The school of colour

A colourful, playful façade improves aesthetics and brightens the day for students

By 2017, the Betty-Greif school building in Bavaria had reached its maximum capacity of 150 pupils. The complex needed to be entirely renovated and extended by 450 m².

Since the school caters for students who have special educational needs, its principals decided that a vibrant, child-friendly façade would be appropriate and appealing to students, and help to create an enjoyable learning environment. The school also wanted a solution that would not require costly long-term maintenance.

COPLAN AG, an engineering firm from Eggenfelden, chose Rockpanel boards for their wide range of colours to meet the design concept. Additional Rockpanel product benefits were board-lightness, easiness of installation and sustainability – being made from recyclable stone wool. The façade now consists of three different shades of green – fitted irregularly to create a varied, vivid and creative façade.

To meet the need for low maintenance costs, the boards were given a special protective finish which increases the ‘self-cleaning’ power of the boards. Even graffiti, an issue in some schools, can be easily removed with a special detergent. Safety is paramount in schools, especially protecting against the risk of fire, so Rockpanel boards were the perfect choice since they have a high fire classification. Because they are made of stone wool, they can withstand temperatures above 1000oC, and in the event of a fire, the boards do not cause the fire to spread because no combustible parts can peel or drop off.  

The project has dramatically uplifted the aesthetic appearance of the building, and students are now even prouder to learn there. Since the boards are acknowledged to have a lifetime of 60 years by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the project is not only cost effective but will look fresh and beautiful for years to come.

Bavaria, Germany

Project location

Betty-Greif School
Pfarrkirchen
Bavaria

Case Study, Betty Greif DE Rockpanel Pfarrkirchen
Case Study, Betty Greif DE Rockpanel Pfarrkirchen
Case Study, Betty Greif DE Rockpanel Pfarrkirchen
Case Study, Betty Greif DE Rockpanel Pfarrkirchen
“As the Rockpanel facade boards are available in virtually every RAL colour and are very easy to work with, the facades could be installed exactly as we planned.”

Dietmar Wöhler

Architect at COPLAN AG, Eggenfelden

Project Data

Year 2017
Building Type Special Needs School
Application Facade Cladding
Product type Rockpanel Colours