Comprehensive School Bernhausen, Filderstadt, Germany

The town of Filderstadt wanted to develop, upgrade and further develop the campus of two neighbouring schools in the district of Bernhausen. For the project, it hired Stuttgart-based, international architectural firm, Behnisch Architekten. The stunning piece of architecture features our special coloured synthetic surfaces – which we are immensely proud of!

The guiding principle of the architectural design by Behnisch Architekten: a lively school campus in a pleasant environment for students. The result is a building with levels of different shapes and sizes, which appears playful yet balanced, and stands out perfectly from its relatively heterogenous surroundings with its free-flowing, organic design. The harmonious, vertically staggered horizontal lines and terraces around the circumference of the building make a striking impression.

A facade consisting of a wood and aluminium construction with opaque wood elements reflects the idea of an open learning landscape. The central foyer, containing functional spaces and a cafeteria for common use, leads to all other areas on the levels above. On the upper levels, the building branches out architecturally and functionally. The daylight-flooded atrium, which spans all four levels, forms the vertical core of the building. From there, students can easily navigate the school and find their classrooms almost intuitively.

Each level also has a small vestibule with niches and seating areas for sitting or relaxing. The third floor features a large terrace, which is easily the highlight for the Bernhausen students: it can be used to hold lessons outdoors – at least in the summer months.

As well as thoughtfully planning the spatial structure, Behnisch Architekten specially designed the school to be experienced through the senses. To give the individual learning areas a distinctive character of their own, individual colour schemes were used on the walls, in which the colours not only indicate the respective year group, but create a lively, stimulating environment in intense orange, yellow, green and earth tones.

Our durable all-rounder, PolyPlay SE, which is designed for ball sports and leisure activities on playing fields and school sports facilities, was used for the coating of the terraces around the circumference. The single-layered surface offers many advantages in Bernhausen: for example, it has a smooth surface, dries quickly thanks to its permeability, and is nevertheless slip-resistant at all times. Another advantage is its high wear-resistance and low maintenance – along with its colour scheme, which chimes perfectly with the design concept by Behnisch Architekten. It is installed in the colours light grey and pearl white, as well as three fresh shades of yellow.

Our PolyPlay FS fall protection surface is used on the school’s playground. The shock-absorbing surface offers a clean and safe solution for various uses – usually playgrounds and parks. The bulk-coated, water-permeable covering is particularly easy to care for and, thanks to its cushioning effect, protects against injuries in the event of falls. In Bernhausen, the surface is installed in three colours and different thicknesses between 42 and 122 mm – coordinated with the respective fall height of the playground equipment.