Colorful special coatings in new school building by Behnisch Architekten

Organic, flowing, colorful

The city of Filderstadt aimed to reorganize, upgrade architecturally, and further develop the area of two neighboring schools in the Bernhausen district. They partnered with the globally active Stuttgart-based firm Behnisch Architekten. This architectural highlight features our colorful special synthetic coatings – a source of great pride for us!The core theme of Behnisch Architekten's architectural design is a lively school campus in a pleasant environment for both teachers and students. The result is a differentiated, staggered building structure that impresses with its balanced lightness and seamlessly integrates into a relatively heterogeneous surroundings with its flowing, organic design. The harmoniously flowing and staggered horizontal lines, along with the continuous terracing, eliminate any sense of bulk from the building.A timber-aluminum construction as the façade, with opaque wooden elements, reflects the concept of an open learning landscape. Through the central foyer, which includes functional rooms and a shared cafeteria, all other areas on the higher levels can be accessed. On the upper floors, the building branches out both architecturally and functionally. The four-story, light-filled atrium serves as the vertical center. From here, students can orient themselves easily, almost intuitively finding their classrooms.On every floor, there is a small forecourt with niches and seating areas to relax or socialize. On the third floor, there is a spacious terrace, which is considered the ultimate highlight by Bernhausen students: classes can be held outdoors – at least during warmer months.In addition to the thoughtful design of spatial structures, Behnisch Architekten conceived the school as a sensorially perceptible building. To give individual learning areas a distinct identity, they implemented unique color schemes for wall surfaces. The colors not only mark the respective grade levels but also create a vibrant and stimulating atmosphere with intense orange, yellow, green, and earthy tones.For the coating of the surrounding terraces, our durable all-rounder PolyPlay SE was used. This product, designed for sports fields and school sports facilities, as well as for leisure activities, impresses in many ways at Bernhausen. Featuring a smooth surface, it dries quickly thanks to its water permeability and remains slip-resistant at all times. Additional benefits include high wear resistance, low maintenance requirements, and, of course, its vibrant colors, which align with Behnisch Architekten's design concept. It was installed in the colors light gray and pearl white, along with three fresh shades of yellow.On a school playground, our safety flooring PolyPlay FS was also installed. This shock-absorbing surface provides a clean and safe solution for various applications, typically on playgrounds and recreational parks. The poured, water-permeable surface is especially low-maintenance and prevents injuries with its dampening effect, for example, in case of falls. At Bernhausen, this surface was executed in three colors and various thicknesses ranging from 42 to 122 mm – tailored to the fall heights of the playground equipment.