III. Gimnazija Maribor
School buildings are the seismograph of the social condition. The development of architectural typologies in the field of school construction has already provided a number of solutions. Among the latter are the tendencies towards open space, where ambiences dedicated to teaching, ambivalent corridors, and social corners, without corridors and enclosed staircases, intermingle. Their articulation is multilayered with spontaneous passages, without barriers or caesurae. The design of education buildings is an interdisciplinary process that must be based on the principles of modern teaching and on sound pedagogical methodologies.
The task requires a well-considered siting of the new extension, which, in addition to the micro-locational elements and green space, must preserve the dominance of the historic school building and, last but not least, complement the existing school programme in a meaningful functional way with new school spaces. The historic building is the central tract along Gosposvetska Street, which assumes the central compositional role of the entire school building, with a representative street façade in the late historicism style. The rectangular addition of a courtyard wing with a corridor is seen as a setting for the development of the building additions. The new school with the planned extension is divided into two individual sub-tracts, also attached perpendicularly to the historic tract. They are subordinate in height and dimension, but do not overwhelm the monumentality of the historic building. The two tracts are spaced by the width of the historic staircase, which takes on the role of a central hub between the old and new parts of the school. The new building’s spaced-out section becomes both an open learning landscape and the heart of the school, with a varied programme and many naturally lit ambiences. On the ground floor, this part forms the entrance hall, with a semi-buried gymnasium leaning against it on the east side. The northern entrance indicates a progressively more meaningful, functionally more appropriate, and traffic-safe entrance to the school, especially for the pupils, while the existing entrance retains its representative role and originality. Both entrances, in a north-south direction, form a central axis between the People’s Garden and the University Campus of the Technical Faculties. In the transverse direction, east-west, the new architecture visually integrates and connects the eastern park of Gymnasium III and the park of Prežihov Voranc Primary School, as well as the many exits to the open space.
Modern pedagogical concepts require functionally varied and naturally rich outdoor spaces that can be used as teaching areas. The different rhythm of the school day and the effective connection between school and park open up new possibilities for the use of outdoor space. The design of the school’s open space fulfils three key overlapping functions:
A space for relaxation: It offers opportunities for exercise and rest, meeting and retreat, eating and refreshment. Learning-related areas: Thematically designed work areas such as the school garden, the outdoor classroom “green classroom”, covered work areas for individual and group work, a sports platform with soft surface for basketball, table tennis, etc., and creative corners for outdoor art, science, and technology lessons.
