Centre scolaire Lalden
MUTABOR is the Latin word for the will to change (I shall be transformed).
SITING / OPEN-SPACE CONCEPT. The guiding idea for the new Lalden primary school pursues the aim of forming, in interplay with St Joseph's church, a new urban centre. Understood in the spirit of an old tradition as a “stately house”, the school is meant to strengthen the heart of the village through its significance. It thus forms the focal point of the ensemble of crèche, school and multipurpose hall.
Meaningful for the place, the vineyard is further emphasised by a retaining wall that at the same time creates a pleasant spatial boundary. The skilful arrangement of the three building bodies creates outdoor spaces of high amenity. On the west side of the freestanding school building, towards the church, the central square is created. The proximity to the village centre opens the possibility of also using the square for community events. The space between the multipurpose hall and the school creates the open areas for the sports facility.
The forecourt onto the Rottenbettstrasse serves the access and arrival of motorised traffic and the drop-off service for pupils. The valley-side entrance forms the representative main entrance to the school. The second, hillside access is in no way inferior and addresses the pedestrian access from the village core as well as the everyday connection needed to the gymnastics area in the multipurpose hall.
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT. In the new primary school building, the required uses are gathered under one roof. The building body plays on the contrast between ground contact — and thus rootedness — and great lightness — and thus purposefulness — emblematic of the young people who receive their education in the school. The cantilevered upper floor forms a strong, inviting gesture. It marks the entrances and creates a sheltered outdoor space in their area.
Inside, the two floors are linked by a central atrium with an open staircase. The central skylight provides sufficient daylight at the heart of the school and turns the public interior space into a bright and friendly meeting zone. The two openings towards the hillside and the valley create a beneficial relationship to the outside and aid orientation. The entire school building is served by a single central staircase, which is extremely space-efficient. All classrooms are oriented towards the landscape.
The plan is shaped by the wish for simple and flexible extensibility with further classrooms. The building body is not enlarged in the classic sense, but rather filled in further — further imbued with life. The building thus does not lose its original strong, gestural character. The classrooms are “hung” into the cantilever or placed beneath it. The extensions are therefore possible without difficulty during the school holidays, which also allows a room-by-room expansion.
CRÈCHE / ALL-DAY SCHOOL. The building body of the crèche and all-day school does not compete with the new school building or the existing multipurpose hall. It takes a wholly independent position within the overall ensemble. In urban terms, the crèche formulates the transition into the landscape and is evidently built into the hillside. It sits on the hillside-accompanying in-situ concrete wall that frames the whole square on the hillside. The topography runs up to the flat building and continues in its green roof.
In constructive terms, the gap created after the demolition of the old school is filled here and thus used in a resource-efficient way. Between the hillside and the crèche, the outdoor space is formed as a patio and generates a protective atmosphere. The natural shading by the crèche body is cleverly used for the play area. The vineyards remain as an identity-giving element and are strengthened in their significance.
MATERIAL / CONSTRUCTION. The construction of the school is a hybrid of concrete and timber. The properties of the two materials are used optimally. This provides the ideal solution in terms of economy, durability and acoustic protection.
The internal walls are made of concrete owing to the high requirements for sound insulation. The façade and external walls are largely built as timber constructions. High flexibility is also foremost in the construction: thus the extensions of the classrooms are conceived as timber construction, which moreover brings a high degree of prefabrication.
The building envelope is of very high quality, sustainable and ecological. The element-based construction allows a short construction time, which has a positive influence on maintaining school operations. The individual façade sections are structured by a vertical larch cladding.
Through the choice of construction and a materialisation predominantly in timber, the details and junctions can be executed so that an optimal energy balance and the certification of the Minergie-P-Eco standard can be achieved economically with little effort. Moreover, timber is ideal for achieving the Eco label: a material with low embodied energy, a renewable and local raw material, produced with short manufacturing and delivery distances.