Vocational School Rottenburg

The expansion of the vocational school in Rottenburg which includes classrooms, a media center and library and student study areas marks the final phase of a school campus that has evolved over decades. In response to the limited spatial constraints, the design features an elongated structure that blends into its surroundings through cantilevers on the upper floor. Reducing the building’s footprint on the ground floor creates a spacious entrance area as well as expanded break areas for the entire school complex. A system of ramps and stairs connects the two newly created courtyards with the existing buildings.

The structural system of the new building adapts to the design’s form in terms of materials and construction and is realized using a wood-concrete hybrid construction method. The basement and the cantilevered ends containing the stairwells are constructed of concrete, with the intermediate floors designed as wood-concrete composite structures. The walls consist of full-surface, exposed glued-laminated timber panels.

The building envelope is designed as a curtain-wall, rear-ventilated cladding with a vertical linear structure. Interlocking, pre-weathered wooden pilasters create a vividly textured surface. The ribbon-like openings emphasize the horizontal proportions of the building mass. The cantilevers on the north and south sides serve as a canopy and mark the main entrance to the building.

Inside, the load-bearing structure of the reinforced concrete walls appears as exposed concrete, while the glued laminated timber walls serve as finished surfaces. The structural framework and the interior surfaces merge without any additional cladding.