High school Grünwald

"The starting conditions were not exactly easy," recalls Guido Alrich, who is responsible for the real estate business at Pfleiderer: "After all, the school grounds are located on a busy arterial road. But the planners overcame the challenge brilliantly, he notes: "They have created a campus that is at peace with itself and radiates an indescribable sense of freedom and joie de vivre".

Based on an ambitious concept, the architects have succeeded in creating remarkably spacious interiors in addition to the required teaching and common areas. "These appear all the more open because they flow into one another without any visual breaks," explains Guido Alrich. This is made possible by Pfleiderer's products with the same decorative coating, which can be used in almost any room - "depending on which product properties are required", says Guido Alrich: "After all, engineered wood is not only very decorative, but also extremely versatile and highly functional. 

The best example of this is the flameprotect compact panel, which is used extensively in the school's corridors and break rooms. This non-combustible panel is part of the fire protection range that Pfleiderer has developed especially for special constructions and public buildings. "Schools and kindergartens, as well as hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and high-rise buildings, place very high demands on fire protection," explains Guido Alrich: "Wherever many people have to be evacuated in the shortest possible time in the event of a fire, particularly strict regulations apply to escape routes. Not only must they always be clear and easy to find, they must also withstand the fire for as long as possible and remain passable in an emergency.

"However, this no longer has to be at the expense of aesthetics," says Guido Alrich: "With our wide range of fire protection products, we now have a tailor-made solution for every structural challenge in our assortment. In addition to the non-combustible flameprotect compact, flame-retardant particleboards such as DecoBoard MDF Pyroex and DecoBoard Pyroex, which is available uncoated under the name PremiumBoard Pyroex, are also suitable for decorative interior applications such as furniture and fixtures or ceiling and wall panelling. "The self-supporting compact laminate Duropal HPL Compact Pyroex, which is not only flame-retardant but also moisture-resistant, is recommended for high-traffic areas. 

With flameprotect compact, Bauer Kurz Stockburger & Partner opted for a non-combustible fire protection panel made primarily from mineral components. By choosing the right materials, the architects of Grünwald High School have helped to reduce the fire load. At the same time, they created the greatest possible freedom for their design concept. After all, Pfleiderer offers its flameprotect compact with a decorative melamine resin surface on both sides in more than 1,800 different decors and textures.

To emphasise the airy, natural feel of the building, the designers opted for light sycamore with a matt finish. This wood is now used throughout the school as a style-defining feature. It can also be found in the classrooms - in the form of magnetic back walls that pupils and teachers can use as bulletin boards during lessons. This is made possible by Duropal HPL Magnet, a high-pressure laminate with a ferromagnetic inlay. Where no additional functions were required, the architects opted for classic MDF panels with a particularly smooth surface. 

Thanks to Pfleiderer's DST system, it is impossible to tell the difference between the various materials used in Grünwald High School with the naked eye.

"This allows architects and interior designers to realise very different requirements with the same surface appearance," explains Guido Alrich: "Bauer Kurz Stockburger & Partner have succeeded in this particularly well. Structural fire protection, magnetic walls and the economical use of natural raw materials - all this is possible with the right mix of intelligent wood materials. Without any visual breaks". The same applies to eco-certified products and lightweight panels, he adds: "Anyone who switches to OrganicBoard, for example, our particularly sustainable material made from wood and annual plants, does not have to do without the design variety of the DST system".

However, sometimes even the widest choice is not enough to realise a special concept. In Grünwald, this included spectacular motifs such as life-size animals, binary number sequences and chemical structures. These were used on the interior doors - to the biology room, computer pool or chemistry hall, for example - to illustrate the respective teaching area or subject. 

"A pioneering design in the truest sense of the word," says Guido Alrich: "Naturally, we were delighted to make it possible. With the "Individual" programme, Pfleiderer was able to implement the architects' ideas one to one. "And the result is something to be proud of," says Guido Alrich: "A great design that will show the way for new school buildings in the future!