ACADEMIC: HIGH SCHOOL IN FRANKFURT

Even temporary solutions can be designed with care, and with good architecture, the constraints of modular construction can easily be turned into opportunities. The architects at raumwerk enhanced 210 modules in Frankfurt, transforming them into a real school.

“Provisio” means foresight. But in Germany’s school building reality, there isn’t a hint to be found. Instead of providing classrooms, state school development has a hard time keeping up with demand almost everywhere. Built in just a few months using ready-made modules and designed by raumwerk.architekten, the high school in north Frankfurt looks to escape the fate of many similar makeshift schools that became a “providurium” for both students and teachers – a permanent state of construction. After all, the new building for around 1500 students is already being planned elsewhere. Still, other head teachers are sure to enjoy the containers in a hybrid design in years to come. The installation in the Westhausen district will be a serial makeshift solution for other classes without a home, which will be accommodated there until their actual building is completed.

Simple and reasonable

Originally, the grounds were intended to be a cemetery. This slightly more future-oriented use was selected as it became clear that the increasing numbers of students could no longer be served with traditional means. Cue the containers – and the warning bells. After all, timber modules face numerous problems. Hard to control in terms of acoustics and temperature, they are also always a compromise with respect to design. In light of this long-term use, Frankfurt opted for modules with a hybrid timber-concrete construction. At least two window axes wide and up to 18 metres long, they can also be stacked. The ceiling construction with concrete plates ensures improved acoustic insulation as well as high fire protection and can compensate for temperature fluctuations in the classroom with its storage mass. The first two building sections feature 210 modules to date. A third section is planned for 2020. It goes without saying that the restricted construction of the modules leaves little design freedom. The two classroom wings are more reminiscent of an office building. The modules were arranged as a triad, with atria and rooms on the inside for technology, sanitary facilities, teacher and student preparations. They were positioned to form a central foyer with staircase and skylight: simple, reasonable architecture.

Figure: The cafeteria is one of three separate new structures.

Precision and a disciplined grid

What’s remarkable about the school’s architecture is the care invested in the surfaces. On the inside, the spruce wood remains visible, now bearing slotted sound-insulating elements. Like the interior reveals, the facades also feature greyed Swiss pine. The cafeteria building is cladded with rebated, multi-skin slotted sheets of aluminium. These two main materials can be found in the sports hall, the classroom wings and the cafeteria, merging the different functions and constructions into a unit whose central message is one of precision and a disciplined grid. For a bilingual high school with a focus on mathematics and science, this certainly isn’t the worst style. It remains to be seen whether students will feel comfortable with this more artistic and literary focus. But above all this permanently temporary school proves that the meaning of the word “provisio” was correctly understood as foresight in Frankfurt. After all, space was created here to accommodate schools waiting for their final location. And because this temporary solution was designed with care, it is also an expression of appreciation for both students and teachers.

Figure: The school is made up of two building structures, with a third to be added in 2020.

Figure: The outdoor areas were given the same precise details as the entire school.

Figure: Fixed glazing cut-outs allow passers-by to glance at the rooms behind.

Figure: Elegant temporary solution: The atrium with outside staircase is plain and modest. Orbital lighting sets accents.

Figure: The cafeteria features extensive glass, giving students views of the school yard and surrounding greenery.

Classic: The classrooms are as functional as...

...the sports hall, built together with the cafeteria and classrooms.

Schörghuber expertise:

Fire- and acoustic-rated doors

“Nothing lasts longer than the temporary” – this popular saying in Germany also applies to the new rooms at the high school. After all, as soon as the actual new school building is completed at its final location, this building will be repurposed. For this reason, the architects emphasised the importance of high quality for the temporary solution, with regard to both general design and the products selected. As a result, around 200 timber doors from Schörghuber were used in the building – primarily fire- and acoustic-rated doors with solid timber frames and a very large overall door leaf dimension. Where it makes sense in terms of design and function, doors feature glazing cut-outs. Some of the doors, for example in the regular classrooms, also have a fixed side element. One thing all the doors have in common is their surface finish, a spruce veneer, establishing a visual link to the timber walls also made of spruce. Schörghuber has a separate approval to fit the T30 doors in walls made of glued laminated timber.

Figure: Fixed side elements allow passers-by to glance into the classrooms.

Figure: The double-leaf fire-rated door provides access to the cafeteria.

Figure: Glazing cut-outs in the hallway door lend the hall a vast feeling while ensuring maximum distribution of the natural light..

Location: Muckermannstraße 1, 60488 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Schörghuber products: T30 double-leaf fire-rated doors with glazing cut-out, T30 fire-rated doors with acoustic insulation Rw,P = 37 dB in some cases with glass panels on the side, T30 fire-rated doors, acoustic-rated doors Rw,P = 37 and 42 dB in some cases with glass panels on the side, composite timber doors, double-leaf smoke-tight doors with glazing cut-out, F30 fixed glazings, solid timber frames with additional covering

Layout

Floor plan of the ground floor