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The school is being expanded into a full-day primary school
As the City of Darmstadt announced, the foundation stone for the new cafeteria building at the Georg-August-Zinn School in the Wixhausen district was laid on Wednesday (11th). City Treasurer André Schellenberg, Head of Schools Holger Klötzner, District Administrator Deniz Würsch, and representatives of the school community participated in the ceremony.
The three-stream Georg-August-Zinn School was built in 1969 and expanded with an annex in 2005. It is the only primary school in the Wixhausen district. A pavilion previously used for some of the after-school care, which was beyond repair, has already been demolished. Given the growing need for all-day care, the school is now being expanded into a full-day primary school with a two-story extension.
Cafeteria, foyer and new all-day rooms
The ground floor of the new building will house the cafeteria and a foyer. Its location in the northeastern part of the school grounds allows for direct access to the schoolyard, which is also being redesigned and reorganized as part of the construction project.
New all-day learning spaces are planned for the upper floor, arranged in shared learning clusters. These will include a library, a project kitchen, a workshop, a technical room, and offices.
Sustainable building concept
City Treasurer André Schellenberg explains that the new building was planned by the real estate management department of the City of Darmstadt using energy-efficient timber hybrid construction. The plans also include a heat pump heating system, a green roof, a photovoltaic system, and a rainwater cistern for irrigating the grounds. The building will thus be both functional and sustainable.
Parents' initiative involvement
School superintendent Holger Klötzner emphasizes that the expansion is also due to the commitment of the Wixhausen parents' initiative, which had been working intensively for the school's further development since 2022. In close cooperation with the initiative, the school administration, and the childcare provider, it was possible to create the conditions for all-day operation. The exchange with the parents provided important input in this process.
The new building is scheduled for completion and commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2026. The existing school building will then undergo energy-efficient renovation.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip)
