Dortmund, Germany
SSP Architects were appointed by the City of Dortmund to transform an existing outdated-school building and design the school of tomorrow in order to be updated with the changes in education and the reinterpretation of teaching methods.
The Reinoldi Secondary School redesign was short-listed for a 2021 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The U-shaped building is invitingly positioned towards the schoolyard but was moved away from the street and positioned towards the rear of the school campus.
Together with the gyms and the extension of the natural sciences, the main building forms an urban unity.
The complex is divided vertically, also visible through the facade and its materiality.
Foyer, cafeteria, and play center form a multi-purpose communication forum on the ground floor.
The school administration area is connected to the forum, as well as two staircase cores.
On the two upper floors, 18 classrooms with individual and team rooms are organized incoherent clusters.
Some of the corridors widen conically into self-study zones and run towards a patio garden in the middle of the building.
On the upper floor, a library with a view of the campus and a roof terrace with a view of the adjacent forest is planned.
In addition to the first educator (teacher) and the second educator (classmates), the building as the third educator also influences the learning climate.
Project: Reinoldi Secondary School
Architects: SSP AG
Client: Stadt Dortmund
Contractor: SSP AG
Photographers: Detlef Podehl
