The new Franklin district is taking shape on a redevelopment site in northeast Mannheim. On grounds that were once a US military base stood a school building. The brief of the competition won by LRO called for two new constructions: a new classroom block and a sports hall. All existing volumes were eventually maintained and used to complete the school’s educational services.

The new compact buildings generate partly covered open spaces, and the roof of the semi-subterranean sports hall was incorporated into the outdoor space and made to serve as a break area.

Both the actual school and the sports hall were built using a hybrid timber structure and natural materials like cellulose insulation and wood. These materials, along with energy-efficient building systems, contributed to the project’s sustainability. The ventiilated timber facade with its colorful finish stands out to convey this.

The sixteen classrooms are arranged in rows of individual wooden houses, each with its own hipped roof and additional daylight through a skylight. The walls and ceilings are made of prefabricated and untreated dowel-laminated timber panels that are left exposed.

A large part of the schoolyard is a planted mound surrounded by a snaking skating rink. Beneath this is a system that makes all rainwater seep into the subsoil. The classrooms are served by an efficient ventilation system and a photovoltaic system to complement the energy obtained from the local district heating network.