The site of this school in Kerzers is situated in a slightly elevated location in the center of the village. The school’s extension is the answer to a shortage of space, new forms of education, and an increased student enrollment. The extension responds clearly and confidently to the large adjacent building of an retirement home and the school gym. A new main entrance, designed as a means of creating a unique address and identity to the school, leads to a spacious multi-story hall. The group rooms are stacked one atop the other and can be read as simple boxes in space, resulting in interesting sightlines and a simple internal orientation.
Structurally, the classrooms were suspended from the roof, enabling the spacious, column-free hall. The administrative and special-purpose rooms are located on both the lower and ground floors, while the upper stories hold the classrooms. The multi-story hall and the auditorium serve as the heart of the school and are encircled by a continuous series of classrooms located in the existing building and the new extension. The building is constructed of natural, robust materials that already have a lovely patina and are able to withstand a high degree of wear.
The façade, parts of the hall and the corridor areas are made of concrete. The classroom walls are lined with acoustic panels that double as bulletin boards. The ceiling has been left raw and can be used for heat storage. The building is planned according to the Minergie® standard. Extending the existing school building has advantages in both economical and ecological ways, especially by optimizing the outer surface to volume ratio of the building. With this extension a compact building has been created with short routes and an interesting central area suitable for a variety of uses.