Franziska Euterneck

The future design-school on „Zeche Zollverein“ intends to integrate and interweave teaching, research and application. The close cooperation of these three elements will be the unique profile of the school as professional training constitution and start-factory. T

he new building characterizes the exposed entrance zone at the “Gelsenkirchener Straße”. It recedes from a planned boulevard, is slightly elevated above ground and forms a solitary edifice. The school is mainly oriented to its own center and opens only selectively on three sides to the mine area.

The creative work of the students takes place on large, variable areas. These areas are opposed by devices that take additional, assisting functions as the library, classrooms, a lecture hall and a cafeteria. They interweave with and penetrate the working areas as vertical boxes. They are functinally and spatially well defined units and symbolize density and concentration. They differ from the working areas as well as among themselves by room size, structuring and floor level.

Via courtyards, that provide daylight for both devices and serve as mediator between inside and outside, sight contact is allowed among the different elements of the building. Their unique character is formed by the boxes that are situated in them.

The three entrances to the building show as large openings in the facade. One reaches the zentral lobby via the courtyards. This communicative middle area recurs on all three levels and functions as horizontal and vertical distributor.

The glasfacades of the boxes symbolize density and concentration. From the outside one can distinguish the different functions inside the boxes by their slightly differing imprints. Because of their disimilitude the façades of the working areas create zones of varying quality. Those to the inner courtyards are single layerd, those facing the outside environment are double layerd. 

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