Extension of the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums, Hamburg Subtle differentiation

Konzept

The Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums zu Hamburg is one of the oldest and most traditional grammar schools in Germany. The new brick building “Forum Johanneum” houses the rooms of the artistic subjects art, music, and the performing arts, as well as a cafeteria and a sports hall. It supplements the school built by Fritz Schumacher in 1914, creating a new ensemble.

In order to help give these contents the appropriate framework and open space, we have allowed ourselves to be “guided” by thoughts about continuity and what already exists, about quality and development, liberalism and humanism. The concept is limited to just a few instruments: lawns, squares and a light grove of oaks with raised crowns.

It is a play of structure, superimposition, symmetry and small irregularities that has led to this open, inviting and straightforward “campus”. Within this very calm, clearly-structured facility, diverse and multifunctional interspaces have been created. The differentiations are subtle. The multi-purpose sports hall has been integrated into the colour scheme and overall concept in a way that is likewise reserved and reduced.