Architecture and aesthetics

The exis­ting school centre Eichi in the Swiss muni­ci­pa­lity of Nieder­glatt (canton of Zurich) capti­vates with its compo­si­tion and the unem­bel­lished inter­play of simple cubes. The coarse plaster used in the façades and its diffe­rent warm tones shine in combi­na­tion with the inci­dence and inten­sity of light.

The centre was built in 1985 by the archi­tect Walter Schindler. L3P added the new school buil­ding wing in 2007. In the sense of a conti­nua­tion the archi­tects saw the reuse of this facade mate­rial also for the exten­sion buil­ding sports hall. With a new colour tone, the exis­ting colour concept with the warm tones towards orange-redish of the whole centre of Eichi has been continued and supple­mented.

Project

The multi-purpose double sports hall forms the archi­tec­tural conclu­sion of the school complex to the southwest. The inner struc­ture consists of a two-storey, serving spatial layer on the west side and the hall adjoi­ning to the east. The plat­form is arranged on the long side of the new gymna­sium exten­sion.

The new, two-storey foyer is oriented towards the outdoor sports field and has been gene­rously glazed. Toilets, office and outdoor equip­ment room are located on the ground floor and are also acces­sible from the outside. The cloa­k­rooms and showers are located on the upper floor and can be accessed via a corridor which is open to the hall and can also be used as a spec­tator gallery.

From a fire protec­tion point of view, the hall and new entrances are desi­gned as one fire compart­ment. This allows for an extre­mely variable use — just as the name “multi­pur­pose hall” demands. All areas are directly evacuated to the outside. On the upper floor, a second corridor layer allows escape to the south. At the same time, the possi­bi­lity of sepa­ra­tion brings an addi­tional benefit to the cloa­k­rooms for artists in thea­tres, which are directly connected to the stage via an internal stair­case. Another advan­tage of the prece­ding room layer is the resul­ting inti­macy for the users of the cloa­k­room.

Development and design

The exis­ting access road from the Rüti­wie­sen­strasse was extended and asphalted.

The acces­si­bi­lity of the new multi-purpose hall is regu­lated as follows:

• Clubs and pupils use the new entrance on the ground floor, which is oppo­site the exit of the class­room wing.
• In the evening and during the week, club members have the oppor­tu­nity to park their vehicles in the supply area office and stage.
• When used as a multi-purpose hall, the public access is via the exis­ting foyer, which is opti­mally accessed via the school square and the nearby parking faci­li­ties. The foyer and the exis­ting gymna­sium were also rede­si­gned in terms of mate­rials, lighting and colours.

Statics, lighting and interior design

The exten­sion of the old gymna­sium lost its southern window surfaces. The exis­ting north-facing oblique lights have been left. The struc­tural design was also carried out in consul­ta­tion with the respon­sible civil engi­neer, who had calcu­lated the 1985 Gymna­sium.

The aging of the concrete and the resul­ting higher compres­sive strength made it possible to cut out indi­vi­dual sections. For reasons of cost, the initi­ally planned round and playfully arranged skylights had to be aban­doned.

The archi­tects desi­gned circular recesses in the exposed concrete walls and plywood clad­dings as a form of crea­tive compen­sa­tion. The circle is ubiqui­tous in general: round mills were created in the exis­ting concrete walls and the new walls were formed accor­dingly. Like boun­cing balls, this creates a meta­phor toge­ther with the depres­sions, which makes the hall spati­ally very attrac­tive.