The school facility «Obstgarten (Fruit Orchard)» is a typical ensemble from the 1970s and consists of raw concrete cubes that are integrated into the outside space on different levels. While the classroom tracts are to be renovated, and their interiors reorganised and partially supplemented, the environment is to be transformed into a lyrical antipole by means of hard and rough looking buildings.
The new auditorium replaces the former music hall and houses a large auditorium (600 seats) and the public library. It forms the core of the school campus Obstgarten (Fruit Orchard). Considering the size and the structural weight of the program, the music hall's base was no longer capable of bearing loads from the top to the underground separation walls. Similar to a surgical operation, a massive walls were implemented in the underground plan, a few pillars, formed like abstract atlas figures, bear and lift the heavy volume of the auditorium. Between the base and the auditorium, a transparent space (housing the library) spans between the triangulated load-bearing solids. The perimeter glazing oscillates between the angular geometries and opens conic accesses and passages. The small network of the campus culminates in these compressed passages.
The auditorium is dedicated to both, school and public events. It is completely closed from the outside and lit atmospherically with skylights. The raw concrete envelope of the auditorium is embossed on the outside with an organic-floral motif that contrast with the severity of the ensemble. At the same time, the ornamentation on the surfaces of the building enhances its representative character, distinguishing it as the centre of the facility.
