Lucerne: One of the largest school buildings in Switzerland in planning
The Staffeln school building in Lucerne is to be replaced by a new building. It will then be one of the largest school buildings in Switzerland.
The background to the construction project is the large population growth: at least 1,600 new apartments will be built in Littau and Reussbühl over the next eight to ten years. Investment is therefore needed in almost all school facilities in this part of the city. Among other things, the Lucerne City Council wants to rebuild the Staffeln school building, which no longer meets today's requirements, and run it as a primary school instead of a secondary school.
The "Dodes'ka-den" project is being realized by Blättler Dafflon Architekten and Balliana Schubert Landschaftsarchitekten (both Zurich). They were the winners of an open project competition for architects and landscape architects in May 2016.
Three radial buildings of different heights and sizes are planned, which will house the classrooms, kindergartens, an assembly hall, rooms for supplementary childcare and a triple gymnasium. The Staffeln school building is to be built for 24 classes and two kindergartens in the first phase and expanded to a capacity of 30 classes and four kindergartens in the second phase. These dimensions make it one of the largest school buildings in Switzerland, according to the Lucerne City Council.
The City Council is requesting a loan of CHF 53.7 million from the Grand City Council to implement the project, which will be approved by parliament on September 21, 2017. The referendum is expected to take place in November 2017. The new school building could then be occupied in summer 2020 after a construction period of around two years.
