In Munich’s Obersendling district, a school building has been created that masters the balancing act between a small plot area and an ambitious spatial program. The new Thomas Mann Grammar School by h4a Gessert + Randecker Architekten is an example of how dense construction can work in an urban context without compromising educational objectives.
The challenge of the competition, which was won in 2016 via the VgV procedure, was the shortage of space: a six-form grammar school for up to 1,600 pupils with extensive sports facilities was to be built on an area of just 1.4 hectares. The urban planning approach is consistently inward-looking – the building volumes enclose the site along the edges of the street and shield the inner area. An enclosure consisting partly of walls and partly of transparent Plexiglas supplements the sound insulation.
Inside, a differentiated learning landscape unfolds, in which the school building and triple sports hall flank a central schoolyard. The architects make use of the limited floor space by consistently stacking the functions over six storeys. The vertical circulation core with atrium forms the communicative center of the complex and visually connects all levels.
The Thomas-Mann-Gymnasium is the first municipal grammar school in Munich to consistently implement the “Munich learning house principle”. This pedagogical concept structures the upper four floors into manageable learning clusters: six classrooms are grouped around communal forums, supplemented by inclusion, team, alternative and multifunctional rooms. These “houses within a house” create a human scale within the large school complex and promote the cohesion of the learning groups. The open forums are furnished in a variety of ways and can be flexibly extended via the adjoining multifunctional rooms – ideal for alternative forms of learning and self-directed work.
Space optimization is a consistent principle: in addition to the learning houses, the compact school building also bundles specialist classes, canteen, library, school garden and the assembly hall. Two atriums and the central atrium provide the deep structures with daylight. Circumferential escape balconies give the façade sculptural depth and at the same time create creative freedom inside thanks to the fire protection requirements that have already been met.
The multiple use of the sports hall is particularly innovative: as the western end of the schoolyard, it accommodates three separable hall fields and a grandstand for 200 people. The absolute highlight is the “cage” on the roof of the hall – an all-weather sports area that is extremely popular with the pupils and is the first port of call for young people who like to be active during the breaks. Accessible via a generous flight of steps, which also functions as a grandstand, this raised sports area offers a special playing experience with a panoramic view. The basement houses art and creative rooms, which are supplied with daylight through a deep courtyard.
Despite the high building density, the campus offers a variety of open spaces: in addition to the central schoolyard, there are several outdoor sports fields, a tartan running track, a beach volleyball court, long jump and shot put facilities as well as table tennis tables and outdoor fitness equipment. The well thought-out zoning allows for different activities and offers both exercise space and quieter areas with seating for communication.
An unusual feature of the project is the underground bicycle garage – an architectural response to the ecological journey to school made by many children and young people. A ramp leads down from Gmunder Straße into an artistically designed space with 450 parking spaces. Austrian artist Georgia Creimer designed this “Underscape” as an atmospheric nature experience: A spectacular green-blue tunnel design creates associations with forest, meadow and sky. This unexpected contemplative quality underground forms a deliberate aesthetic counterpoint to the industrial surroundings and transforms the functional space into a daily experience for the students.
Thomas-Mann-Gymnasium, with its artistic and aesthetic educational pathway, has been awarded the titles “Environmental School in Europe”, “STEM-friendly” and “Digital School”. The high-quality technical equipment with interactive whiteboards in all classrooms and dedicated IT rooms on each level supports the educational standards.
Through extracurricular events such as literature evenings, concerts and exhibitions, the grammar school plays an important cultural role in the Obersendling district. The spacious sports facilities are also used by clubs and enrich the neighborhood. With its striking appearance – deputy principal Akim Akodad describes it as a “space shuttle” in the morning light – the new building forms a new landmark in its industrial surroundings.
The Thomas-Mann-Gymnasium impressively demonstrates how a complex educational center can be created in a limited space, enabling different forms of learning and at the same time creating an identity-forming home for 1,600 pupils.
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