A modern feel all the way up to the ceiling

Gesamtschule Emmerich’s new multifunctional school building, complete with a café for the schoolchildren, offers some 1,000 pupils and their teachers an ideal environment for learning, working and recreation.

Commissioned by the authorities of the Hanseatic city of Emmerich am Rhein, in north-western North Rhine-Westphalia, the Aachen-based architectural firm Hausmann Architektur and the engineering firm Fuhrmann + Keuthen from Kleve have created a contemporary, barrier-free new building for a comprehensive school on what is known as the “Brink” site. Flooded with sunlight, the building with its dusky pink façade offers around 5,200 square metres of space spread over three full floors, with classrooms for schoolchildren in the first to seventh grades, a café and stage area, a canteen (also with a stage) and the school’s main administrative offices.

Bright, open and modern

All of the classrooms and break-out rooms are bright and spacious and feature the latest digital equipment. Glazing is used extensively, allowing an unobstructed view into the wide hallways, which can even be used for lessons.

Red window frames blending with the exterior façade add colourful accents in some spaces, while the wooden frames of the other floor-to-ceiling windows blend in with the wooden floor which runs throughout the new building’s interior. The modern character of the building is emphasised by exposed concrete walls and a silver-coloured wire mesh construction in the open staircase. Both the foyer, which features a large wall mosaic from 1954 by Emmerich artist Bernd Terhorst, and the canteen offer plenty of space for events and general socialising.

Ceiling panels as a design element

In keeping with the overall design concept, natural wood was chosen as the colour for the acoustic ceilings. Some of the panels are installed flat, while some are suspended vertically from the high industrial-style ceiling so they also function as baffles. The acoustic solutions not only ensure optimal acoustics in both the classrooms and the access areas, but are also a design element in their own right.