Winning design for "Kunst am Bau" competition - Oberschule am Hartmannplatz has been finalised

The winning design for the "Kunst am Bau" - Oberschule am Hartmannplatz competition was announced today. The winning design was "Birkenhain/Festwiese" by Antje Schiffers and Thomas Sprenger from Berlin.

The jury's verdict: "The atrium, the break hall, is the centre of the school, flooded with light like the clearing where birch trees grow. The slightly shimmering golden coating corresponds convincingly with the daylight in the break hall. On the one hand, the floral, slightly playful design forms a contrast to the very clear, cubic design language of the architecture. On the other hand, the competition entry picks up on the design idea of the building - to use authentic materials - with the material's own colour scheme and thus combines with the architecture in a very elegant way. Gold in a school is surprising - it is both unexpected and ambitious."

The 1st place winner will receive prize money totalling 4,000 euros. The design will also be realised in the school. A budget of 90,000 euros is available for this.

2nd place went to Jean-Franzcois Dessere from Berlin with his design "Loop".

"The jury was impressed by the strong reference to the existing architecture. Created from a few pictorial elements, the design grasps the wall surfaces as an architectural whole and gives each individual surface its pictorial form. The resulting lines of a writing brush are transformed into a larger-than-life movement, creating a brilliant long-distance effect while at the same time directing the gaze of passers-by to the details. The design can only be realised with the aid of state-of-the-art printing technology."
The 2nd place winner receives prize money totalling 2,500 euros.

Peter Zimmermann from Cologne was awarded 3rd place with his untitled design.

"The entry impressed the jury with its masterful use of architectural space. The two large forms can undoubtedly be recognised as having an appropriate effect. The choice of material, which has an aesthetic effect on many levels, was particularly appealing. The starting point for the choice of colours and shapes were the ground plans of the buildings and echoes of regional flags." The 3rd place winner receives prize money of 1,500 euros.

Lars Breuer from Cologne was also recognised for his work.

"This design particularly inspired the jury to engage in in-depth discussions. A typeface consisting of numerous words that dissolve into one another creates an all-over structure that relates to all six walls. The resulting collective word sound is supported by a powerful colour gradient that encompasses the spectrum of all perceptible colours. The starting point is the term "truth", which is translated into 96 languages and addresses the claim and reference to teaching, development and education in many different ways. Breuer's design is highly sensitive to the architecture and also knows how to assert itself from its surroundings."

In the future four-form secondary school on Hartmannplatz, which is due to open at the beginning of 2023, the central break hall, which will also serve as the school's auditorium, will be designed in a special way. A two-stage "Art in Architecture" competition was organised for this purpose. Initially, artists and designers were able to apply to take part. From the 281 submissions from many countries, a jury selected ten applicants who were asked to present their ideas in the form of concrete projects.

The jury was made up of the chairman Matthias Lindner, director of the Neue Sächsische Galerie, Osmar Osten, freelance artist, Alexander Georgi and Volker Giezek, both architects, Dr Sabine Maria Schmidt, art historian at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Lisa Lotze, youth forum of the city of Chemnitz, Jens Berger, headmaster at the school model, Jirka Meyer, head of the education authority and Michael Stötzer, building mayor.