Architect：Sehw Architektur

Location：Essen, Germany

Project Year：2021

Category：Primary Schools Secondary Schools

Essen-Schonnebeck is a former mining district in the north of Essen. The neighbourhood is characterised by large-scale residential developments and soaring winding towers in between, which make the observer constantly remember that a large network of shafts and mines is hidden beneath the entire district. 

How do the region and the district successfully change from a workers’ housing estate to a modern residential quarter? The Zollverein Coal Mine that is within sight provides an answer. The Ruhr Museum attracts almost half a million visitors a year (in non-pandemic times) and represents a significant landmark for the region’s structural change. Our Gustav Heinemann Comprehensive School will give another answer.

Philipp Obkircher

Philipp Obkircher

The overall building volume of the Gustav Heinemann Comprehensive School in Essen was broken down into differentiated section. The stringent structure has resulted in clearly defined outdoor spaces on the school campus. The offset positioning of the individual building sections ensures a scaled integration into the urban context. The offset of the two southern building parts creates a clearly recognisable entrance zone, which, with its forecourt, represents the prelude and identity of the new school grounds. 

Philipp Obkircher