Primary School  Laufen

Laufen, Switzerland

competition 2007 - 2.price

A plinth elevated above street level places the school complex on a secure platform above the length of Rennimattstrasse with its heavy traffic. The playgrounds of the primary school echelon in the form of stepped outer terraces up the hillside and over the gymnasium. The new town terraces form the urban counterpart to the historic old town. The old school building, which is to be preserved and integrated into the new school complex, provides both a counterpart to the old town gate with its adjoining medieval city centre and a cultural link for the citizens of Laufen to the new primary school centre. 

A fundamental characteristic of the classroom wing is its single-sided structure with the aisle orientated towards the hill and the classrooms towards the city. The natural rock of the hillside forms the exterior wall of the building and the crevice provides natural light and ventilation for both classrooms and gymnasium.
By having staircases designed to create short cuts, the corridors are turned into attractive stair ways. Diversified and fascinating interior space is likewise created for the service ways.
Jurassic limestone, the typical local building material, determines the appearance of the school complex. It is employed in various ways: inside the crevice in the building, it is visible as a sculpted upper surface; on the facade or the surface of the school playground, it is utilised in the form of flagging.

An important component in the passive energy concept is the small volume of the building which, together with the crevice, allows natural cross-ventilation for all rooms including the gymnasium. The light-flue based on the upper school playground functions as an additional element for ventilation and illumination. As well as providing light, this unit allows natural air circulation in the gymnasium.
The classrooms enjoy a fixed sun-blind on the southern side in the form of solar panels. These shade the facade and produce electrical energy at the same time.
The ground-floor ceilings are formed as massive concrete coverings in order to utilise their stored thermal mass. Passive energy gained through solar heat-radiation is absorbed by the thermal mass and discharged at controlled intervals. In summer, heat thus stored is discharged by utilising natural ventilation during the night.