A German School with a Danish Cool

LocationHamburg Altona, Germany
ProgramGrundschule, Gymnasium and Deutsch-Französisches Gymnasium
ClientMunicipality of Hamburg, Schulbau Hamburg
Size26.600 m²
YearThree phase competition, 3rd prize, 2017-19
CollaboratorsCoido Architects, Bruun & Möllers, Nova5

This project for a city campus in Altona was performed as a Danish-German design collaboration in an effort to unite German urban design and Danish school design skills in order to realise the demands of modernism while preserving an architectural and urban tradition.
During the interwar period architects like Gustav Oelsner in Altona, wanted to meet the spatial demands of modernism while preserving the architectural and urban tradition. He managed to realise his vision of a green and social responsible city development, a quality that has made Altona one of the most attractive parts of Hamburg even today.
World War II, was heavy on larger German cities, and so was the modernist city planning that followed. Today, German architects are rethinking their ideas and the radicalism of the postwar era. A third phase of Germany's renaissance is gathering steam and it is characterized by a growing nostalgia and yearning for history.

Boss me up

To quote Georg Michaels Freedom lyrics: Sometimes the clothes do not make the man. Its a two-way street. Yes, clothes can make the man. But it’s the man inside the suit, that provides the suit its spark. We ask ourselves if architecture itself should be spectacular, or if it should make people feel and look spectacular? Just like it's easier to make objects stand out on a grey and neutral background, it's easy to dress people in a high quality grey flannel suit to make them shine.