Wiehagen School in Werne

Sustainable new building for the Wiehagen primary school in Werne

With a gross floor area of ​​4,260 sqm, the new building of the four-stream Wiehagen primary school in Werne was completed in 2019. The concept is based on the Scandinavian idea that “the third educator is the environment in which you learn”. Three building blocks are grouped around a shared playground area, but are simultaneously shielded from the busy Stockumer Straße and the adjacent residential development to the east. Together with the existing sports hall, they form a harmonious ensemble that leaves the mature trees largely untouched and incorporates them into the open space planning.

The middle block is the heart of the school and houses the forum and the dining hall on the ground floor. This is flanked by the school’s administrative block and all-day area. The upper floors are home to multi-purpose areas, which are accessed via a folded open staircase in the light-filled space. The two outer blocks each house four classrooms arranged like a windmill around a pedagogical centre. In between are the differentiated instruction rooms, which are connected by glass doors. The establishment of functional units eliminates the needs for corridors, thereby creating multifunctional circulation areas.

The new building is characterised by a compact, solid construction design with space-saving, simple floor plans and energy-optimised facades. In combination with an efficient energy concept, the result is an impressive building with high sustainability.