New Construction of Hans and Sophie Scholl Secondary Schools in Weiden

The City of Weiden in der Oberpfalz intends to construct new buildings for the Hans Scholl Realschule and the Sophie Scholl Realschule on the existing school site. The current school buildings, dating from the 1970s, no longer meet today’s pedagogical, functional, and structural requirements. Both in the existing situation and in the future school concept, boys are accommodated at the Hans Scholl Realschule and girls at the Sophie Scholl Realschule.

The decision to rebuild both secondary schools on the same site offers the opportunity to fundamentally reorganize the existing school ensemble and to further develop it spatially and functionally in line with contemporary standards. The aim is to establish a clear urban design structure that reflects both the independence of the two schools and their shared use of facilities, while at the same time meeting the demands of modern school operations.

The architectural concept envisions a division of the future school ensemble into three clearly legible building volumes. Two longitudinal building wings accommodate the Hans Scholl Realschule and the Sophie Scholl Realschule respectively. Positioned between them is a two-story central building that serves as a connecting element and houses the functions shared by both schools. This layout provides clear orientation, a strong identity for each individual school, and short, easily understandable circulation routes. At the same time, it allows for an economical and logical implementation of the project in multiple construction phases.

The two school buildings respond in their internal organization to the different pedagogical concepts of each Realschule, which is reflected in a differentiated distribution of uses. The central building forms the functional and communicative heart of the school ensemble. Key shared facilities such as the auditorium, cafeteria, and administrative areas are located here and are used jointly by both schools.

Each Realschule is provided with its own clearly assigned main entrance, which functions independently of the shared central building and does not lead through the auditorium. This ensures that the autonomy of the schools is maintained in daily operations. The primary access to the entire school ensemble is from the west via the schoolyard, which serves as a central space for recreation and social interaction. In addition, a further access point from the east is planned to ensure flexible connections to the surrounding area.

The construction of the new buildings will be carried out in several phases. The construction phases are organized in such a way that ongoing school operations, with the existing number of classes and students, can be maintained without restriction throughout the entire construction period. The phased implementation also contributes to an economical and efficient construction process.

A key design element of the proposal is a differentiated color and material concept that supports orientation within the school ensemble and strengthens students’ identification with their respective school. This concept is applied both to the façades and to the interior spaces and is clearly assigned to each of the two Realschulen. In this way, the architectural separation of the schools is also made perceptible in atmospheric and design terms, while the shared areas are deliberately designed to create a sense of connection.