In summer 2023, the first cluster elementary school opened its doors in Fellbach, Baden-Württemberg. The Maickler School sets new architectural and educational standards for contemporary learning and teaching. Our plant engineering department was jointly responsible for planning the system components and structural elements of the ventilation technology, as well as for the complete installation of the ventilation technology. Energy-efficient air conditioning ensures optimum, draught-free room air flow and the well-being of pupils and teaching staff.

For learning to be fun, school has to feel good. It is undisputed that the literal school space plays a key role in this. The new Maickler elementary school in Fellbach impressively demonstrates how schools can be designed in a contemporary and sustainable way. Instead of traditionally separate classrooms with learning arrangements based on frontal teaching, the new building is designed as a cluster school. The Augsburg architects  Löhle Neubauer is responsible for this. 

The new three-storey building forms an identity-forming anchor in the urban context - together with the adjacent Maria Regina church. The open building typologies of the school center are visually integrated by the compact and clear structure. Construction took just two years, despite a shortage of raw materials and skilled workers and difficult delivery conditions during the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. 

The 4,000 m2 elementary school offers space for up to 400 pupils. The first floor of the square building is accessed via a forecourt and the covered entrance area. In addition to administration and staff rooms, the spacious foyer and canteen are located inside, which can be connected via mobile room dividers. Views into the green atrium, the inner courtyards and various covered break areas give this spatial unit a bright and friendly atmosphere.  

The cluster principle is revealed in its entirety on the two upper floors. Architect and office owner Rainer Löhle explains: “There are no long corridors with fixed classrooms, behind the doors of which each class only learns for itself. Instead, all pupils in a class form a year group cluster, each of which uses a shared area on the floor.” In these “four houses”, all learning spaces are grouped around the “marketplace” - the cluster center as a central meeting and learning point. The same applies to the associated group rooms, differentiation and inclusion rooms, computer rooms and quiet rooms. The structural relationship to the atrium also ensures natural lighting here. Depending on their needs, pupils can take advantage of differentiated learning opportunities together and receive individual support. To strengthen the sense of community, there are also no disruptive passage zones for “foreign” year clusters. Frank Gottschalk from the city of Fellbach reports: “Such flexible architecture is still unusual for a school, despite a broad rethink in the sector. In 20 years' time, the building will still be as relevant as it is today.” 

In addition to well thought-out interior design, technical building planning also plays an important role in creating the right feel-good climate in elementary school.  For the Maickler School, our Kiefer engineers worked closely with the engineers from ebök GmbH in Tübingen to plan the system components and structural elements of the ventilation technology and was responsible for their complete installation. The school's system concept is based on two pillars: the ventilation system consists of two central ventilation units, which are installed in the plant room in the basement and supply various usable areas.

The first ventilation system with heat recovery via rotor is used to ventilate the classrooms and study rooms as well as the canteen, cafeteria and foyer. With a volume flow of 18,000 m3/h, this corresponds to an air exchange rate of around 3 times. The air volume flow is adapted to the room usage: During lesson times, it is reduced in the foyer and cafeteria, but runs at full capacity in the cluster and adjoining rooms. During breaks and lunch, the principle is reversed. The air volume flow is regulated on the floors themselves via variable air volume flow controllers, with the system operating at a constant pressure. 

Fresh air is supplied to the relevant rooms via slimline INDUL linear slot diffusers in various designs. In the classrooms, these run roughly parallel to the window front, while in the foyer they are integrated almost invisibly into the black frame of the stair recess. In the cafeteria, they connect above the floor-to-ceiling kitchen and serving counter. 

The arrangement of the linear slot diffusers on the window front is a compromise between architecture and technology. To achieve a uniform air flow through the approx. 7 m deep classrooms, the linear slot diffuser is equipped with an asymmetrical discharge pattern. This divides the supply air jet into fine individual jets - with a small proportion directed vertically downwards and a larger proportion directed 45° into the room. In addition, the extract air is captured on the opposite side of the room to reinforce this effect. The stale air flows through shadow gaps into the suspended ceiling, where it is extracted using disk valves and grilles and discharged via the external building. The result is a draught-free ambient  air flow with no noticeable air movement and good thermal comfort in the classrooms.

The second ventilation system with heat recovery via a cross-flow heat exchanger is used to ventilate the school kitchen. The air volume flow rate here is 7,000 m3/h and is adjusted via the speed of the fans. The air is extracted via a duct or pipe network made of galvanized steel and is blown directly outside using roof fans, which prevents odours from being transferred into the supply air and thus into the learning and recreation areas. The components in the exhaust air duct are specially designed for exhaust air containing grease.

The entire HVAC system is integrated into the school's complex building automation system based on BACnet (Building Automation and Control Network). This is also used to access the ventilation systems. The operating status of the ventilation system can be called up quickly and easily on each floor without having to enter the individual rooms. All technical building information comes together in the technical control center in the basement and can be centrally recorded, controlled and adjusted in detail via a touchscreen display.