Learning Between Old, New, and Nature – Extension of the Müller-Guttenbrunn-School

The Müller-Guttenbrunn-School faced the challenge of expanding into a five-stream primary school while carefully revitalizing its listed 1950s main building. Through a Europe-wide competition, a design emerged that does not pit old against new, but instead weaves them into a balanced whole.

At the heart of the design was the question: How can a large school be made clear and welcoming from a child’s perspective? The new building responds with spaces that combine learning and concentration with discovery, play, and movement.

This dialogue creates an “internal school street,” forming the heart of the school that ties all buildings and levels together. At the junction between old and new the street opens into a generous foyer — the school’s new entrance and central meeting place. Along its path, widened zones and niches become places to sit, play, and gather, offering orientation while helping children experience the large school as welcoming and manageable.