The choice of materials combines robustness with a warm atmosphere. Sandblasted concrete surfaces define the two lower levels both inside and out, from the staircases to the precast concrete façade elements. Above, blue-green fibre cement panels, colour-matched to the existing school buildings, wrap the upper storeys in a finely articulated envelope. Inside, silver fir is used for windows, doors, built-in furniture, wall cladding and seating niches. Reconstituted stone provides durability in heavily used areas, while glazing creates visual connections.
These decisions reflect the project as a collaborative achievement between client and architects. Alongside environmental considerations, sustainability is understood here in terms of retaining existing structures, making thoughtful material choices, ensuring graceful ageing and creating a building that performs well in everyday use. “We assessed the materials, maintenance requirements, ease of upkeep and ageing characteristics from the very beginning,” says Stefanie Lüdigk, Head of Department at the Tübingen District Authority and the client’s representative. “It was important to us that the surfaces would withstand the demands of daily school life, retain their quality over the long term and give the building a lasting and appropriate presence.”
For a+r Architekten, this commitment extends well beyond completion in all of their projects. Walter Fritz regularly revisits earlier projects to observe how materials weather, how surfaces acquire signs of use and how buildings continue to perform in everyday life. “A good building should still feel right many years after it has been completed,” says the project architect at a+r Architekten. “That requires materials that can gracefully accommodate the traces of everyday use.”