Design Educates Awards 2022

The basic idea of the Bildungslandschaft was to combine and expand an existing choice of schools with various facilities for children and adolescents so that a complete “education chain” for all age groups can be provided at a central city location. Four buildings represent the core of the BAN. Their ground plans are all developed from variations of differently sized pentagons. The flat-roofed, reinforced concrete volumes are clad in grey brick. Two window formats are used as identical design elements in all buildings to create a lively play on the façades with various views in and out. Prior to the competition, the City of Cologne and the Montag Foundations jointly established a participation concept, which brought together steering groups comprising representatives of the users and the administration and thus involved them in the overall planning of the project. After the competition, we expanded, designed and implemented this participation concept through all HOAI service phases. This enabled cooperation between the individual facilities to make all parts of the Bildungslandschaft usable together. The facilities include the Fröbel daycare centre, the Freinet Primary School, the Realschule am Rhein, the Hansa Gymnasium, the Abendgymnasium, the Tower youth centre of the Katholische Studierende Jugend and the Klüngelpütz recreational facility. The BAN is a pilot project of the City of Cologne. The concept of developing learning and living spaces in the sense of pedagogical architecture is the basis for a planning framework for future pedagogical school construction projects launched by the City of Cologne. Due to this lighthouse effect, the project has become known beyond the city limits and receives nationwide inquiries from schools, cities and districts that are interested in copying this concept. The formerly problematic neighbourhood, characterized by drug use, is undergoing a transformation due to the positive effect of the building ensemble and the resulting upgrading of the neighbourhood. The school community, residents and park visitors are happily accepting the new offer and are combining the BAN, the park and the surrounding residential area into a new successful overall ensemble. The BAN opens doors between the individual educational levels and institutions and enables seamless transitions. It supports meaningful learning, the variety of methods for linking to personal experiences, to show contexts of meaning and to promote individual learning processes. An attractive and inclusive all-day programme is guaranteed. It is a realised campus concept with short distances and a peaceful and diverse coexistence based on equal opportunities and participation of all users. The BAN establishes a network of school and non-school providers who work together to promote a balanced range of educational and leisure facilities. It uses synergies to facilitate new organisational possibilities and optimal use of building resources.