Architecture that connects: The education centre “Am Hertinger Tor”
The “Am Hertinger Tor” education centre is Unna’s (Germany) largest educational policy project in recent decades. The construction of the “windmill-like” building focused on community and future viability.
In the city of Unna in the eastern Ruhr region, a modern school and daycare building complex has been providing a future-oriented space for children, families and future generations since 2025. In cooperation with the assmann Group from Dortmund, bhp Architekten from Bielefeld has created a new building for 34 million euros, which represents a modern place for learning. "Investing in children and young people is the best investment we can make. Because we are not investing in bricks, but in minds and the future of our city," emphasised Unna’s mayor Dirk Wigant during the key handover.
Grouped around a common centre
At the “Am Hertinger Tor” education centre, one of the challenges was to integrate two primary schools, a day care centre as a family centre and a new sports hall into a small-scale environment. This was achieved by the “windmill-like” arrangement of a total of four individual houses around a central space. An air space with large play and stage staircases connects the building parts, makes orientation easier and also creates meeting spaces. The primary school’s classrooms and group rooms are also grouped together around a common open learning area.
Modern and future-proof design
The use of large amounts of wood gives the education centre an inviting appearance on the outside as well as on the inside and helps it to blend harmoniously into the environment. The exterior facades made of vertical, structured wooden slats are interrupted by large-scale glazing, which creates transparency. E-charging stations, green roofs and a photovoltaic system minimise the ecological footprint and provide a practical example of a resource-saving approach. “With a total technical volume of 3.7 million euros, the requirements for ecological construction were continued and, in addition to the photovoltaic system, underfloor heating was implemented in combination with CO₂-controlled classroom ventilation,” explains Dipl.-Ing. Klaus Dörfer from the assmann Group, which was in charge of the technical equipment. The campus meets the KfW Efficiency House 55 energy standard.
Troldtekt acoustic panels round off the overall design
Inside the light-filled new building, light wood and light floors and walls create an inviting and calming atmosphere. Here, the deliberate use of just a few materials and subtle colours gives priority to the design and life added by the users. The Troldtekt panels in natural wood on the ceilings harmoniously round off the overall design concept, contribute to a balanced indoor climate and ensure optimal acoustics throughout the new building and thus an improved quality of life.
To counteract the sound-hardening materials of the exposed concrete walls and the resulting lack of sound absorption in the central staircase, Troldtekt acoustic panels were installed on the load-bearing structure of the free staircase behind a strip cladding. Not only do they blend in perfectly with the natural wood colour, but they also guarantee a reduction in reverberation times in the busy school day.
