Elementary School, Aying

The design of the Aying Elementary School configures the space specifically for its intended use. As a key point of reference for pupils ranging between five and ten years of age, the classrooms are designed as autonomous “class-houses”.

The rooms for the primary school’s four grade years are arranged in four interior houses: classroom and teacher represent the central, social point of contact for the children, and therefore also become the school building’s structural core. By offsetting the four sections of the building against each other, they can be seen as separate buildings in their own right. They are arranged around a communal recreation hall, which – in combination with the slatted wood roof covering the entire structure – signifies community and belonging. The visual impact of the corridors is enhanced through their strong affinity with the rural character of the surroundings. Adopting the same architectural guidelines as the existing buildings, an extension added later lengthens and provides interior structure to one of the two-story gable-ended longhouses.