided horizontally to underline the round, curved building geometry and to enhance the flowing impression of the organically curved lines. Facade rows alternate with transparent glazing and coloured design. This special design feature of the facade row was developed by the artist Ulrich Erben. His colour concept is based on the primary colours red, blue and yellow. The colour composition in the vertical facade modules is arranged so that the appearance of the school changes depending on the respective viewing angle of the onlooker. The rows bear a dedication in three languages, German, English and Latin.
Sunshade slats, which are mounted as horizontal rings along the individual floors in front of the facade, provide protection against the sun. The coloured facade rows form a kind of "weather shell" at the ventilated curtain wall. It consists of box-shaped facade modules made of aluminium sheet. "The aluminium sheet has a coloured powder coating inside and is equipped with a 7 mm profiled glass covering to yield a plane and smooth outer surface. The modules follow the building geometry in this way and their structure creates a three-dimensional effect which is even enhanced by the protruding sun protection rings," Jeska adds. The shape of the facade belts marks the arrangement of the balustrade and attic, and, in doing so, accents the individual levels.
Dome as eye-catcher
To create a comfortable atmosphere in the classrooms and to promote the pupils' ability to concentrate during class, the architects paid attention to such factors as light conditions, air quality, a constant temperature between 20° and 26°C throughout all seasons as well as visual, olfactory and acoustic stimulation. The thermal insulation during summer and winter is coupled to a user-orientated heating and cooling system. Connected to the district heating system, which has an 87% share in combined heat and power generation in Bochum, the building meets the requirements of the Renewable Energies Heat Act.
The atrium is the highlight of the building: equipped with an underfloor heating system, it is lit from above by a transparent 1,000 m² roof dome. It is supported by a lightweight delicate steel structure over which the triple layered pneumatic ETFE pillow roof spans.
The Coesfeld-based company Bohle Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG with Jörg Ruhnau and Gabriele Branse as managers was contracted to carry out the dry construction works inside the building. Products of the Vogl Deckensysteme range were used for the highly elaborate and delicate ceiling work. All system components are ideally matched, i.e. profiles, framework, VoglAdsorperplatte compound seam type and VoglFuge with various perforation patterns, as well as a variety of V-grooves and moulded plasterboard elements. This facilitates dry construction works and leads to a faster result with a homogeneous ceiling design.
"Since the building is shaped like an '8', the corridor ceilings had to be designed with different radii. When we carried out the dry construction works, we paid attention to creating consistent curves with homogeneous lines," Jörg Ruhnau of Bohle explains.
Type of object: School
Vogl products: Vogl Adsorber Panels (VoglAdsorperplatte), VoglFuge, Compound Seam, coved lighting
Completion: 2012
Area: 13,435 m²
Architects: HASCHER JEHLE, Berlin
Drywall contractor: Bohle Innenausbau GmbH & Co. KG, Coesfeld
Photographer: Andreas Molatta (Title), Michael Godehardt
Delicate Drywall Construction
The inviting stairway and the roof dome as termination make the atrium an absolute eye-catcher in the school building. Although dominated by pure white colour in the ground floor, there are single colour highlights like a red seating area or dark seating elements on the individual floors which add a classy ambience to the interior. Another example: As a complement to the white floor and to the wall, one level has been given a dark floor. A white column rises from it and stresses the curved interior design. "Coved lighting elements were installed at the sides of the corridor ceilings which follow the layout of the walls. We are very satisfied with the ceiling design," Ruhnau says. Moulded elements were used for the curved parts. They are the ne plus ultra of creative dry construction and are part of the most excellent ceiling designs.
Sound absorbing and air purifying
The installed acoustic design ceilings, which meet the highest demands in terms of functionality and aesthetics, are used especially in highly frequented areas. Ceiling systems thus do not only serve as sound absorbers but also as eye-catchers. The Emskirchen-based manufacturer provides architects and designers with a great variety of different acoustic design panels for an individual ceiling design. The ceiling elements are made of plasterboard. Due to different perforation styles and fleece backing, they ensure optimal acoustic properties. These highly efficient acoustic panels give a pleasant atmosphere to every room, for instance, school rooms or other highly frequented areas. The acoustic design ceilings installed are VoglFuge and compound seam type. As necessary with all ceiling systems, a rigid ceiling framework had to be mounted on the structural soffit first. This is crucial for safe and plane installation.
In order to feel perfectly comfortable, whether in the office or at school, people need an appropriate climate. VoglAdsorperplatte with air purification effect is particularly well-suited for this purpose. "Large rooms in particular require thorough acoustic planning with the corresponding noise reduction," Benedikt Roos, product manager at Vogl Deckensysteme, explains. VoglAdsorperplatte not only absorbs noise perfectly, it also purifies the room air. "Sound absorption and interior climate have a far greater importance for interior design than one would assume. In particular, poor air quality, disagreeable cold or hot temperatures are among the biggest interior climate killers. If people have to be productive in rooms, they need climatic conditions in which they feel comfortable and which keeps their immune system intact," Roos explains. VoglAdsorperplatte has been developed in a special procedure and has a positive impact on acoustics and interior climate.
Products made by Vogl turn ceilings into absolute eye-catchers and thus increase the usefulness of a building through shape, colour and functionality.
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