New structure for modern learning concepts

The high school in Neustadt an der Waldnaab is part of a school campus on the edge of the town. It was built in a forest glade in 1977 by architects Georg Rembeck, Xaver Bogner and Ferdinand Hasl. As well as renovating the compact concrete architecture to be more energy efficient, Brückner & Brückner Architekten succeeded in transforming the unloved “beton brut” building into a contemporary place of learning, communication and engagement. To accommodate the operation of a modern school, the rooms were systematically rearranged and a new entrance was created with a large exterior staircase. There is also a new assembly hall with a daylight ceiling and a multi-storey library with a lecture room and communicative seating recesses in the corridors. The result is a progressive school building, state-of-the-art in both technology and function, with light-filled rooms in warm and bright tones. This alone would have garnered awards, without even mentioning the comprehensive transformation of day-to-day operations and the use of existing materials to save resources.

School made cool thanks to facade

The impressive transformation of the unwieldy “beton brut” facade is just as praiseworthy, its new design playing creatively with the existing elements and acting as a symbol of future-oriented schooling, even from the outside. After more than 40 years, the concrete facade – painstakingly crafted by hand – had darkened considerably and become unsightly. Aside from the rough structure and insulation that did not meet modern standards, the concrete curtain wall was still of indisputably high quality, even after almost half a century, and demolition was not an option, both for design and sustainability reasons.

80-mm-thick mineral interior insulation was sufficient to strengthen the building’s energy efficiency. The old aluminium windows were replaced with new wood/aluminium windows and fitted with silver-grey window awnings from Warema for sun shading. The severe concrete facade is now playfully broken up by slender aluminium bars embedded in the vertical structure of the parapet elements. They brighten the facade and give it a changing look depending on the time of day. In the newly built areas, on the emergency staircases and in the main entrance, the architects contrasted the raw concrete structure with a glittering mirror facade of polished aluminium composite panels that reflect the trees and shrubs and almost seem to dissolve into the surroundings, maximising the contrast with the severe facade, an almost dematerialised mirror image.

Good interior climate for improved learning

Criteria such as lighting and room temperature have a significant impact on students’ comfort, and thus on their ability to concentrate and perform. A difference of just a few degrees Celsius can be crucial for thermal well-being and successful learning. The architects needed to choose the right glare and heat protection options, which would play a major role in motivating students and improving their results.

The architects opted for effective exterior sun shading of Warema basic shaft awnings with drop arms. The awnings were integrated into the shafts above the lintels of the new windows. Modern Warema arm technology ensures that the special flame-retardant fabric is always at the optimal tension. The Soltis 92 sun shading fabric, PVC coated and dirt-repellent, reflects solar radiation in summer. Even when the awning is completely lowered, students and teachers can still look through and maintain visual contact with the outside world, and the windows can still be opened for natural ventilation. The Soltis fabric selected has a very high colour rendering index and keeps objects looking natural when the sun shading is lowered. The glare control ensures that the classroom remains a productive learning environment even when the sun is shining brightly.

Project: High school renovation in Neustadt a. d. Waldnaab

Location: Bildstraße 20, 92660 Neustadt an der Waldnaab

Purpose: School

Developer: Landkreis Neustadt a. d. Waldnaab

Architecture: Brückner & Brückner Architekten, Tirschenreuth/Würzburg

Completed: 2022

Awards: Materialpreis 2021 in the “Material Use” category; awarded the Architekturpreis Beton 2023; nominated for the DAM Preis 2023; awarded the BDA regiNO Preis 2024

Products: Basic shaft awning with drop arm, fabric: Soltis 92 design 045, colour “hammered metal”, dirt-repellent, flame-retardant in accordance with DIN 4102–B1, frame colour RAL7016 matte

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