The industrialization of the Linthtals valley through the textile industry, shaped the composition of the urban network in the area. Relatively large leaps in scale are part of the picture of the settlement areas in the valley, which have increasingly been shaped by the production sites of internationally known companies since the last century. With a simple solitaire that seeks a connection to the alpine landscape, the design fits into the heterogeneous grain of the existing urban landscape.
The ground floor is accessible from several sides in order to ensure optimal unbundling of the various user groups. The main entrance to the school building and the entrances to the day structure, the kindergarten and the sports hall are separately accessible.
Like a living being, the school building is designed in such a way that it can flexibly adapt to further developments. The compact structure can adapt to a changing content. The three-tier basic grid of the static supports was reduced to a minimum and designed for great flexibility. The gymnasium is placed over the three-storey concrete skeleton construction as a light engineered timber construction. The hybrid construction of the building is optimally tailored to the different space requirements in order to achieve both a high haptic and maximum economy and sustainability. The building typology with the mineral base area, the turned-up wooden half-timbered hall and curtained, textile sun protection is reminiscent of the traditional “hanging towers” of the old textile industry that can still be seen in the Glarus area. It forms a new, identity-creating point of reference in the heterogeneous network of Näfels.
In order to meet flood protection requirements, the ground floor and the house entrances are 50 cm above the ground. A cantilevered concrete slab encloses the building, sets the school building apart from the immediate surroundings and lets the striking volume appear to be floating.