Kastanienallee primary school, Velbert

The topography of the former sports field on Kastanienallee is characteristic of the site and already provides excellent conditions. With its cubage and positioning, the new Kastanienallee primary school building leverages and strengthens the existing identity-creating qualities of the site. At the same time, a friendly, sheltered space will be created, with new addresses on Kastanienallee and Rheinlandstrasse. In this way, the building is shielded from the new residential development to the west and opens up to the topography to the east. The main entrance is clearly defined in the direction of Kastanienallee. To the south, the long side of the building is positioned parallel to Rheinlandstrasse, creating a clear new address to the south.

The new building can be read in the style of a tangram: like a tangram, the primary school at the new site on Kastanienallee is made up of different parts – the primary schools in Sontumer Strasse, Dellerstrasse and Nordstrasse as well as a sports hall – . Each part is given a colour that is visible both on the façade and in the interior. Here, the theme of the tangram applications forms a flowing transition from the outside to the inside. The individual color scheme and design strengthen users’ identification with the school and help them find their way around the building. The result is an independent and individual building as a new home for the elementary school on Kastanienallee.

During the planning phase, emphasis was placed on optimising the energy requirements: the building envelope was planned in accordance with EnEV 2014 requirements as of 2016. District heating is used to generate heat. Heat is distributed via radiators and, in the sports hall, via radiant ceiling panels. All interior rooms, the kitchen and the sports hall will be equipped with a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Electrical energy is supplied as low-voltage power and the lighting is provided by LED technology.