30. elementary school Dresden Comprehensive refurbishment of the school site including the outdoor facilities

In addition to the comprehensive renovation of the buildings, the open spaces are being redesigned in sections. The sealed areas will be greatly reduced and the quality of stay increased by shading the heavily overheated areas with extensive new plantings. One focus is the creation of challenging play and exercise opportunities for the nearly 450 children, such as the creation of a climbing island in the schoolyard and a play hill made from excavated material from the replacement of a wing of the building.

Much of the school grounds at 30th Elementary School were sealed and level (asphalt schoolyard and large soccer field). These areas were barely usable in the summer due to the sun's rays, heavy heat storage and reradiation. In particular, there was a lack of play and retreat areas in the shade.
The grounds offered students too few opportunities for challenging, differentiated motor activities. The existing play areas and equipment were inadequate for the large number of children and resulted in weaker students being displaced to less attractive spaces. Mixed use of areas for quiet play and movement play areas caused further conflict between students.

A concept for the school grounds originally developed for the school's booster club was revised after an architectural competition was held for the school's renovation and adapted to the new building conditions.
In 2016, the construction of a climbing and balancing course in the schoolyard was carried out under our guidance as an early measure with the help of the Friends of the School.

The rest of the site has been redesigned since 2017 in several construction phases, since due to the parallel renovation or demolition and construction of a new building part of the entire four-form school and the after-school care were housed in two container buildings on the site and thus for the outdoor facilities only in sections construction freedom prevailed.
In the first construction phase, the excavated soil for the newly constructed part of the building was used to build a 4.50 m high play mound, the surface of which is paved with lime gravel and sown with species-rich, native flower meadow mixtures. The flower meadows contribute significantly to the natural enhancement of the site and provide food for a variety of insects. At the same time, the hill is used intensively for playing; several challenging climbing possibilities made of robinia wood and sandstone lead to the top and a slope slide leads back down.
Sandstone seating steps are also integrated into the slope, which are used as a green classroom and for school parties.

In the second construction phase, the path areas around the new part of the building as well as the temporary open spaces for the container buildings were constructed.

The third construction phase was implemented in 2020 and included the redesign of the schoolyard with raised beds made of gabions filled with recycled material, various play areas, the restoration of all areas after the dismantling of the containers and the new construction of the basic framework for the school garden, which is to move to the new location after the replacement new construction of the gymnasium with outdoor sports facilities, which has not yet been implemented. Extensive planting measures with trees and hedges as well as further flower meadow sowings increase the biodiversity and bring shaded areas into the grounds.