Grammar School Ziehenschule, Frankfurt a.M. (DE)
New building,
Building in existing structures
Client: City of Frankfurt
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Competition: 2022, 2. prize
Area: approx. 9,300 m² incl. sports hall
Programme: New building with triple sports hall and 27 classes, refurbishment and restructuring of old building
Visualisation: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Team
Bárbara Miranda, Björn Osmann, Michael Sohm, Anne Zimmermann
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics: Bollinger + Grohmann, Vienna
Building services: HL - Technik Engineering, Munich
Landscape: De Buhr La, Sommerhausen
Consultancy: Crossboundaries, Frankfurt a.M.
A bridge between old and new
The Ziehenschule is spread over several buildings from different construction phases. The extension, including a triple sports hall, replaces the 1970s addition, creating a sustainable, future-proof school campus that also fulfils the requirements of modern educational concepts. The new building is designed as a hybrid with a solid base and a lightweight timber construction on top. The green façades and roofs blend harmoniously into the school grounds with their beautiful trees.
The school forecourt functions as a representative, address-forming open space. Planted with trees and equipped with fixed seating elements, it serves as a social meeting point and can also be used for outdoor lessons. The new building is designed as a hybrid with a solid plinth and a lightweight timber construction on top. The green façades and roofs blend harmoniously into the school grounds with their beautiful trees.
The sports hall and ancillary rooms are built into the basement to minimise the footprint. As an extension of the access route, a bridge on the first floor connects the new and the existing building. This central axis facilitates orientation and ensures short distances.
The atrium in the new building.
The compact, three-storey building is precisely positioned in its heterogeneous surroundings and takes up the structural alignment of the old building. Two staggered building sections enclose an atrium, the centrepiece of the new building. The ground floor welcomes visitors with semi-public functions such as a foyer, assembly hall and cafeteria. Classrooms, learning landscapes and meeting points are grouped around the atrium. A wooden staircase sculpture connects all levels and creates numerous insights, outlooks and perspectives.
The existing building
In the existing building, we have converted the former gymnasium into a break hall. The space above is being converted into a two-storey media centre and library. The various functions such as administration, STEM and special classes, workshops and learning areas are organised vertically to create a clear structure.
Founded in 1913, the Ziehenschule in Frankfurt am Main is one of the largest grammar schools in the city with around 1,350 pupils. The school is spread over several buildings - a listed old building from 1913, an extension (including a gym) from the 1970s and a new building from 2011.
