Secondary School, Daycare Center, Youth Facility, Gymnasium Rendsburgerplatz Cologne

In the southern part of Cologne-Mülheim City Park, a building complex is being constructed, comprising a three-stream secondary school, a new gymnasium, a daycare center, and a youth facility. The existing dilapidated buildings of the daycare center, the youth facility, and parts of the secondary school will be demolished and replaced by new constructions. The various areas—the secondary school, the daycare center, the youth facility, and the gymnasium—together form an urban and architecturally coherent entity. However, all areas are self-sufficient in their use and independent in their function, both within the building and for the outdoor facilities. The consolidation of the different building sections achieves economic and synergy effects.

Secondary School

The secondary school’s classroom containers, toilet containers, and barracks will be demolished. Replacement rooms will be created for the classroom containers, and the secondary school will be reorganized from 2.5-stream to 3-stream. The two classroom wings form compact side structures. In between, a two-story administration building in the shape of a small ship is being created. This small “administration ship” connects the two classroom wings through the main entrance area, and also presents the school to the outside with its spacious forum, serving as a meeting place, exhibition space, and celebration venue. In contrast to the cubist classroom wings on the right and left, the bright, light steel-glass architecture appears inviting and open to the population of the City of Cologne.

Gymnasium

The new single gymnasium urbanistically aligns with the existing gymnasium, and with its ancillary rooms and open break hall, it forms a natural boundary for the schoolyard towards the northwest. Consequently, the secondary school’s courtyard opens towards the southeast, receiving ample sunlight and light.

Daycare Center

The daycare center opens with its 5 main group rooms and ancillary rooms to the southeast, sunny side, and each group room has direct outdoor access to the play yard. The play yard directly borders the city park and offers a pleasant view of the greenery. The five main group rooms are clearly discernible in their three-dimensional aspect and individuality. All group and utility rooms are accessible at ground level through a spacious entrance area with a skylight. At the edge of the open area is the multi-purpose room, which is equipped with folding walls and can serve as an extension of the entrance area for events.

Youth Facility

The center of the youth facility is a spacious, light-filled central building, divided along its narrow central axis by a folding wall. The directly accessible part is the forum, from which the 4 group rooms, including ancillary rooms, are accessed. The northern part of the central building is the multi-purpose room, which can be used in parallel and independently of the group rooms. The generously usable central building creates an interplay between the two urban directions: on one hand, the existing and new gymnasium, and on the other hand, the existing caretaker’s house and the daycare center. The central building serves as a meeting place and can also be used for various events. The outdoor area is also integrated into the use of the youth facility via the northern exit.